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THE    HIGLEYS    AND 
THEIR    ANCESTRY 

AN  OLD  COLONIAL  FAMILY 


BY 

MARY  COFFIN  JOHNSON 


"I  HAVE  WRITTEN  FRANKLY, 
GARRULOUSLY,  AND  AT  EASE, 
SPEAKING  OF  WHAT  GIVES  ME 

JOY  TO  REMEMBER 

SOMETIMES  VERY  CAREFULLY  OF 
WHAT  I  THINK  MAY  BE  USEFUL 
FOR  OTHERS  TO  KNOW,  AND 
PASSING  OVER  IN  TOTAL  SI- 
LENCE THINGS  WHICH  I  HAVE  NO 
PLEASURE  IN  REVIEWING." 

— Prceterita 


LIMITED    EDITION 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
MDCCCXCVI 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1892,  by  MARY  COFFIN  JOHNSON, 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


2012371 


/ 

OM£ 
f 


PREFACE. 


THE  story  in  this  book  is  not  new;  it  is  but  a  repetition  of  the 
story  told  "  o'er  and  o'er  "  since  man's  existence — "  born,  married,, 
died." 

It  is  a  plain  record  of  the  lives  of  a  great  many  noteworthy 
plain  people,  as  well  as  of  a  number  of  men  and  women  who  have 
distinguished  themselves  in  their  relations  to  life. 

The  faults  or  deficiencies  of  the  subjects  are  not  dwelt  upon. 
"It  is  always  fair,"  Henry  Ward  Beecher  used  to  tell  us,  "to 
credit  a  man  at  his  best— let  his  enemies  tell  of  his  worst." 

The  work  contains  many  side  lights  on  topics  relating  to  the 
times  in  which  its  subjects  lived,  and  glances  at  the  early  settlers 
in  the  beginnings  of  many  of  our  States  and  Territories.  Great 
pains  have  been  taken  to  make  the  work  historically  accurate. 

The  fullness  of  the  biographical  sketches  is  a  notable  feature. 
I  much  regret  that  many  individuals  and  families  are  mentioned 
only  in  the  genealogical  line.  This  is  because  our  information 
concerning  them  was  quite  incomplete,  very  few  facts  or  none  at 
all  having  been  contributed.  But  no  amount  of  painstaking  can 
render  a  genealogical  work  perfect.  The  errors,  especially  in 
dates,  are  as  frequently  the  fault  of  the  contributors  as  of  the 
editor. 

I  have  from  first  to  last  had  in  mind  the  young  people.  There 
is  already  a  whole  generation  of  youths  and  maidens,  whose 
activities  and  influence  belong  to  the  wider  development  of  the 
twentieth  century,  now  growing  up  in  the  remote  new  West  and 
South  under  the  onward  progress  and  changes  of  the  present 
period  ;  they  are  found  in  the  full  tide  of  enterprise  and  eager 
desire  of  the  American  spirit,  near  rapidly  built  railroad  lines, 
new  villages  and  towns,  oil  cities,  natural  gas  discoveries,  elec- 
trical appliances,  mines,  and  quarries.  To  these  the  old  New 
England  Puritan  story  of  their  grandsires  is  quite  unknown  ; 
they  read  latter  day  publications  and  have  scarcely  been  afforded 

iii 


iVr  PREFACE. 

a  glimpse  of  the  domestic   portraits  and  life  surroundings  that 
made  their  ancestor  human. 

For  such  this  book  is  written. 

This  work  was  first  projected  by  Greenleaf  W.  Higley  of  New 
York  City,  and  was  first  begun  without  an  idea  of  so  extensive  an 
enterprise  as  it  has  proved;  indeed,  when  undertaken  by  the 
editor  it  was  not  intended  to  go  beyond  arranging,  for  print,  some 
valuable  MSS.  and  scraps  of  traditions  which  Mr.  Higley  had 
interested  himself  to  gather,  he  having  for  some  years  been  far 
from  indifferent  concerning  his  ancestors. 

In  its  earlier  prosecution,  without  the  slightest  expectation  of 
pecuniary  compensation,  he  took  upon  himself  the  entire  expense 
incurred  in  gathering  the  material,  till  on  account  of  failing 
health  and  other  unavoidable  reasons,  he  was  reluctantly  obliged 
to  abandon  the  work. 

To  Judge  Warren  Higley  of  New  York  City  is  due  the  honor 
of  assuming  the  financial  responsibility  of  the  publication  of  the 
book.  From  the  beginning  of  the  undertaking  I  was  the  recipient 
of  his  uniform  kindness,  cheerful  encouragement,  and  practical 
co-operation;  his  due  appreciation  of  the  vast  amount  of  labor 
imposed  upon  me  in  securing  the  facts  taken  from  official  records 
by  extensive  personal  research,  as  well  as  in  handling  the  large 
volume  of  contributed  matter,  and  answering  hundreds  of  letters, 
was  practically  shown  during  the  long  interval  till  its  completion, 
and  justly  deserves  here  to  be  recorded  with  honorable  mention. 

The  pleasant  duty  is  also  mine  of  expressing  grateful  acknowl- 
edgements to  others  who  have  cheerfully  extended  every  facility 
that  could  be  extended,  not  only  from  time  to  time  giving  fresh  im- 
pulse to  the  work,  but  who  have  generously  given  of  their  time  and 
labor  toward  collecting  material  and  obtaining  traces  of  lines  of 
descendants  not  of  their  own.  Among  those  whose  names  in  this 
connection  may  be  justly  associated  with  this  book,  are  Pomeroy 
Higley  of  West  Simsbury,  Conn.,  Albert  C.  Bates  of  East  Granby, 
Conn.,  Henry  W.  Goddard  of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  all  of  whom  reside 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old  ancestral  localities;  Thompson  Hig- 
ley of  Windsor,  O.,  William  A.  Higley  of  Windham,  O.,  Miss  Emma 
L.  Higley  of  Middlebury,  Vt.,  and  Milo  H.  Higley  of  Rutland,  O. 

To  mention  some  who  have  lent  important  assistance  in  fur- 
nishing material  in  their  own  lines  of  descent  would  be  to  the 
writer  most  gratifying. 

MARY  COFFIN  JOHNSON. 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  March,  1896. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     BOYHOOD  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY,  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN 

ANCESTOR, i 

II.     A  BIT  OF  HISTORY,     .                        5 

III.  PURITAN  GRANDSIRES, 7 

IV.  ONE  OF  THE  FOREFATHERS, 15 

V.     MATERNAL  ANCESTRY 19 

VI.    ANCESTRAL  LINKS, 22 

VII.    YOUTH  AND  MARRIAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY,       .        .  28 

VIII.     EARLY  MARRIED  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY,  1671-78,  33 

IX.    BUSINESS  PROSPERITY. — A  GRANDMOTHER'S  MEMORIES,         .  41 

X.    SIMSBURY,  CONN., 47 

XI.     PUBLIC  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY,       ....  56 
XII.     CAPTAIN    JOHNV  HIGLEY'S    SECOND  MARRIAGE. — LIFE'S  AC- 
TIVITIES,         .  63 

XIII.  LAST  SCENES  IN  CAPTAIN  HIGLEY'S  LIFE,          ...  71 

SKETCHES  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY  OF  HIGLEYS. 

XIV.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — JOHN  HIGLEY,  JR.,    .        .  85 
XV.    THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  IST,  88 

XVI.    THE  FIRST   AMERICAN   FAMILY. — ELIZABETH  HIGLEY    BAN- 
CROFT,         ..        4        ......  gi 

XVII.     THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — KATHERINE  HIGLEY  NOBLE,  96 
XVIII.    THE  FIRST  AMERICAN   FAMILY. — ENSIGN    BREWSTER    HIG- 
LEY, SR., 99 

XIX.    THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — HANNAH  HIGLEY  TRUMBULL,  106 
XX.    THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — JOSEPH  HIGLEY,          .        .114 

XXI.    THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  IST,      .  115 
XXII.    THE   FIRST   AMERICAN    FAMILY. — MINDWELL    HIGLEY  Tis- 

DALE  FITCH, 135 

XXIII.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY.— SARAH  HIGLEY  LOOMIS,       .  137 

XXIV.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY.— NATHANIEL  HIGLEY,         .  139 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — JOSIAH  AND  JOSHUA  HIG- 

LEY '    .  144 

XXVI.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — ABIGAIL  HIGLEY  THORP,  147 
XXVII.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — SUSANNAH  HIGLEY  BLACK- 
MAN,        149 

XXVIII.  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — ENSIGN  ISAAC  HIGLEY,  153 

XXIX.  DESCENDANTS  OF  KATHERINE  HIGLEY  NOBLE,     .        .        .159 

XXX.  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  20, 162 

XXXI.  ENSIGN  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  30,    ......  169 

XXXII.  HANNAH  HIGLEY  ALFORD  PORTER,          .        .        .        .  176 

XXXIII.  SETH  HIGLEY,  IST, 185 

XXXIV.  WARREN  HIGLEY,  SR.,  AND  HIS  DESCENDANTS,         .        .  199 
XXXV.  AMELIA  HIGLEY  BATES, 220 

XXXVI.  JUDGE  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  4TH 233 

XXXVII.  ERASTUS  HIGLEY, 243 

XXXVIII.  REV.  HERVEY  OWEN  HIGLEY, 249 

XXXIX.  DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  4TH,          .        .        .  267 

XL.  DAVID  HIGLEY, 280 

XL1.  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY, 284 

XLII.  MICAH  HIGLEY  AND  HIS  DESCENDANTS,           .        .        .  300 

XLIII.  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY, 304 

XLIV.  DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY,        .        .  321 

XLV.  LIEUTENANT  ASA  HIGLEY, 340 

XL VI.  OZIAS  HIGLEY, .  349 

XL VII.  ABIEL  HIGLEY, 354 

XLVIII.  SIMEON  HIGLEY, 373 

XLIX.  HANNAH  HIGLEY  OWEN  MILLS,            376 

L.  JOHN  BROWN 380 

LI.  HESTER  HIGLEY  CASE, 390 

LII.  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR., 392 

LIII.  HAYDEN  HIGLEY, '  .        .        .  401 

LIV.  CARMI  HIGLEY, 409 

LV.  "DEACON"  OBED  HIGLEY,  SR., 416 

LVI.  POMEROY  HIGLEY,  SR., 428 

LVII.  ELIZABETH  HIGLEY  MILLS, 440 

LVIII.  DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY  TRUMBULL,       .        .  444 

LIX.  DESCENDANTS  OF  GOVERNOR  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL,  SR.  ,     .  464 

LX.  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  SON  OF  SAMUEL,  IST,       .        .        .  474 

LXI.  DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  (OR  20),       .        .  492 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

LXII. 

HON.  JONATHAN  HIGLEY  (30), 

.     500 

LXIII. 

HUME  HIGLEY  

517 

LXIV. 

ALLEN  HIGLEY,       

.        .     544 

LXV. 

MARY  HIGLEY  WHITE  

570 

LXVI. 

DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY, 

.     583 

LXVII. 

ROSWELL  HIGLEY,       ..... 

LXVIII. 

FAMILY  OF  SOLOMON  HIGLEY, 

.     621 

LXIX. 

LIEUTENANT  DANIEL  HIGLEY,    . 

635 

LXX. 

DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  IST, 

.     658 

LXXI. 

DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  IST, 

674 

LXXII. 

ELIJAH  HIGLEY  AND  HIS  DESCENDANTS,    . 

688 

LXXIII. 

JAMES  HIGLEY  AND  HIS  DESCENDANTS, 

.        .        .        .70? 

APPENDIX, 

713 

INDEX, 

721 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FACING  PAGE 

WESTWARD,  Ho !    .         .        . Frontispiece 

MRS.  MARY  COFFIN  JOHNSON, i» 

HOME  OF  DEACON  JOHN  MOORE  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY,     .  15 

MAN  IN  STOCKS, 17 

ARMS  OF  DRAKE 20 

THE  HIGLEY  COPPER, 126 

HOMESTEAD  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  20, 162 

REV.  WALTER  O.  HIGLEY, 193 

CHAUNCEY  AND  MARGARET  H.  HIGLEY, 203 

CHESTER  AND  PRUDENCE  MILLER  HIGLEY, 207 

HON.  WARREN  HIGLEY, 209 

CHRISTINA  J.  HIGLEY, 218 

ELIZA  Z.  HIGLEY  NICKASON, 218 

ALBERT  C.  BATES 223 

HERMAN  WARD  HIGLEY, 228 

PROFESSOR  EDWIN  HALL  HIGLEY, 258 

JULIUS  B.  HIGLEY, 271 

MARIA  L.  FUQUA  HIGLEY, 272 

HON.  BRAINARD  S.  HIGLEY, 289 

WILLIAM  E.  HIGLEY, 296 

ARTHUR  LUCIEN  HIGLEY, 297 

CHARLES  WILLIAM  HIGLEY  (OF  BOSTON), 297 

COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY, 304 

ROBERT  McKowN  HIGLEY, 319 

EDWARD  B.  HIGLEY, 320 

JULIA  M.  HIGLEY, 321 

LORIN  HIGLEY, '  324 

MATTHEW  P.  HIGLEY 331 

ALFRED  M.  HIGLEY, 336 

JOHN  BROWN 380 

HAYDEN  HIGLEY 401 

POMEROY  HIGLEY, 429 

CLAYTON  W.  HIGLEY, .        .  431 


X  ILL  US  TRA  TIONS. 

FACING  PAGE 

GOVERNOR  JONATHAN  TRUMBULL 444 

RECORD  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY'S  BIRTH  (FROM  "  PUBLIC  RECORDS  OF 

SIMSBURY,  CONN."), 474 

GREENLEAF  W.  HIGLEY  AND  FAMILY, 533 

JONATHAN  HIGLEY  (OF  WINDSOR.  O.), 55° 

CURTIS  DIVINE  HIGLEY, 595 

SARAH  E.  BUELL  HIGLEY,        . 595 

IRVIN  BUELL  HIGLEY, 596 

MARY  E.  HIGLEY  McLouo, 596 

ALICE  E.  FREEMAN  PALMER, 614 

GEORGE  TRASK  HIGLEY 649 

GENERAL  JOHN  HUNT  HIGLEY, 679 

ELIJAH  HIGLEY, 700 

LYDIA  J.  HIGLEY  HIBBARD, 704 

REUNION  AT  WINDHAM,  O., 716 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND  THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BOYHOOD   OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    HIGLEY,    THE   FIRST    AMERICAN 
ANCESTOR. 

If  it  be  pleasant  to  behold  a  fair,  round  timber  tree,  sound  and  perfect,  or  a  fine  old  mansion, 
not  in  decay,  how  much  more  an  old  family  that  has  stood  the  weather  and  the  winds. — LORD 
BACON. 

IN  the  old  church  records  at  Frimley,  Surrey,  England,  is  found 
the  following  entry  : 

"Jonathan  Higley  and  Katherine  Brewster  Married  January 
Ye  3  Anno  Dom,  1647." 

At  a  later  date,  among  the  birth  records  appears  the  announce- 
ment: 

"John,  Ye  sonne  of  Jonathan  Higley,  borne  Ye  22  of  July. 
Baptized  August  Ye  i2th,  1649." 

No  other  children  of  Jonathan  and  Katherine  Higley  are 
recorded  upon  these  ancient  parchments,  though  tradition  says 
that  John  Higley  had  two  sisters,  whom  he  left  behind  with  his 
mother  when  he  emigrated  to  America. 

Concerning  Jonathan  Higley's  origin  in  England,1  we  have  not 
made  research  beyond  the  Frimley  parish  register,  and  all  that  is 
known  of  him  may  be  briefly  stated. 

His  wife,  Katherine  Brewster,  was  clearly  of  the  ancient 
Brewster  family  of  England,  to  which  belonged  "Elder"  William 
Brewster  of  the  Mayflower  fame.  A  branch  of  the  family  settled 
in  Kent  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  where  they  owned  lands  in 
several  parishes  in  1560. 

The  death  of  her  father,  the  Rev.  John  Brewster,  is  entered 
upon  the  parish  records  of  Frimley  as  taking  place  August  14, 
1656,  and  that  of  her  mother,  February  23,  1657.  This  branch 

1  The  task  of  searching  out  the  lineage  of  Jonathan  Higley  in  England,  or  Germany,  is  left  for 
some  descendant  of  another  generation. 


2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  the  Brewster  family  were  residents  in  this  parish  from  a  very 
early  date  of  that  century. 

Originally  Frimley  was  a  very  small  hamlet,  surrounded  with 
woods  and  heath  lands,  and  is  said  to  have  been  once  connected 
with  Windsor  Forest  as  a  hunting  ground.  It  lies  in  the  valley, 
with  slight  rising  lands  on  the  side,  about  thirty  miles  from 
London.  The  district  has  the  name  of  having  been,  in  years  gone 
by,  a  wild,  rough  country,  with  few  inhabitants.  The  old  form 
of  the  word  Frimley  was  Frymley.  The  railroad  from  London  to 
Southampton  now  passes  through  the  village,  though  Frimley- 
Green  and  its  old  church  are  a  mile  away.  The  village  is  seven 
miles  from  the  well-known  Aldershot  military  camp. 

The  church  in  which  John  Higley  was  baptized,  when  he  was  an 
infant  three  weeks  old,  and  in  which  the  ancient  records  are 
found  that  give  us  the  earliest  history  we  have  searched,  was  built 
in  1602,  and  the  first  entries  in  the  register  were  in  1594. 

It  was  amid  these  surroundings  that  John  Higley,  the  first 
ancestor  of  the  Higleys  of  America,  was  born  and  nursed.  To 
him  the  lineage  of  all  by  the  name  is  traced. 

From  Church,  Colonial,  State,  and  other  public  records, 
together  with  old  papers,  old  account  books,  MSS.  yellow  and 
seared  by  age,  from  which  copious  extracts  are  taken,  some  of 
which  furnish  statements  supported  only  by  traditionary  evidence, 
but  all  fully  sustained  and  confirmed  by  facts  in  history,  and  con- 
sidered unquestionable,  the  story  of  his  life  is  gathered. 

His  father  died  about  the  year  1664  at  the  age  of  forty,  which 
left  the  care  of  the  family  devolving  upon  the  mother.  By  this 
bereavement  the  practical  energy  and  force  of  character  with 
which  it  is  said  she  was  particularly  gifted,  were  called  out  and 
put  into  exercise. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father,  and  according  to  a  common 
custom  of  those  times,  she  apprenticed  John  to  a  trade,  that  of 
manufacturing  gloves.  The  boy  was  then  fifteen  years  of  age. 
His  master  proved  severe  and  overbearing,  and  John  Higley 
formed  no  attachment  for  him.  The  weekly  tasks  were  hard 
and  heavy,  and  the  lad  was  overworked.  One  Saturday  night,  on 
failure  of  performance  of  a  certain  amount  of  work  that  had  been 
allotted  him,  he  was  promised  a  sound  flogging  to  be  adminis- 
tered on  the  following  Monday  morning.  His  independent 
nature  revolted  at  such  treatment.  It  was  not  that  he  lacked 
industrious  habits  and  close  application,  as  will  be  seen  in  his 


BOYHOOD   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN    HIGLEY.  3 

future,  but  possessing  a  strong  sense  of  justice  and  a  courageous 
spirit,  he  could  not  consent  to  be  beaten  for  the  nonfulfillment  of 
an  unreasonable  task. 

He  had  been  apprenticed  for  a  term  of  not  less  than  seven 
years.1  The  law  provided  that  should  the  apprentice  depart  from 
his  service  before  the  expiration  of  his  time,  "he  should  be 
legally  apprehended  on  warrant,"  taken  "before  one  of  His 
Majesty's  justices  of  the  peace,"  and  returned  to  his  master  with 
a  severity  of  punishment  far  greater  than  that  which  he  might 
have  received  for  unfulfilled  tasks.  John  Higley  conceived  the 
idea  of  running  away.  Keeping  his  intentions  profoundly 
a  secret,  not  even  taking  his  mother  into  his  confidence,  it  was 
easy  for  him  to  find  a  way  of  escape;  and  on  the  evening  of  the 
next  day — Sunday,  he  was  aboard  a  trading  vessel,  setting  sail  for 
America.  His  first  night  at  sea  found  him  in  severe  isolation, 
amid  the  solitudes  of  the  great  ocean,  a  stranger  to  all  about  him, 
supported  by  no  friendly  boy  comrade,  and  without  money,  with 
an  uncertain  voyage  of  many  weeks  before  him,  his  destination 
an  unknown  land,  with  no  familiar  roof  upon  its  shores  "  save 
the  sky."  It  was  certainly  a  period  of  unquestionable  trial  to  his 
courageous  heart,  and  well  might  his  spirits  have  relented,  had 
not  the  independence  and  the  excitement  of  a  boundless  life  on 
the  wild  new  shore  toward  which  his  face  was  turned  buoyed  him 
up.  He  could  not  decipher  the  hieroglyphics  in  which  his  future 
was  enwrapped.  However,  despair  and  gloominess  had  no  place 
in  his  natural  temperament,  and  full  of  the  sensibilities  of  youth 
and  hope,  he  sought  his  bunk  and  did  not  dream.  John  Higley 
had  found  a  secure  retreat  from  his  harsh  taskmaster,  the  glove- 
maker,  as  well  as  an  outlet  for  his  eagle  spirit. 

The  captain  of  the  vessel  arranged  to  give  him  his  passage  with 
the  understanding  that  he  was  to  be  sold  upon  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  in  port,  for  at  least  a  sufficient  amount  to  pay  for  his  passage 
across  the  ocean."  It  was  a  period  in  the  history  of  the  colonies 
when  inducements  were  offered  to  emigrants  of  every  description 
to  come  to  this  country.  "There  was  need,  and  great  demand 
for  workmen  and  artisans  of  all  kinds,  and  tillers  of  the  soil  found 
ready  employment  awaiting  them."3 

1  It  is  authoritatively  stated  that  "  No  apprenticeship  to  a  trade  iright  expire  until  the  apprentice 
was  twenty-four  years  of  age." 

4  "  Since  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  under  James  and  his  successors,  minors  had  been 
granted  to  court  favorites,  or  sold  in  open  market  to  the  highest  bidder." — Extract. 

'  "  At  the  outset  of  American  colonization  one  finds  persons  bound  for  long  terms  before  leaving 


4  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  ship  off  the  American  coast,  she  sailed  up 
the  Connecticut  River  to  Windsor,  the  oldest  settlement  in  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut,  situated  fifty-seven  miles  from  its  mouth. 
Here  John  Higley,  with  his  own  consent,  was  sold  for  a  term 
of  service. 

We  are  fully  justified  in  the  conclusion  that  his  purchaser  was 
John  Drake,  though  this  name  is  not  given  in  the  old  MS.,  but 
subsequent  events  point  strongly  to  the  fact  that  he  was  taken 
immediately  into  the  home  of  this  worthy  family.  The  fact  is 
recorded  that  the  young  man  worked  faithfully  for  his  employer, 
cleared  the  entire  debt  of  his  passage  across  the  ocean,  and, 
having  his  employer's  full  confidence,  continued  in  his  service 
for  some  time  after  he  had  attained  his  majority. 

God's  smiling  providence  had  followed  the  boy  across  the  sea. 

England,  and  treated  as  recognized  species  of  property.  English  laborers  bound  themselves  to 
serve  a  term  of  years,  fairly  hoping  to  better  their  condition  in  America  ;  and  men  in  domestic  or 
other  trouble  would  sell  themselves  for  a  term  of  service  :  trusting  to  luck  to  come  up  in  better 
plight  in  a  new  world.  Runaway  apprentices  were  greedily  welcomed  by  crimps  or  decoy  agents 
concerned  in  shipping  recruits  to  the  new  colonies.  In  those  days  of  slow  communication,  men  of 
every  sort  were  as  utterly  lost  in  America  to  their  old  lives  as  they  could  have  been  had  they 
migrated  to  the  moon." — Edward  Eggleston,  Century  Magazine,  1884. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    BIT    OF    HISTORY. 

'Tis  like  a  dream  when  one  awakes — 

This  vision  of  the  scenes  of  old  ; 
'Tis  like  the  moon  when  morning  breaks  ; 

'Tis  like  a  tale  round  watch  fires  told. 

— John  Pierponfs  Hymn. 

WINDSOR,'  Conn.,  was  the  first  trading  post  in  the  colony. 
It  was  established  October  16,  1633.  The  attention  of  the  Eng- 
lish colonists  and  Puritans  on  the  Massachusetts  coast  was 
called  to  the  rich  broad  valley  of  the  Quonektacut,"  by  an  Indian 
chief,*  who,  escaping  the  savage  cruelty  of  overpowering  neighbor- 
ing tribes,  made  his  way  from  Matianuck  (now  Windsor),  through 
the  wilderness  to  Boston,  and  solicited  Governor  Winthrop  "  to 
come  to  plant  in  his  country";  extolling  its  richness  and  its  ad- 
vantages for  trade,  and  offering  "a  full  supply  of  corn,  and  an 
annual  present  of  eighty  beaver  skins." 

The  Indians,  who  were  numerous  upon  the  river,  belonged  to 
several  different  tribes  which  were  located  forty-five  miles  from 
its  mouth,  and  thickly  settled  in  the  region  above,  who  were  con- 
stantly in  warlike  relations,  driving  each  other  here  and  there. 
This  sagacious  chief  no  doubt  desired  the  favor  and  presence  of 
the  white  man  to  regain  for  him  his  hunting  grounds  and  to  pro- 
tect his  people  with  his  firearms.  Governor  Winthrop  saw  noth- 
ing in  the  proposition  to  merit  his  attention. 

Through  similar  sources  knowledge  came  to  Governor  Winslow 
of  the  Plymouth  Colony  of  these  valuable  lands,  which  were 
described  as  lying  at  the  juncture  of  the  two  beautiful  rivers,  the 
Connecticut  and  its  picturesque  tributary  the  Farmington;  lands 
rich  in  timber  and  furs,  and  abounding  with  beaver,  whose  future 
under  the  busy  hand  of  trade  and  civilization  promised  to  "flow 
with  milk  and  honey." 

1  The  main  facts  in  this  historical  narrative  of  the  early  settlement  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  are  extracts 
taken  from  Dr. David  McClure's  paper  in  the  "Massachusetts  Historical  Collection,"  vol.  v. ; 
Dr.  H.  R.  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor";  and  the  "History  of  Hartford  County,  Conn.," 
by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 

8  The  Indian  name  for  Connecticut. 

8  Wahginmacut. 

2  5 


O  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

An  adventurer,  John  Oldham,  who  with  two  companions  were 
the  first  white  men  who  made  the  journey  overland  to  Matianuck, 
risking  his  life  among  the  dense  forests  and  deep  rivers,  returned 
with  glowing  representations  of  the  western  valley.  Governor 
Winslow  looked  with  approval  upon  a  movement  in  this  direction. 
The  result  was  that  the  Plymouth  Colony  took  the  project  in 
hand. 

The  Dutch  had  for  the  last  ten  years  been  visiting  the  river 
as  traders.  In  1614,  a  Hollander,  Captain  Adrian  Block,  in  the 
Dutch  merchant  service,  while  cruising  about  in  a  small  yacht  of 
sixteen  tons  exploring  the  unknown  and  rugged  shores  of  Long 
Island  Sound,  discovered  the  Connecticut  River,  up  which  he  sailed 
to  near  the  head  of  navigation  (now  Windsor  Locks).  The  Dutch 
West  India  Company  had  since  the  year  1621  a  monopoly  of  trade 
on  its  banks,  and  had  sometimes  bartered  with  the  savages  for  as 
many  as  ten  thousand  beaver  skins  in  a  single  year,  but  had  made 
no  attempt  at  a  settlement.  However,  when  the  attention  of 
the  English  on  the  Massachusetts  coast  was  being  turned  in  this 
direction,  the  Dutch,  to  make  their  claim  to  the  right  of  possession 
secure,  and  prevent  usurpation  of  their  rights,  purchased  in  June, 
1633,  of  the  Indians,  a  tract  of  meadow  land  at  Matianuck,  and 
built  a  small  fort,  manning  it  with  two  small  cannon. 

To  ignore  the  claim  of  the  Dutch,  and  get  possession  of  the 
desirable  lands  above  their  rude  defense,  it  was  necessary  for  the 
English  to  choose  a  man  of  courage  and  determination,  together 
with  a  crew  of  equal  metal.  Captain  William  Holmes,  with  "  a 
large  bark  "  belonging  to  the  Plymouth  Company,  sailed  from 
Boston  in  October,  1633.  He  had  on  board  the  frame  of  a 
house  which  was  prepared  in  Plymouth  with  all  the  materials 
requisite  for  its  erection.  He  also  carried  with  him  Nattawanut 
and  other  Indian  sachems,  the  original  proprietors  of  the  soil, 
who  had  been  driven  thence  by  the  warlike  Pequots,  and  of 
whom  the  Plymouth  people  afterward  purchased  the  land. 

Passing  under  the  guns  of  the  Dutch  fort  at  Hartford,  and  up 
the  river  a  few  miles  above,  he  arrived  at  a  location  chosen  just 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Tunxis  or  Farmington  River  in  the 
present  town  of  Windsor.  Here  he  erected  his  house  on  a  lot 
of  43^  acres,  and  proceeded  to  fortify  it  with  palisades. 

The  Dutch,  after  emphatic  protests,  finally  withdrew,  and 
in  1653,  twenty  years  afterward,  when  England  and  Holland 
were  at  war,  their  little  fort  at  Hartford  was  taken.  In  1655  the 


A   BIT  OF  HISTORY.  7 

last  vestige  of  Dutch  claim  on  the  Connecticut  River  was 
yielded. 

The  original  limits  of  the  town  of  Windsor  were  about  forty- 
six  miles  in  circumference,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Connecti- 
cut River.  It  was  first  called  Dorchester.  At  the  Com- 
missioner's Court  held  February  21,  1637,  it  was  "Ordered,  yl 
the  plantacon  called  Dorchester  shall  bee  called  Windsor;  "  *  and 
the  ancient  town  has  since  borne  that  name. 

Here  we  shall  find,  in  this  old  town  which  has  pleasantly  stood 
for  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  the  early  scenes  of 
the  ancestry  of  the  Higleys. 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  i.  p.  7. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PURITAN    GRANDSIRES. 

Roll  back  the  curtains  of  the  years  and  let  your  eyes  behold 
The  distant  times,  the  ancient  ways,  the  sturdy  men  of  old  ; 

Across  the  stormy  deep  they  came,  the  forest  wilds  they  trod, 
To  find  a  home  for  Liberty,  a  temple  for  their  God. 

And  now  behold  these  exiles  here,  John  Wareham  and  his  flock, 
Made  up  of  good  old  English  names,  and  good  old  English  stock  ; 

They  come  with  hearts  that  trust  in  God,  and  hands  made  strong  for  toil, 
To  build  their  rude  and  humble  homes,  and  break  the  waiting  soil. 

— I.  N.  TARBOX,  D.  D. 

To  the  illimitable  New  Erigland  forest,  uninhabited  save  by 
the  wily  Indian  and  grizzly  denizens  of  the  thickets,  including 
every  species  of  wild  beast  native  to  the  country,  came  the 
Rev.  John  Wareham,  Deacon  John  Moore,  and  John  Drake,  Sr., 
with  their  families. 

They  were  of  the  large  body  of  Puritans  who  came  with  John 
Winthrop  from  Plymouth,  England,  and  settled  first  at  Dor- 
chester, Mass.  John  Winthrop  had  said,  "I  shall  call  that  my 
country  where  I  may  most  glorify  God,  and  enjoy  the  presence 
of  my  dearest  friends,"1  and  these  staunch  Puritanic  forefathers, 
echoing  his  declaration,  accompanied  him. 

The  story  of  the  emigration  to  the  American  coast  of  the 
church  to  which  the  Rev.  John  Wareham  was  a  minister,  and 
John  Moore  a  deacon,  and  afterward  its  removal  in  a  body  to  the 
wilds  of  Connecticut,  is  interesting  to  our  readers,  inasmuch  as 
the  ship  Mary  and  John  brought  to  this  land  these  families  from 
whom  the  Higleys  are  direct  lineal  descendants,  through  their 
honored  Puritan  grandmothers,  ancestors  in  the  maternal  line. 

"  It  was  during  the  years  of  tyranny  which  followed  the  close 
of  the  third  Parliament  of  Charles  that  the  great  Puritan 
emigration  founded  the  States  of  New  England.  The  Parliament 
was  hardly  dissolved,  when  '  conclusions  '  for  the  establishment 
of  a  great  colony  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  were  circu- 
lating among  gentry  and  traders,  and  descriptions  of  the  new 

1  "  History  of  the  English  People,"  by  J.  R.  Green,  M,  A. 
8 


PURITAN  GRANDSIRES.  9 

country  of  Massachusetts  were  talked  over  in  every  Puritan 
household.  The  two  hundred  who  first  sailed  for  Salem  were 
soon  followed  by  Winthrop  himself  with  eight  hundred  men;  and 
seven  hundred  more  followed  ere  the  first  year  of  royal  tyranny 
had  run  its  course. 

"Nor  were  these  emigrants  like  the  earlier  colonists,  'broken 
men,'  adventurers,  bankrupts,  criminals,  or  simply  poor  men 
and  artisans.  They  were  in  great  part  men  of  the  professional 
and  middle  classes;  some  of  them  of  large  landed  estate,  some 
zealous  clergymen  like  Hooker  and  Cotton,  some  shrewd  London 
lawyers,  or  young  scholars  from  Oxford.  They  were  driven 
forth  from  their  fatherland,  not  by  earthly  want,  or  by  the  greed 
of  gold,  or  by  the  lust  of  adventure,  but  by  the  fear  of  God,  and 
zeal  for  a  godly  worship."1 

In  March,  1630,  this  strong  body  of  Puritans  met  in  Plymouth, 
Devonshire.  After  spending  a  solemn  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
in  the  New  Hospital,  they  covenanted  in  church  fellowship. 

Two  of  the  grandsires  of  the  Higley  ancestry  were  placed  in 
responsible  church  relations,  the  Rev.  John  Wareham, "  who  was 
chosen  a  minister,  and  John  Moore,  who  was  appointed  a  deacon. 

1  From  "  History  of  the  English  People,"  by  J.  R.  Green,  M.  A. 

8  Rev.  John  Wareham  was  a  clergyman  of  Exeter,  England,  ordained  by  the  bishop  of  that 
diocese.  He  was  a  learned  man  of  celebrity  and  widespread  influence  in  his  native  country.  He 
espoused  the  Puritan  faith,  and  it  is  recorded  that  li  his  example  as  much  as  his  precept  greatly 
aided  the  decision  of  others  "  to  emigrate  to  America.  Roger  Clap,  in  his  "  Memoirs,"  mentions 
his  name  with  other  "  famous  ministers,"  as  "  sound,  godly,  learned  men." 

After  remaining  more  than  five  years  at  Dorchester,  Mass.,  he  again  transplanted  his  church,  the 
larger  proportion  of  its  membership  coming  with  him,  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  1635.  Here  he  was 
devoted  and  untiring  in  his  labors  during  a  long  pastorate  of  thirty-four  years.  It  is  said  that  he 
was  more  liberal  in  sentiment  than  many  of  his  Puritan  ministerial  brethren  of  those  times,  and 
was  a  preacher  of  great  attractive  power,  "having  an  uncommon  influence  over  his  hearers  of  all 
ranks  and  characters."  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  minister  in  this  country  who  used  notes 
when  preaching.  His  biographers  are  faithful  enough  to  tell  us  that  he  was  subject  to  moods  of 
gloomy  fancies,  and  that  there  were  times  when  he  refused  to  partake  of  the  sacraments  on  account 
of  a  "  sense  of  unworthiness,"  even  when  he  officiated  in  the  presence  of  his  people.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  he  possessed  good  estates  in  England.  He  was  twice  married,  and  had  a  large  family. 
His  daughter  Sarah  married  Return  Strong,  May  n,  1664.  His  granddaughter  Sarah  Strong,  the 
eldest  child  of  his  daughter  Sarah,  became  the  second  wife  of  John  Higley,  and  was  the  mother  of 
seven  of  his  children.  At  his  death,  Rev.  Mr.  Wareham  left  a  large  estate  in  lands. 

His  tomb  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  which  has  been  carefully  preserved  for  more  than  two  hundred 
years,  in  the  old  cemetery  surrounding  the  church.  "  now  the  oldest  orthodox  church  organiza- 
tion in  America"  (Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor,"  p.  858),  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"  IN  MEMORY  OF  THB  REV.  JOHN  WAREHAM. 

"  He  was  installed  Pastor  of  this  Church  at  its  organization  in  Plymouth,  England,  in  1630, 
They  arrived  in  this  country  the  3oth  of  May  the  same  year,  and  remained  at  Dorchester.  Mass., 
five  years,  when  they  removed  to  this  town.  Here  Mr.  Wareham  continued  his  pastoral  labors 
to  his  flock  until  April  i,  1670,  when  he  slept  in  the  Lord.  He  was  among  the  most  eminent  of 
New  England's  early  Divines. 

"  ERECTED  BY  HIS  CHURCH." 


10  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  ship  Mary  and  John,  a  vessel  of  four  hundred  tons,  was 
chartered  for  the  voyage  to  America,  and  fitted  out  at  Plymouth. 
The  large  company  embarked  on  the  twentieth  of  the  month,  and 
were  seventy  days  in  making  the  passage. 

Says  Roger  Clap,  who  was  one  of  the  number,  in  an  interest- 
ing account  of  the  voyage  and  landing,  given  in  his  "  Memoirs": 
"What  a  wondrous  work  of  God  it  was,  to  -stir  up  such  Worthys 
to  undertake  such  a  difficult  Work  as  to  remove  themselves,  and 
their  Wives  and  Children,  from  their  Native  Country,  and  to  leave 
their  galliant  situations  there,  to  come  into  this  Wilderness  to  set 
up  the  pure  Worship  of  God  here  !  So  we  came,  by  the  good  Hand 
of  the  Lord,  through  the  Deeps  comfortably;  having  Preaching 
or  Expounding  of  the  Word  of  God  every  Day  for  Ten  Weeks 
together  by  our  Ministers. 

"When  we  came  to  Nantasket,  Captain  Squeb,  who  was  Captain 
of  that  great  ship,  would  not  bring  us  into  Charles  River,  as  he 
was  bound  to  do,  but  put  us  ashore,  and  our  Goods,  on  Nan- 
tasket Point,  and  left  us  to  shift  for  ourselves  in  a  forlorn  Place 
in  this  Wilderness." 

Procuring  a  boat  of  some  Planters,  and  "some  men  well 
armed,"  they  proceeded  up  the  Charles  and  finally  landed  "with 
much  Labor  and  Toil,  the  Bank  being  steep.  Night  soon  came 
on  and  we  were  informed  that  there  were  hard  by  us  three 
hundred  Indians.  A  man  was  sent  to  advise  them  not  to  come 
to  the  camping  pilgrims  in  the  Night.  Sentinels  were  appointed, 
and  we  laid  ourselves  down  in  the  wilderness  to  sleep.  In  the 
morning  some  of  the  Indians  came  and  stood  at  a  distance 
off,  looking  at  us,  but  came  not  near  us;  but  when  they 
had  been  a  while  in  view,  some  of  them  came,  and  held  out 
a  great  Bass  towards  us.  So  we  sent  a  man  with  a  Biskit,  and 
changed  the  Cake  for  the  Bass.  Afterwards  they  supplied  us 
with  Bass,  exchanging  a  Bass  for  a  Biskit,  and  were  very 
friendly  to  us. 

"  In  the  beginning  many  were  in  great  straits  for  want  of  Provi- 
sion for  themselves,  and  their  little  ones.  Oh,  the  Hunger  that 
many  suffered,  and  saw  no  hope  in  the  Eye  of  reason  to  be 
supplyed;  only  clams,  and  muscles,  and  Fish.  But  Bread  was 
with  many  a  very  scarce  thing;  and  flesh  of  all  kinds  as  scarce. 
And  in  those  Days,  in  our  straits,  though  I  cannot  say  God  sent 
a  Raven  to  feed  us  as  He  did  the  Prophet  Elijah,  yet  this  I  can 
say  to  the  praise  of  God,  that  He  sent  poor  ravenous  Indians, 


PURITAN  GRANDSIRES.  II 

which  came  with  their  Baskits  of  corn  on  their  Backs  to  Trade 
with  us,  which  was  a  good  supply  unto  many. 

"  .  .  .  In  those  Days  God  did  cause  his  People  to  trust  in 
him,  and  to  be  contented  with  mean  things.  It  was  not 
accounted  a  strange  thing  in  those  Days  to  drink  Water,  and  to 
eat  Samp,  or  Homonie  without  Butter  or  Milk.  Indeed,  it  would 
have  been  a  strange  thing  to  see  a  peice  of  Roast  Beef,  Mutton, 
or  Veal,  though  it  was  not  long  before  there  was  Roast  Goat. 

"After  the  first  Winter,  we  were  very  healthy,  though  some  of 
us  had  no  great  store  of  Corn.  The  Indians  did  sometimes  bring 
Corn  and  Truck  to  us  for  Clothing,  and  Knives;  and  once  I  had 
a  Peck  of  Corn,  or  thereabouts,  for  a  little  Puppy  Dog.  Frost- 
fish,  Muscles,  and  Clams  were  a  relief  to  many." 

One  account  relates  that  "We  found  out  a  neck  of  land  joyning 
to  a  place  called  by  ye  Indians  Mattapan,  so  they  settled  at 
Mattapan.  They  began  their  settlement  here  at  Mattapan  ye 
beginning  of  June,  A.  D.  1630,  and  changed  the  name  into 
Dorchester." 

For  full  three  years  the  pilgrims  at  Dorchester  lived  in  har- 
mony. We  quote  again  from  Roger  Clap1:  "In  those  days 
Great  was  the  Tranquility  and  Peace;  And  there  was  great  love 
one  to  Another;  very  ready  to  help  each  other;  not  seeking  their 
own,  but  every  one  another's  Wealth."  They  early  made  progress 
toward  comfortable  living.  Wood  writes,  in  1633,  "  that  they 
had  fair  corn  fields,  pleasant  gardens,  a  great  many  cattle,  goats, 
and  swine,  and  that  the  plantation  had  a  reasonable  harbor  for 
ships." 

There  seems  to  be  some  obscurity  as  to  the  primary  cause  of 
the  agitation  which  resulted  in  the  decision  of  this  ancient  church 
to  remove  in  a  body  to  the  Connecticut  wilderness.  It  was 
probably  owing  to  a  variety  of  reasons.  Clap  goes  on  to  say  : 
"But  the  work  of  God  towards  his  People  here  was  soon 
maligned  by  Satan;  and  he  cast  into  the  minds  of  some  corrupt 
Persons,  very  erroneous  Opinions;  which  did  breed  great  Dis- 
turbance in  the  Churches.  .  .  The  Godly  Ministers  were 
accused  of  preaching  false  doctrine,  and  theological  points  came 
into  discussion.  Troublers  of  the  country  went  about  and  many 
were  drawn  away  with  their  Disseminations." 

Added  to  this,  the  Massachusetts  Colony  had  enacted  laws 
which  were  a  yoke  to  their  liberty-loving  and  determined  spirits, 

1  "  Memoirs  of  Capt.  Roger  Clap,"  printed  in  Boston,  New  England,  1731. 


12  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

and  their  intense  love  of  freedom  was  undoubtedly  another  cause 
prompting  their  removal.  It  is  clearly  evident  that  they  had 
a  high  instinctive  consciousness  of  rights  and  possibilities  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  true  principles  of  religious  freedom,  and  believed 
that  somewhere  upon  the  soil  of  the  New  World  there  was  a  spot 
where  they  could  enjoy  happiness.  The  Massachusetts  law  per- 
mitted "none  but  Church  members  to  even  be  called  freemen  or 
to  become  voters."  They  were  interfered  with  in  a  thousand 
little  matters  which  were  of  a  private  nature,  and  which  might 
7best  have  been  left  to  themselves.  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  who 
came  with  the  fleet  in  1630  and  returned  to  England  the  follow- 
ing year,  wrote  to  the  Boston  ministers  as  follows: 

"  It  doeth  not  a  little  grieve  my  spirit  to  hear  what  sadd  things  are  reported 
daily  of  your  tyranny  and  persecutions  in  New  England,  as  that  you  fyne,  whip, 
and  imprison  men  for  their  conciences.  These  rigid  ways  have  layed  you  very  low 
in  the  hearts  of  ye  saynts."  * 

The  subject  of  removal  westward  was  weighed  in  its  different 
bearings  by  Mr.  Wareham's  entire  church.  They  held  days  of 
prayer  and  fasting,  and  finally  the  main  body  determined  to  leave 
Massachusetts  for  the  Connecticut  valley.  Rev.  Mr.  Wareham 
was  the  minister  and  leader-in-chief  of  the  new  and  hazardous 
undertaking.  The  decease  of  his  associate,  Rev.  Mr.  Maverick, 
had  previously  taken  place,,  They  sent  a  party  in  advance  to 
view  sites  for  the  settlement  where  is  now  Windsor,  and  the  main 
body  of  sixty  men  and  women  set  out  in  the  autumn  of  1635, 
carrying  with  them  the  original  records  of  the  Church.  They 
were  fourteen  days  making  the  journey. 

Their  road  lay  through  the  unbeaten  and  almost  trackless 
paths  of  an  unknown  forest,  with  deep  muddy  soil  and  across 
swift,  swollen  streams,  which  were  without  bridges  and  without 
ferries.  During  storms  the  tall  trees  of  the  thick  woods  were 
often  prostrated  in  heaps  like  stubble  across  the  rude  Indian 
paths  which  sometimes  led  their  way.  They  had  scarcely  any 
provisions  during  the  journey  except  what  they  carried  with  them, 
procuring  by  the  way  such  as  the  forests  afforded. 

"Their  household  furniture,  bedding,  and  winter  provisions 
were  sent  around  by  water,  and  it  is  probable  that  some  families 
also  took  this  means  of  conveyance.  '  Never  before  had  the 
forests  of  America  witnessed  such  a  scene  as  this.'  Driving  the 

1  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  vol.  i.  p.  26. 


PURITAN  GRANDSIRES.  13 

cattle  before  them,  the  compass  their  only  guide,  commencing 
and  ending  each  day's  march  with  songs  of  praise  and  heartfelt 
utterance  of  prayer,  which  sounded  strangely  among  these  soli- 
tudes— they  journeyed  on. 

"Before  they  reached  Connecticut  the  hues  of  autumn  had  faded 
from  the  forests;  winter  set  in  unusually  early.  By  the  fifteenth 
of  November  the  river  was  closed  with  ice,  and  as  yet  the  vessel 
containing  their  household  goods  and  provisions  had  not  arrived, 
nor  were  there  any  tidings  of  it.  The  rude  shelter  and  accom- 
modations which  had  been  provided  for  themselves  and  their 
cattle  proved  to  be  quite  insufficient  to  protect  them  against  the 
extreme  inclemency  of  the  season.  They  were  able  to  get  only 
a  portion  of  their  cattle  across  the  river,  the-  remainder  were  left 
to  winter  themselves  as  best  they  could  on  the  acorns  and  roots 
of  the  forest."  l 

Disputes  and  contentions  with  other  claimants  about  posses- 
sion of  the  choice  lands  at  Matianuck  met  them  upon  their 
arrival,  November  i,  1635,  which  added  to  their  discouragements. 
In  less  than  a  month  a  small  party  from  their  number,  "driven 
by  hunger  and  distress,"  retraced  their  way  to  the  eastern  coast 
amid  great  vicissitudes  and  at  peril  of  their  lives.  A  larger  num- 
ber journeyed  down  the  river  on  foot  to  within  twenty  miles  of 
its  mouth,  where  they  found  a  small  vessel  which  had  been  ice- 
bound in  the  river,  and  which  fortunately  had  just  been  loosened 
by  a  winter  thaw.  In  this  they  set  sail  for  Boston.  The  hard- 
ships and  sufferings  of  the  families  which  remained  were  direful 
in  the  extreme.  They  had  not  sufficient  food  or  shelter,  and  it 
is  said  their  loss  in  cattle  was  very  heavy. 

In  the  early  spring  those  who  had  made  their  way  back 
to  Massachusetts  during  the  winter  returned,  and  settled  them- 
selves permanently  with  their  Connecticut  friends. 

These  settlers  first  established  themselves  under  the  general 
government  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  they  formed  a  separate  commonwealth — the  "  COLONIE 
OF  CONNECTICUT." 

1  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor,"  p.  25. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ONE    OF    THE    FOREFATHERS. 

"  Love,  Truth,  and  Justice  stamp  the  man  of  worth 
And  yield  the  homage  of  enduring  fame." 

THE  Moores  and  Drakes  were  participators  in  all  the  changes 
and  experiences  of  the  migrating  Puritan  Church  which  gathered 
itself  together  in  the  dark  days  of  Protestantism  at  the  seaport 
of  Plymouth,  England.  John  Moore  appears  to  have  been  active 
in  the  notable  Day  of  Prayer  held  just  before  the  embarkation  at 
Plymouth,  since  he  received  the  appointment  and  "came  as 
Deacon,"  and  ever  after  was  closely  allied  in  friendship  with  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Wareham,  who  found  in  him  a  stanch  supporter  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  made  freeman  *  at  Dorches- 
ter, Mass.,  May  18,  1631. 

In  Matthew  Grant's  MSS.  ancient  Records  of  the  Church  at 
Windsor,  Conn.,2  the  following  interesting  entry  is  found:  "  List 
of  Members  of  the  Church  that  were  so  at  Dorchester,  and  came 
up  here  with  Mr.  Wareham,  and  are  still  with  us."  Among  other 
names  in  the  "  List "  is  that  of  "  Deacon  John  Moore,"  and  "  of 
women,  Deacon  Moore's  wife." 

Thomas  Moore,  the  father  of  John,  appears  to  have  come  to 
America,  and  to  have  finally  settled  in  Connecticut  with  his  son. 
In  the  earliest  grants  given  of  lands  in  Windsor  was  a  "lot  ten 
rods  wide  " 3  which  was  "  set  off  "  to  him,  adjoining  on  the  north 
one  of  like  measurement  "set  off"  to  Deacon  Moore.  "The 

1  One  who  is  entitled  to  franchise.  "  The  principal  part  of  the  first  settlers  having  no  political 
rights  under  the  charter,  the  court  immediately  made  arrangements  for  extending  the  privileges 
of  freemanship  to  all  suitable  persons,  and  on  the  first  application  of  this  right,  October  igth,  1630, 
among  108  persons,  twenty-four  belonged  to  Dorchester. 

"  Besides  the  right  of  suffrage,  freemen  enjoyed  advantages  in  the  division  of  lands.  The  prin- 
cipal qualification  for  this  privilege  was  church  membership."— History  o/ Dorchester ;  p.  27. 

*  In  possession  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 

8  The  Court  of  London,  held  May  21,  1629,  had  ordered  :  "  For  the  purpose  of  mutual  defence 
settlements  must  be  very  compact,  and  that  within  a  certain  plot,  or  pale,  every  one  should  build 
his  house.  A  half-acre  is  named  as  the  size  of  a  house  lot  within  this  pale." 

Says  Eggleston  :  "  No  man  might  live  far  away  from  the  meeting  house.  The  Church  was  a  pow- 
erful force  from  within  holding  the  town  compacted,  and  the  almost  unflagging  hostility  of  the 
savages  for  nearly  one  hundred  years,  gave  a  pressure  from  without,  making  it  convenient  to  live, 
not  upon  farms,  but  upon  home-lots." — The  Century,  1884,  p.  851. 

14 


HOME   OF   DEACON   JOHN    MOORE 

IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY. 


ONE  OF  THE  FOREFATHERS.  15 

two  lots  correspond  very  nearly  with  the  grounds  now  held  by 
the  present  resident,  the  Hon.  H.  S.  Hayden. " 

There  is  little  recorded  of  Thomas  Moore  except  that  he 
served  as  juror  from  the  year  1639  to  ^42,  and  died  in  1645. 
He  was  probably  advanced  in  years. 

Deacon  John  Moore  became  possessed  of  large  landed  estates, 
and  in  later  years  built  one  of  the  most  costly  houses  of  the  times. 
By  special  courtesy  of  Henry  R.  Stiles,  M.  D.,  a  drawing  of  the 
residence  is  presented. 

"  It  was  in  its  day  a  fine  house.  Some  of  its  ornaments  remain,  sufficient  to 
hint  of  its  former  glory."  .  .  "  I  have  pointed  out  [says  the  writer]  the  door  for 
the  cat,  for  at  that  early  day  it  was  considered  a  very  necessary  accommodation  to 
so  important  and  privileged  a  member  of  the  household.  The  old  elm  which  over- 
shadows the  house  always  possessed  as  much  interest  as  the  dwelling  in  the  hearts 
of  the  descendants,  being  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  beautiful  trees  in  the  town."  J 

A  portion  of  the  venerable  house — the  gable  end,  was  still  to 
be  seen  in  the  year  1888. 

Deacon  John  Moore  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
townspeople  in  matters  of  local  and  public  trust,  and  held  a  con- 
spicuous place  in  the  town  proceedings. 

In  those  days  the  town  meeting  served  all  the  local  purposes 
of  the  community.  By  it  almost  every  concern  was  regulated. 
None  but  men  of  stanch  integrity  and  upright  life  held  the 
affairs  of  these  meetings  in  their  hands. 

We  find  Deacon  John  Moore's  name  at  the  General  Court 
serving  as  member  of  the  jury  as  early  as  1642,  and  in  1643  he 
was  a  deputy.  The  General  Court,  which  consisted  of  the 
governor,  the  magistrates,  and  deputies,  afterward  became  the 
General  Assembly.  To  this  body  he  was  repeatedly  re-elected 
representative  until  1677,  the  year  of  his  decease.  In  those  times 
the  civil  officers  served  for  the  honor  of  the  office  and  the  good 
of  the  community  without  compensation. 

In  his  public  career  he  was  closely  associated  with  Governor 
Winthrop,  Mr.  Henry.  Wolcott,  Benjamin  Newberry,  and  other 
distinguished  Connecticut  men  of  the  times,  in  perfecting  the 
foundation  system  upon  which  the  structure  of  the  State  and  our 
National  existence  was  afterward  reared.2 

1 "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor,"  by  H.  R.  Stiles. 

'"Connecticut's  Town  Government  had  a  peculiar  character.  The  town  was  the  original  unit, 
the  State  a  confederation  of  the  towns.  Each  town  was  a  miniature  republic  and  sent  its  repre- 
sentatives to  the  General  Court.  It  was  by  Connecticut  ideas,  historians  agree,  the  troubles  of 
forming  the  United  States  Government  were  solved." — from  Speech  of  Senator  Joseph  R.  Hawley. 


1 6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Deacon  Moore  was  a  Puritan  after  the  straitest  of  his  sect. 
We  may  imagine  his  supernatural  look  of  grave  dignity  as  he  sat 
in  the  General  Court,  confirming  various  enactments  of  stringent 
law  and  rule,  and  voting  strictly  against  any  measure  which 
tended  toward  loosening  in  any  wise  the  bands  of  their  rigid  high 
beliefs.  The  old  Puritan  commanded  reverence,  not  by  words 
more  than  by  his  awe-inspiring,  somber  dignity,  so  that  even  at 
middle  age  his  appearance  was  venerable. 

Many  of  the  Acts  of  the  "General  Court,"  during  the  period 
that  this  honorable  grandsire  was  a  member,  are  to  be  noticed 
with  special  interest.  In  December,  1642,  he  was  among  the 
number  who  framed  and  established  the  Capital  Laws.1  The 
Code  contained  twelve  different  offences  for  which  the  penalty  of 
death  was  imposed. 

Neither  did  these  eminent   religionists  spare  the  gossips  and 

1  "  Capitall  Lames,  Established  by  the  General  Court,  the  First  of  December,  1642  : 

"  i.  If  any  man  after  legall  conviction  shall  have  or  worship  any  other  God  but  the  Lord  God, 
hee  shall  bee  put  to  death. — Deut.  13 :  6,  and  17  :  2.  Ex.  22  :  20. 

"2.  If  any  man  or  woman  bee  a  Witch  (that  is,  hath  or  consulted  with  a  familiar  spirit),  they 
shall  bee  put  to  death. — Ex.  22  :  18.  Lev.  20  :  27.  Deut.  18  :  10. 

"  3.  If  any  person  shall  blaspheme  the  name  of  God  the  ffather,  Sonne,  or  holy  Ghost,  with 
direct,  express,  presumptuous,  or  high-handed  blasphemy,  or  shall  curse  God  in  the  like  manner, 
hee  shall  bee  put  to  death. — Lev.  24  :  15,  16. 

"  4.  If  any  person  shall  committ  any  willfull  murder,  which  is  manslaughter  committed  uppon 
malice,  hatred,  or  cruelty,  not  in  a  man's  necessary  and  just  defence,  nor  by  mere  casualty  against 
his  will,  hee  shall  be  put  to  death. — Ex.  21  :  12,  13,  14.  Numb.  35  :  30,  31. 

"  5.  If  any  person  shall  slay  another  through  guile,  either  by  poisonings  or  other  such  Devillish 
practice,  hee  shall  bee  put  to  death. — Ex.  21  :  14." 

The  6th,  /th,  8th,  and  gth  laws  relate  to  unchastity  and  were  punishable  by  death. — Lev.  20  : 
10,  13,  15,  16,  18,  20.  Deut.  22  :  33,  24,  25. 

"  10.  If  any  man  stealeth  a  man  or  mankinde,  hee  shall  bee  put  to  death. — Exodus  22  :  16. 

"  ii.  If  any  man  rise  up  a  false  wittness,  wittingly  and  of  purpose  to  take  away  any  man's  life, 
hee  shall  bee  put  to  death. — Deut.  19  :  16,  18,  19. 

"  12.  If  any  man  shall  conspire,  or  attempt  any  invasion,  insurrection,  or  rebellion  against  the 
Commonwealth,  hee  shall  bee  put  to  death." 

The  following  Laws  were  adopted  in  1650  : 

"  13.  If  any  Childe  or  Children,  above  sixteene  years  old,  of  suffitient  understanding,  shall  Curse 
or  smite  their  natural)  father  or  mother,  hee  or  they  shall  bee  put  to  death  ;  unless  it  can  bee  suf- 
ficiently testified  that  the  parents  have  been  very  unchristianly  negligent  in  the  education  of 
such  children,  or  so  provoke  them  by  extreme  and  cruell  correction  that  they  have  been  forced 
thereunto  to  preserve  themselves  from  death,  maiming. — Ex.  21 :  17.  Levit.  20. 

"14.  If  any  man  have  a  stubborne  and  rebellious  sonne  of  sufficient  years  and  understanding, 
viz.,  Sixteen  yeares  of  age,  which  will  not  obey  the  voice  of  his  ffather,  or  the  voice  of  his  mother, 
and  that  when  they  have  chastized  him  will  not  hearken  unto  them  ;  then  may  his  ffather  and 
mother,  being  his  naturall  parents,  lay  hold  on  him  and  bring  him  to  the  Magistrates  assembled 
in  Courte  and  testifie  unto  them,  that  their  sonne  is  stubborne  and  rebellious  and  will  not  obey 
theire  voice  and  Chastisement,  but  lives  in  sundry  notorious  Crimes,  such  a  sonne  shall  be  put  to 
death. — Deut.  21 :  20,  21." 


MAN   IN   STOCKS. 


ONE   OF   THE   FOREFATHERS,  17 

slanderers,  who  were  made  to  feel  the  keen  punishment  and  dis- 
grace of  the  stocks  and  pillory;  and  in  some  cases  the  whipping- 
post, which  "we  have  it  as  a  tradition,"  says  Trumbull,  "was 
placed  on  Broad  Street  Green,  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  the 
town."  It  was  not  entirely  abolished  until  1714.  For  defama- 
tion, "  one  Bartlett,  in  1646,  was  sentenced  to  stand  in  the  pillory 
during  the  weekly  church  lecture,  then  to  be  whipped,  pay  a  fine 
of  five  pounds,  and  suffer  six  months  imprisonment." 

"  For  the  preventing  and  avoiding  of  that  foul  and  gross  sin 
of  lying,"  an  ordinance  was  passed  "  that  when  any  person  or 
persons  shall  be  accused  and  found  guilty  of  that  vice,  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  the  particular  Court  to  adjudge  and  censure  any  such 
party  either  by  fine  or  bodily  correction."  '  "  Branding  with  the 
letter  B  for  burglary,  and  whipping  at  the  cart's  tail  for  crimes 
against  morality,  were  also  methods  of  punishment."" 

In  the  year  1648,  one  Peter  Bussaker  was  sentenced  by  the 
Court  to  "bee  committed  to  prison,  and  there  bee  kept  in  safe 
custody  till  the  sermon,  and  then  to  stand  in  the  time  thereof  in 
the  pillory,  and  after  the  sermon  be  severely  whipt,  for  saying: 
that  he  hoped  to  meet  some  of  the  members  of  the  Church  in  hell 
ere  long,  and  hee  did  not  question  but  hee  should."  a 

On  the  6th  of  December  of  the  same  year,  with  dignified 
solemnity  the  Court  considered  the  state  of  their  Zion,  and 
decided  that  Heaven  should  be  besieged  by  prayer  for  her  pros- 
perity. The  following  was  passed  : 

"  Ordered,  that  there  bee  a  day  of  Humiliation  kept  by  all  the 
churches  in  this  Jurisdiction,  to  seeke  ye  face  of  ye  Lord  in  be- 
half e  of  his  Churches  upon  this  day  fortnight"4 

The  next  morning,  upon  resuming  their  seats  in  council,  the 
jury  presented  a  bill  of  indictment  against  one  Mary  Johnson, 
declaring  that  "By  her  own  confession  shee  is  guilty  of  familly- 
arity  with  the  Devill. "  5 

In  the  days  of  Deacon  Moore  they  wrestled  with  witches. 
Superstition  still  had  a  hold  upon  them.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  their  new  religious  principles  were  engrafted  upon  an  old 
system,  which  was  environed  by  superstitions  from  which  they 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

4  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  p.  508. 

'  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records."  The  sermon  was  anywhere  from  one  and  a  half  to  two 
hours  long. 

4  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 
*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 


1 8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

were  not  yet  emancipated,  and  says  Green  :  "  With  all  the  strength 
and  manliness  of  Puritanism,  its  bigotry  and  narrowness  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic  too."  ' 

Mary  Johnson  had  tried  the  forbearance  of  our  ponderous  and 
solemn  heroes  before  this  frank  confession  which  she  now  made. 
The  records  show  that  their  executive  power  had  been  called 
into  exercise  concerning  her  in  1646,  when  she  was  found  "  guilty 
of  theury,"  and  was  "Ordered,  to  be  presently  whipped,  and  to 
be  brought  forth  a  month  hence  at  Wethersfield  and  there 
whipped."  Upon  this  second  consideration  of  her  case  they 
appear  to  have  been  roused  into  a  spirit  quite  the  contrary  to 
that  religious  "charity  which  never  faileth."  Mary  was  found 
guilty  of  witchery  and  was  probably  executed  early  in  1649. 
"There  seems  but  little  doubt,"  says  J.  H.  Trumbull,  "that  a 
woman  was  hung  in  Windsor  for  witchcraft  (and  perhaps  other 
crimes)  about  this  time,  and  there  were  in  the  Commonwealth 
several  accusations  and  trials  for  witchcraft,  and  a  few  execu- 
tions." s 

Deacon  John  Moore  continued  to  fill  the  office  of  deacon  of  the 
church  until  his  death.  The  latest  record  in  connection  with  his 
official  duties  in  this  station,  is  a  bill  for  bread  furnished  for 
sacraments  from  June,  1666,  to  February,  1673,  amounting  to 
;£4  2s.  od.  He  also  filled  his  seat  as  representative  to  the 
General  Assembly  at  the  May  session  previous  to  his  decease. 

Among  his  children  was  a  daughter,  Hannah,  one  of  the 
ancestral  grandmothers  of  our  story,  who  was  probably  born  in 
England,  or  soon  after  the  arrival  of  her  parents  in  America.  In 
Windsor  Records  are  found  the  dates  of  the  births  of  other  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  was  John  Moore,  Jr.,  who  was  also  for  many 
years  a  deacon. 

John  Moore,  Sr.,  died  September  18,  1677.  The  interment 
was  in  -Windsor  burying  ground  on  the  following  day. 

1  "  History  of  the  English  People,"  by  J.  R.  Green. 

a  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

*  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  vol.  i.  p.  352. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MATERNAL    ANCESTRY. 

O  faithful  worthies,  resting  far  behind 

In  your  dark  ages,  since  ye  fell  asleep 
Much  has  been  done  for  truth,  and  humankind. 

— WHITTIER. 

THE  Drakes  were  a  very  ancient  family.  They  descended  from 
a  long  line  of  valiant  men,  who  can  be  traced  back  for  many 
centuries.  There  is  sufficient  well-authenticated  history  relative 
to  these  maternal  antecedents  of  the  Higleys  to  fill  a  separate 
volume.  From  the  time  of  the  Reformation  they  are  of  the  purest 
Protestant  blood;  and  as  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  good  grand- 
mothers so  impressed  their  principles  upon  their  offspring  that 
the  Higleys,  at  least,  to  this  day  maintain  with  hereditary  instinct 
the  characteristic  of  clinging  bravely  to  reforms,  and  hold  with 
tenacious  devotion  to  broad  and  liberal  principles. 

From  a  genealogical  book  published  by  a  descendant,  Samuel  G. 
Drake  of  Boston,  in  1845,  the  following  extracts  are  taken  : l 

"As  early  as  the  Norman  Conquest  there  were  several  families 
of  the  name,  residing  chiefly  within  a  small  compass,  in  the  south 
part  of  Devonshire,  England.  In  Doomsday  Book  a  six  estates 
are  mentioned  as  possessed  by  persons  of  the  name.  Indeed,  we 
are  told  that  Honiton,  one  of  these  estates,  was  well  known  to  the 
Romans,  and  was  held  by  Drago  the  Saxon,  before  the  Conquest. 
Hence  the  fact  that  the  Drakes  were  Saxons.  Not  long  after  the 
conquest  of  England  by  William  of  Normandy  (1066),  we  find  a 
family  seated  at  Ebcmouth,  the  head  of  which  was  John  Drake.3 

1  "  Account  of  the  Drake  Family  in  America,"  by  S.  G.  Drake. 

1  The  Doomsday  Book  is  the  result  of  a  survey  begun  in  1080  by  William  the  Conqueror,  and 
completed  in  1086,  and  briefly  registers  the  names  of  the  Saxon  landholders  and  their  possessions. 
The  original  book  is  still  in  existence  and  is  in  two  volumes.  Taxes  were  levied  from  it  down  to 
1522,  when  a  more  accurate  survey  was  taken. 

3  Several  members  of  the  Drake  descendants  are  mentioned  in  various  connections  in  ancient 
records  of  Great  Britain. 

"An  ancestor  [John]  went  from  Devonshire  to  Ireland  in  isisby  special  permission  of  Edward  II. 
'  to  go  beyond  the  sea,'  and  we  have  distinguished  mention  of  some  of  his  descendants. 

"  Captain  George  Drake  of  Apsham  [1553]  was  the  first  Englishman  who  explored  the  river  St. 
Lawrence. 

"  Robert  Drake  suffered  as  a  martyr.    He  was  a  minister  of  Thundersly  in  Essex,  who  was  burnt 


20  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"Prince,  vicar  of  Berry-Pomeroy,  who  wrote  and  published 
'  The  Worthies  of  Devon,'  speaking  of  the  Drake  family  at 
Ashe  [in  the  parish  of  Munsberry,  about  i^  miles  to  the  south 
of  Axminster],  says:  'This  ancient  and  honourable  family  came 
originally  from  Exmouth,  a  small  hamlet  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river  Ex  where  it  flows  into  the  mouth  of  the  British  Ocean. 
Here  dwelleth  JOHN  DRAKE,  a  man  of  great  estate,  and  a  name  of 
no  less  antiquity.'  'This  account,'  says  Prince, he  'received  from 
Sir  William  Pole  [descended  from  that  family  on  the  maternal 
side],  who  says  :  "I  copied  it  out  of  an  old  Roll,  and  written  all 
with  mine  own  hand  in  the  month  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  God,  1616." 

"  The  motto  has  always  been  : 

"  'AQUILA  NON  CAPIT  MUSCAS." 

"  The  figure  in  the  shield  is  called  by  heralds  a  wivern,  which 
is  another  name  for  the  fabled  Dragon  of  antiquity.  Draco  or 
Drago  is  the  Roman  name  of  Drake.  .  .  We  find  that  the 
Dragon  was  displayed  on  the  banners  of  the  Britons  as  early  as 
1448,  and  that  churches  have  borne  the  emblem  from  time 
immemorial. 

at  the  stake  in  Smithfield,  April  23,  1556,  in  the  reign  of  Mary.  When  exhorted  by  Bishop  Bonner 
to  renounce  his  heresy,  Drake  made  him  this  bold  and  memorable  reply  :  ''As  for  your  Church  of 
Rome,  I  utterly  deny  and  defy  it  with  all  the  works  thereof,  even  as  I  deny  the  Devil  and  all 
his  works?  He  had  then  lain  nearly  a  year  in  prison,  and  was  immediately  thereafter  ordered  to 
execution. 

"  The  father  of  Admiral  Sir  Francis  Drake,  Knt.,  was  named  Robert,  and  was  also  an  outspoken 
Protestant  clergyman,  who,  to  avoid  suffering  in  the  same  flames  which  had  consumed  his  kindred, 
fled  his  place  of  nativity,  near  South  Tavistock,  Devon,  and  secreted  himself  and  his  family  in  an 
old  forsaken  ship  for  many  years.  He  had  twelve  children,  all  sons,  several  of  them  born  '  in  the 
hulle  of  the  shippe,'  most  of  whom  followed  the  sea  in  foreign  parts. 

"  Sir  Francis  was  the  eldest  of  the  twelve  boys.  By  perseverance  and  resolution  in  overcoming 
difficulties,  and  by  unflinching  courage,  he  rose  in  gradual  succession  to  the  highest  rank  in  the 
English  Naval  service,  and  to  the  honor  of  knighthood  bestowed  by  the  Sovereign.  This  extraordi- 
nary man  was  the  first  Englishman  that  circumnavigated  the  globe,  or,  as  one  of  his  historians 
says,  '  the  first  who  ploughed  a  furrow  round  the  world.'  A  special  coat  of  arms  was  granted  him 
in  recognition  of  his  distinguished  services  to  his  country." — Life  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  by  John 
Barrow. 

"  Of  the  Drake  descendants  from  the  house  of  Ashe  a  century  later,  and  of  more  modern  times, 
was  Samuel  Drake,  D.  D.,  a  man  of  eminent  literary  attainments,  who  died  in  1673  ;  Francis  Drake, 
M.  D.,  surgeon  of  York  and  F.  R.  S.,  a  great  antiquary,  the  author  of  the  history  and  antiquities 
of  York  ;  William  Drake,  A.  M.,  F.  S.  A.,  Vicar  of  Isleworth,  was  his  son.  Of  the  same  family  was 
Nathan  Drake,  M.  D.,  of  Hadleigh  in  Suffolk,  the  well-known  essayist  and  most  skillful  and  suc- 
cessful annotator  and  biographer  of  Shakespeare.  And  before  him  in  point  of  time  was  Dr.  James 
Drake,  F.  R.  S.,  whose  discoveries  in  anatomy  are  not  surpassed  in  importance  by  those  of  Harvey. 

"  This  list  might  be  extended  with  names  equally  claiming  attention." — Account  of  the  Drake 
Family,  by  S.  G.  Drake. 

1  "  The  eagle  doth  not  prey  upon  the  fly." 


ARMS   OF    DRAKE. 


MATERNAL  ANCESTRY.  21 

"  That  the  original  bearer  of  the  Arms  of  DRAKE  *  performed 
some  act  to  entitle  him  to  it,  there  is  perhaps  no  question,  but 
what  that  precise  act  may  have  been  has  long  since  passed  beyond 
the  utmost  bounds  of  tradition. 

"John  Drake  of  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  one  of  the  original 
Company  established,  by  King  James  in  1606  for  settling  New 
England,  was  of  a  branch  of  the  house  of  Ashe,  two  of  whose 
sons  came  to  America — John,  who  came  to  Dorchester,  near 
Boston,  in  1630  with  two  or  more  sons,  and  who  finally  settled  at 
Windsor,  Conn.,  and  Robert,  who  settled  in  Hampton,  N.  H.  From 
these  brothers  are  descended  all  by  the  name  in  New  England, 
and  most,  if  not  all  of  those  bearing  the  name  in  the  middle, 
southern,  and  western  United  States." 

1  The  armorial  bearings  of  the  Drake  family  are  the  same  in  all  the  lines  of  descent,  except  the 
special  arms  granted  to  Sir  Francis  Drake.  All  by  the  name,  whose  antecedents  are  traceable  to 
the  Devonshire  family,  are  justified  in  claiming  lineage  from  this  distinguished  ancestry. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANCESTRAL    LINKS. 

It  was  the  star  of  Bethlehem  that  Jighted  their  way  across  the  Atlantic  and  went  before  them 
to  the  place  where  the  young  child  of  the  Republic  lay  in  its  wilderness  manger. — CHARLES 
CARLETON  COFFIN. 

THE  American  colonist,  John  Drake,  was  one  of  the  con- 
temporary band  who  came  with  his  family  in  the  Winthrop  fleet. 
Persecution,  nearly  a  century  before,  had  intensified  Protestan- 
tism, and  at  a  later  period  infused  Puritanism  into  the  veins  of 
the  descendants  of  the  ancient  family,  and  these  principles  were 
born  in  John  Drake's  blood.  Both  himself  and  his  wife  were 
stanch  Puritans. 

His  application  to  be  made  freeman  is  found  in  the  list  of  the 
first  persons  who  requested  that  franchise  at  Dorchester,  Mass., 
October  19,  1630,  only  a  few  months  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Puritan  ships.  It  is  believed  by  some  historians  that  he  resided 
for  a  brief  period  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  where  members  of  his 
family  remained,  before  he  came  to  Windsor,  Conn.  In  1639  he 
is  found  at  the  latter  place,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

Land  grants  were  not  put  upon  record  in  Windsor  until  the 
year  1640.  Among  the  earliest  entries  of  that  year  is  one  relat- 
ing to  a  portion  twenty-two  and  a  half  rods  in  width,  "set  off" 
to  John  Drake. 

In  1643  he  served  the  General  Court  as  juror,  and  was  again  a 
member  in  June,  1646. 

From  an  entry  upon  the  Colonial  Records  about  this  period,  it 
appears  that  this  high  old  Puritan  sometimes  permitted  his 
temper  to  get  the  best  of  him,  and  with  it  fell  his  dignity.  Using 
language,  one  day,  which  his  fellow-jurors  considered  profane, 
they  at  once  imposed  upon  him  a  fine  to  the  full  extent  the  law 
allowed,  viz. : 

"John  Drake,  for  his  misdemeanor  in  ppphane  execrations 
is  fyned  40  s."  * 

Singularly  enough,  Deacon  John  Moore,  his  friend  and  neigh- 

1  "Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1636-1635. 


ANCESTRAL  LIXKS.  23 

bor,  was  a  member  of  the  jury  and  of  the  court  which  con- 
demned his  unadvisable  utterances. 

In  October,  1648,  his  temper  was  again  wrought  to  a  boiling 
point  at  the  slanderous  gossip  of  one  John  Bennett,  a  townsfellow 
of  doubtful  reputation,  who  declared  that  he — John  Bennett — 
"  had  intised  and  drawne  away  the  affections  of  his  daughter."  ' 

Straight  to  the  General  Court  he  goes  and  enters  complaint. 
John  Bennett  was  duly  brought  up  at  the  next  sitting  of  the 
Court,  whereupon  he  retracted  his  statement,  and  promising  to 
be  more  careful  in  his  conversation  about  the  girls  thereafter,9 
the  "  Court  was  willing  once  more  to  pass  by  his  Corporall 
punishment,"  and  he  was  "bownd  over  for  good  behavior."5 
The  law  was  not  only  expressly  severe  upon  backbiters  and 
slanderers  but  "against  any  man  who  should  inveigle  the  affec- 
tions of  any  '  maide,  or  maide-servant,'  unless  her  parents  or 
gaurdians  should  'give  way  and  allowance  in  that  respect.'"  * 

With  the  exception  of  these  few  unflattering  experiences, — and 
they  are  the  only  ones  that  can  be  traced, — John  Drake's  life  at 
Windsor,  Conn.,  among  the  number  who  were  shaping  the  future 
of  the  young  colony,  was  marked  by  usefulness,  and  left  its  good 
impress  upon  generations  of  posterity. 

His  wife,  Elizabeth  Drake,  was  born  in  England  in  1581.  This 
worthy  pair  were  nearing  middle  age  when  they  came  to  America. 
They  left  behind  them  all  the  comforts  of  an  English  home  of 
the  "gentry"  class,  severed  themselves  from  cultured  society 
and  associations,  and  came  to  the  strange  wild  shores  of  an  unin- 
habited wilderness,  for  the  sole  purpose 

..."  serenely  high, 
Freedom  to  worship  God." 

They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons,  Jacob,  Job,  and  John 
Drake,  Jr.,  all  of  whom,  together  with  their  daughters,  one  of 
whom  bore  the  name  Hannah,  were  born  in  England.  Their 
children  accompanied  them  to  America  and  became  prominent  in 
church  affairs,  and  in  founding  their  Christian  Commonwealth. 
Job  Drake  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Henry  Wolcott,  Esq., 
the  founder  of  a  family  distinguished  to  this  day. 

It  was  a  most  natural  circumstance  that  came  to  pass  between 
these  two  good  families  of  the  forests,  the  Moores  and  the 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records."  *  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1636-1635. 

*  We  may  conclude  that  his  conduct  improved,  as  in  1652  he  was  granted  liberty  by  the  town 
"  to  be  entertained  by  William  Hayden  in  his  family." 
«  Edward  Eggleston  in  The  Century,  1884. 


24  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Drakes,  who  were  knitted  together  by  the  common  bond  of 
religious  fervor  and  voluntary  exiles  from  their  motherland,  that 
Deacon  John  Moore's  daughter,  Hannah,  became  the  wife  of  John 
Drake,  Jr.  Their  marriage  took  place  at  Windsor,  November 
30,  1648. 

The  following  narrative  of  John  Drake,  Sr.'s,  sudden  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  iyth  of  August,  1659,  is  taken  from  the 
ancient  Town  Records  at  Windsor: 

"  Mr.  John  Drake,  Sr.,  dyed  accidentally,  as  he  was  driving  a 
cart  loaded  with  corn  to  carry  from  his  house  to  his  son  Jacob's. 
The  cattle  being  2  oxen  and  his  mare,  in  the  highway  against 
John  Griffin's,  something  scared  the  cattle,  and  they  set  a  run- 
ning, and  he  labored  to  stop  them  by  taking  hold  on  the  mare, 
was  thrown  upon  his  face  and  the  cart  wheele  went  over  him 
and  broke  one  of  his  legs,  and  bruised  his  body  so  that  he  was 
taken  up  dead;  being  carried  into  his -daughter's  house  had  life 
come  again,  but  dyed  in  a  short  time,  and  was  buried  on  the  i8th 
day  of  August,  1659." 

Elizabeth  Drake  survived  her  husband  twenty-two  years,  and 
died  October  7,  1681,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  one  hundred  years. 
In  the  last  years  of  her  life  she  was  ministered  to  by  her  son 
Jacob  and  his  family.  She  was  one  of  those  mothers  of  colonial 
times  of  whom  it  has  been  said  :  "  From  the  time  when  that  '  faire 
maide,'  Mary  Chilton,  first  leaped  upon  the  rock  at  Plymouth,  to 
the  present  day,  their  influence  has  been  an  important  element 
in  our  national  character."  Mrs.  Sigourney  beautifully  portrays 
them:  "On  the  unfloored  hut,  she  who  had  been  nurtured  amid 
the  rich  carpets  and  the  curtains  of  the  motherland,  rocked 
her  babe  and  complained  not.  She  who  in  the  home  of  her  youth 
had  arranged  the  gorgeous  shades  of  embroidery,  or,  perchance, 
had  compounded  the  rich  venison  pastry  as  her  share  in  the 
housekeeping,  now  pounded  the  coarse  Indian  corn  for  her 
children's  bread,  and  bade  them  ask  God's  blessing  ere  they  took 
their  scanty  portions.  When  the  snows  sifted  through  their 
miserable  rooftrees  upon  her  little  one,  she  gathered  them  closer 
to  her  bosom;  she  taught  them  the  Bible,  and  the  catechism,  and 
the  holy  hymn,  though  the  war  whoop  of  the  Indian  ran  through 
the  wild.  Amid  the  untold  hardships  of  colonial  life,  she  infused 
new  strength  into  her  husband  by  her  firmness,  and  solaced  his 
weary  hours  by  her  love."  ' 

1  "  History  of  Dorchester,"  by  a  Committee,  p.  142. 


ANCESTRAL  LINKS.  25 

JOHN  DRAKE,  Jr.,  as  has  been  already  stated,  came  with  his 
father  to  America  and  settled  at  Windsor,  Conn.  He  had 
thorough  Puritanic  training  in  the  home  of  his  parents.  Like  his 
father,  the  younger  Drake  was  active  in  the  opening  and  widening 
field  of  western-world  civilization.  He  filled  many  places  of 
public  trust,  and  became  identified  with  the  founding  of  both  the 
towns  of  Windsor  and  Simsbury,  Conn.,  being  among  the  first 
grantees  and  landed  proprietors  in  these  "plantations."  After 
his  marriage  with  Hannah  Moore  in  1648,  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Windsor.  In  April,  1655,  according  to  the  ancient  record, 
the  "wife  of  John  Drake"  was  "taken  into  full  communion"  in 
the  transplanted  Windsor  church,  the  oldest  orthodox  church 
organization  in  America.  Of  the  names  and  ages  given  of  "Men 
and  Womenkind,"  "set  down"  as  born  and  baptized  in  the  same 
church,  is  a  daughter  whose  birth  is  entered  in  this  wise  :  "Of 
womenkind,  Hanna,  of  John  Drake,  'born  Aug.  5,  1653,  baptized 
April  15,  '55. "'  This  girl  "Hanna,"  as  will  presently  appear, 
grew  to  be  a  notable  woman  in  the  ancestry  of  the  Higleys. 
She  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  sons  and  six 
daughters. 

At  just  what  period  John  Drake,  Jr.  or  2d,  removed  from 
Windsor  to  Simsbury  is  not  known.  It  appears,  however,  to  have 
been  between  the  years  1672  and  1676 — if  indeed  he  ever  removed 
at  all.  It  is  evident  that  he  remained  a  resident  at  Windsor 
for  several  years  after  he  was  the  owner  of  lands  in  Simsbury. 
Among  the  first  grants  of  lands  at  Massacoe,  the  Indian  name  of 
Simsbury  (1677)  of  which  there  is  any  record,  are  portions  "set 
off  to  John  Drak."  This  was,  no  doubt,  the  younger  Drake,  or 
John  Drake  3d.  Spots  and  places  in  the  latter  town  retained 
the  Drake  name  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  The  hill 
opposite  the  old  Congregational  Church  upon  which  the  residence 
stood  bore  the  name  for  more  than  two  centuries,  and  the 
memories  of  those  who  have  scattered  to  every  part  of  our  broad 
land  from  the  old  town  recur  with  pleasure  to  the  familiar  scenes 
of  their  early  childhood  about  Drake's  Hill  and  Drake's  Brook. 

In  1676  Simsbury  was  on  the  very  edge  of  the  settlements. 
The  Indians  were  fierce  and  menacing,  and  a  general  solicitude 
was  felt  throughout  the  colony  for  the  safety  of  the  inhabitants. 
Finally,  in  the  month  of  March  a  general  order  was  issued  for 
them  to  remove  at  once  for  safety,  and  they  all  left  with  dispatch, 
the  larger  number  fleeing  to  Windsor.  On  Sunday,  the  26th,  the 

»  Old  Church  Record. 


26  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

town  was  pillaged  and  burned  by  the  powerful  Phillip  and  his 
dusky  warriors.  Whether  John  Drake  the  elder,  with  his  family, 
was  among  the  number  who  fled  and  did  not  return  is  not  clear. 
It  is  supposed  that  he  was.  His  son,  John  Drake  3d,  returned 
and  spent  his  life  here.  His  name,  with  others,  is  found  signed 
to  a  petition  by  the  owners  of  estates  at  Simsbury  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  the  following  year  (1677),  while  the  town  was  yet 
deserted,  requesting  a  lighter  taxation  on  account  "of  the  late 
afflictive  bereavement,  having  been  greater  sufferers  than  the 
other  plantations  in  the  Colony,"  and  incapacitated  "to  rayse 
rates  in  the  common  way  as  the  law  required."  The  General 
Assembly  granted  the  petition,  exempting  "persons,  land,  and 
cattell,"  for  three  years  from  taxation. 

The  home  life  of  John  Drake,  Jr.'s,  family  (of  Windsor),  of 
which  John  Higley  became  a  member  when  he  landed  from  Eng- 
land, as  indicated  in  the  first  chapter,  was  of  a  Christian  type. 
They  were  strictly  church-loving  people,  and  were  liberal  to  the 
distressed.  The  "distressed,"  however,  belonged  to  other 
colonies,  for  there  were  few  poor  in  Windsor. 

A  report  to  the  General  Government  about  this  time  (1667) 
says:  "The  people,  as  respecting  religious  views,  were  'some 
strict  men,  and  others  more  large  (or  liberal)  Congregational 
men."  Both  law  and  gospel  were  thoroughly  taught  in  John 
Drake's,  as  in  all  the  colonial  homes  of  this  period.  "You 
might  find  in  every  house  a  shelf  upon  which  was  kept  a  large 
Family  Bible,  and  several  other  books  of  a  religious  kind."1 
Regular  family  worship  was  required,  reading  the  Scriptures, 
"catechizing  the  children,"  and  "dayly  prayer,  with  giving  of 
thanks,"  was  to  be  attended  to  conscientiously  by  every  family, 
"  to  distinguish  them  from  the  heathen  whoe  call  not  upon  God. " a 
McClure  states  that  "the  aged  people  among  us  say  that  they 
could  never  learn  that  an  individual  Windsor  Indian  ever  became 
a  Christian." 

These  laws  governing  households  were  by  no  means  a  dead 
letter.  The  select  men  were  vigilant  to  see  that  they  were  put 
into  practice.  If  any  "heads  of  families  were  obstinate  and 
refractory,"  and  would  not  yield  to  the  power  of  persuasion  in 
the  performance  of  these  required  duties,  the  grand  jury  were  to 

1  From  that  time  to  this  the  most  popular  of  all  religious  books  has  been  the  Puritans'  allegory 
of  "  The  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  and  the  most  popular  of  all  English  poems,  the  Puritan  epic  of  the 
"  Paradise  Lost." — History  of  the  English  People,  by  J.  R.  Green,  p.  582. 

*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1665-77. 


ANCESTRAL   LINKS.  27 

present  such  persons  to  the  Court  to  be  fined  or  punished.  The 
fine  in  every  instance  of  neglect  was  twenty  shillings. 

The  Capital  Laws  were  required  to  be  taught  weekly  in  every 
household,  and  legal  surveillance  demanded  that  all  persons  should 
attend  church  services,  not  only  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  but  all 
thanksgivings  and  days  of  fasting  and  prayer,  on  penalty  of  a  fine. 

A  young  man  might  not  "board  or  sojourn  "  in  a  family  without 
permission  granted  by  the  Town  Meeting;  and  it  was  "Alsoe, 
Ordered,  that  all  such  boarders  or  sojourners  as  doe  live  in 
families  shall  carefully  attend  the  worship  of  God  in  those 
families  where  they  so  sojourn,  and  bee  subjected  to  the  domes- 
ticall  government  of  the  family,  upon  the  penalty  of  forfeiting 
five  shillings  for  every  breach  of  this  order."  ' 

Such  was  the  discipline  of  the  household  of  which  John  Higley 
became  a  member  when  he  landed  in  America. 

John  Drake,  Jr.,  the  head  of  this  hospitable  home,  died  at 
Windsor,  the  place  of  his  residence,  in  the  latter  part  of  Sep- 
tember, 1689.  His  will  was  made  on  the  izth  of  the  month  just 
before  his  decease.  The  inventory  was  taken  October  31,  1689,  and 
amounted  to  ^223  25.*  The  father  and  son  died  near  together. 

His  son,  John  Drake  of  Simsbury,  who  had  been  John  Higley's 
close  companion  since  first  they  met,  died  on  the  gth  of  July 
(1689)  preceding  his  father's  death.  He  was  one  of  the  very 
early  settlers  at  Simsbury,  where  he  resided  until  his  decease. 
The  tombstone  which  marks  his  grave  is  the  oldest  in  the  ancient 
cemetery,  and  has  stood  for  more  than  two  hundred  years.  The 
following  is  its  inscription  : 

fjere  Xe^s 

Gbe  :©OOE  of  Hobn  SJrafee  limbo 
Departed  Cbis  ILifc 
tb  1688  ageo39 


"  O  mind  then  man,  thy  life's  a  fpan 

look  here  &  learn  To  dye 
how  soon  yt  death  can  ftop  thy  breath 
then  comes  Eternity." 

The  inventory  of   his  estate   was  taken  by  John  Higley  and 
Thomas  Barber.     His  property  was  valued  at  ^393  155.  4 

I  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1665,  p.  77. 

II  "  Hartford  Probate  Records,"  book  v.  pp.  24,  25. 

a  This  date  is  an  error.     John  Drake,  3d,  died  July  9,  1689,  as  recorded  in  "  Simsbury  Records," 
book  i.    Also  as  shown  by  his  Will. 

4  "  Simsbury  Record  of  Grants,"  book  i.  pp.  80,  82. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

YOUTH    AND   MARRIAGE    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    HIGLEY. 

It  is  a  deep  mystery — the  way  the  heart  of  a  man  turns  to  one  woman  out  of  all  the  rest  he's 
seen  i'  the  world,  and  makes  it  easier  for  him  to  work  seven  years  for  her,  like  Jacob  did  for 
Rachel,  sooner  than  have  any  other  woman  for  th'  asking. — GEORGE  ELIOT. 

JOHN  HIGLEY  had  ready  adaptability,  and  soon  accustomed 
himself  to  the  interests  and  habits  of  the  well-ordered  household 
of  the  Drakes.  His  infantile  years  had  passed  during  the  event- 
ful time  of  Cromwell's  reign.  Charles  I.  was  beheaded  the  year 
he  was  born.  Until  he  was  eight  years  old,  he  no  doubt  fre- 
quented the  home  of  his  grandfather,  the  Rev.  John  Brewster 
(for  whom  he  was  probably  named),  when  "  England  was  greatly 
stirred,  and  eager  debates  and  heated  arguments  on  Puritanical 
subjects  were  continually  taking  place  m  every  household," 
especially  those  associated  with  ecclesiastical  affairs.  The  time 
lapsing  between  eight  and  sixteen  years  of  age,  following  his 
grandfather's  death,  great  events  had  been  passing.  Charles  II. 
had  come  to  the  throne.  "  Puritanism  had  been  well-nigh 
silenced  under  stern  repression.  The  Revolution  and  great 
changes  had  taken  place  in  the  social  world."  ' 

Though  young  in  years  we  may  well  conclude  that  his  quick 
perception  and  naturally  sagacious  mind  had  fully  taken  in  a 
good  many  of  these  things  that  were  passing.  "  On  the  restora- 
tion of  Charles  II.  to  the  throne,  religious  despotism  with  merci- 
less energy  was  revived." 

The  sight  which  John  Higley  had  seen  before  he  left  England, 
"of  pious  and  learned  clergymen  driven  from  their  homes,  and 
their  flocks  ;  of  religious  meetings  broken  up  by  constables  ;  of 
preachers  put  side  by  side  with  thieves  and  outcasts  ;  of  jails 
crammed  with  honest  enthusiasts  whose  piety  was  their  only 
crime,"  *  must  have  left  a  deep  impression  on  his  youthful  mind. 

No  lad  of  sixteen  years  with  his  lively  intellect  could  have  been 
ignorant  of  the  iron  hand  which  was  laid  without  mercy  upon  the 
Quakers  during  this  time  (1662-65).  "The  fires  of  persecution 

1  Extracts  from  Green's  "  History  of  the  English  People." 
3  "  History  of  the  English  People,"  by  J.  R.  Green,  p.  609. 
28 


YOUTH  AND  MARRIAGE   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.        29 

were  hot,"  says  Sewell.  The  victims  were  flogged  in  the  streets; 
husbands  and  wives  were  separated  and  condemned  to  transpor- 
tation; they  were  distrained  of  their  property,  and  large  numbers 
were  banished  to  strange  countries.1  "  In  1662  the  returns  from 
their  meetings  throughout  England  showed  that  between  four  and 
five  thousand  were  then  lying  in  prison "  merely  for  religion's 
sake."  "These  prisons  were  cold,  leaky,  and  filthy,  and  many 
men  and  women  had  nothing  but  a  board  to  lie  upon."  Many 
were  relieved  only  by  death.3 

It  may  have  been  that  these  measures,  taken  against  inof- 
fensive peace-loving  religionists,  not  only  touched  John  Higley's 
tender  and  sensitive  nature,  but  kindled  a  strong  instinctive  sense 
of  their  unjust  treatment,  which  had  the  effect  of  giving  him  the 
tolerant  spirit,  and  which  rooted  in  him  the  idea  of  the  indi- 
vidual liberty  of  every  man,  with  which  he  was  endowed  in 
after  life. 

The  summer  previous  to  leaving  London  he  had  witnessed  the 
awful  devastation  of  the  Plague  (1665),  a  never-to-be-forgotten 
period  of  his  life.  Death  reigned  in  the  streets.  Entire  families 
were  swept  away.  Citizens  who  were  apparently  in  health  in  the 
morning,  were  found  dead  in  the  afternoon.  Sewell  relates  that 
"  the  city  became  so  emptied  that  grass  grew  in  those  streets  that 
used  to  be  so  populous,  few  people  being  seen  by  the  way.  Thus 
the  city  became  a  desert,  and  the  misery  was  great.  Great  fires 
were  kindled  in  the  streets  to  purify  the  contagious  air  ;  but  no 
relief  was  found  by  it,  for  in  the  latter  end  of  September  there 
died  in  London  alone  eight  thousand  people  in  one  week,  as  I 
remember  to  have  seen  in  one  of  the  bills  of  mortality  of  that 
time.  There  was  little  to  be  earned  by  the  tradesmen.  Travel- 
ing in  the  country  was  stopped."  "  The  plagues  of  the  Lord  fell 
heavily,"  continues  the  narrator.  "It  is  stated  that  the  entire 
number  of  deaths  during  that  fatal  summer  exceeded  sixty-eight 
thousand."  De  Foe,  in  his  story  of  the  Plague,  mentions  "  glove- 
makers"  among  other  tradesmen  whose  establishments  were 
closed.  It  was  one  of  these  to  whom  John  Higley  was  apprenticed. 
It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  returned  for  the  time  to  his 
mother's  cottage-home  in  Frimley,  though  here  was  no  safe  refuge, 
for  the  destroying  pestilence  mowed  down  the  inhabitants  of  the 

1  "  History  of  the  People  called  Quakers,"  by  William  Sewell. 

9  "  The  Fells  of  Swalhmore." 

'  "  History  of  the  People  called  Quakers,"  by  William  Sewell. 


30  THE  HIG LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

suburbs  adjacent  to  London,  and  "blasted  into  voiceless  and  life- 
less desolation  "  many  of  the  beautiful  valleys  in  the  vicinity. 

But  our  reader  will  remember  that  it  was  neither  religious  per- 
secution, nor  political  principles,  nor  the  destroying  pestilence, 
that  exiled  the  lad  from  his  native  shores.  The  boy  no  doubt 
often  experienced  in  his  new  life  in  the  western  world  a  strange 
yearning  rising  within  him,  for  the  glen  in  which  he  was  born. 
He  may  have  had  many  a  longing  look  toward  the  stars  that  were 
twinkling  above  his  mother  home  and  the  group  assembled  there. 
Sometimes  when  among  the  solitudes  there  may  have  fallen  upon 
his  heart  a  shade  of  melancholy,  as  memory  brought  before  his 
face  the  boy-friends  and  associates  whom  he  had  left  behind. 

But  he  was  not  disappointed  in  his  American  home.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  family  as  one  of  its  number,  and  became  a 
favorite  in  the  household.  Soon  an  intimacy  sprang  up  between 
the  young  English  stranger  and  the  young  people  of  John  Drake's 
house.  The  eldest  son  was  near  his  own  age — two  months 
younger — and  Hannah,  the  eldest  daughter,  was  a  bright  girl  in 
her  teens  just  enough  his  junior  to  be  interesting.  As  a  matter  of 
course  they  were  brought  into  daily  association. 

The  time  came  when  the  large  heart  of  the  stripling  was  no 
longer  his  own.  He  saw  in  Hannah  Drake  all  that  was  worth 
living  and  striving  for,  and  if  she,  in  her  maidenly  reserve,  had 
resolved  not  to  allow  herself  to  be  ensnared  by  his  handsome 
appearance  and  good  qualities,  her  resolution  did  not  hold  out. 
The  young  lovers  came  to  an  understanding,  to  which  her  parents 
appear  to  have  freely  consented. 

But  the  affairs  of  true  love  were  sometimes  fraught  with  great 
difficulties  in  those  days,  as  they  are  in  these.  The  hard  old 
taskmaster  in  England  was  yet  alive,  and  the  unexpired  appren- 
ticeship from  which  young  John  had  fled  lay  unsettled.  Besides 
this,  the  Article  of  Indenture  under  which  he  had  been  appren- 
ticed read,  "  No  Apprentice  shall  contract  Matrimony  within  the 
said  term  of  apprenticeship."1  The  colonial  law  also  imposed 
a  penalty  upon  "both  male  and  female  not  being  at  his  or  her 
own  disposal,"  who  should  "either  make  or  give  entertainment 
to  any  suit  in  way  of  marriage  without  the  knowledge  and  con- 
sent of  surviving  parents,  masters,  or  guardians,  or  such  like. "  a 

1  From  Book  of  Old  English  Laws. 
a  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1643. 

The  following  law  was  enacted  by  the  General  Court  June  3,  1644,  which  had  not  then  been 
repealed  : 


YOUTH  AND  MARRIAGE   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.        31 

The  wide  Atlantic  lay  between  him  and  his  mother,  and  these 
formidable  obstructions  to  his  future  happiness.  However,  it 
was  not  probable  that  one  of  his  earnest  nature,  and  of  the  force 
that  was  born  in  him,  would  be  deterred  by  barriers.  His  first 
step  was  to  pen  a  carefully  written  letter  to  his  mother  stating 
his  case.  We  may  easily  imagine  the  young  lover  in  the  attic 
of  the  rough-hewed  wooden  house  of  early  colonial  days,  with 
anxious  heart  and  puzzled  brain,  straining  every  nerve  to  put  upon 
paper  just  the  proper  thing  to  be  said,  which  would  insure  her 
favor,  and  her  mediation  between  the  offended  employer  and  him- 
self. Then  the  uncertainty  of  receiving  a  favorable  answer  to 
his  petition  arose  in  his  mind.  Another  plan  came  into  his 
devising  brain.  Success  was  already  crowning  his  labor,  and  with 
his  savings  he  would  return  to  England  the  bearer  of  his  own 
letter,  visit  his  mother,  and  settle  all  claims.  Instigated  by  the 
noblest  spirit  of  life,  with  his  heart  set  upon  an  idol-love,  he  was 
off  at  once.  He  retraced  his  way  across  the  wide  ocean  to  his 
English  home. 

In  those  days  is  was  a  serious  undertaking  to  cross  the  Atlantic. 
It  required  fifty-one  days  to  make  the  passage.  Ocean  steamers 
were  as  yet  unknown.  The  journey  occupied  more  than  four 
months.  Landing  safely  in  England,  he  reached  Frimley  and 
gazed  once  more  upon  familiar  scenes.  He  soon  crossed  the 
threshold  of  his  mother's  home.  The  tall,  well-formed  man, 
roughed  in  personal  appearance  by  forest-life  in  the  New  World, 
and  bronzed  by  the  winds  of  a  seven  weeks'  sea  voyage,  did  not 
closely  resemble  the  glover's  apprentice  boy  whose  sudden  dis- 
appearance had  caused  such  consternation  five  years  previous. 
He  placed  his  letter,  which  contained  the  declaration  of  his  true 
and  honest  heart,  into  her  hand,  unrecognized.  As  she  read  it, 
she  wept — then  glanced  at  the  stranger  before  her,  and  read 
again.  Then,  another  scrutinizing  glance.  Maternal  instinct  is 
subtle  and  keen. 

Advancing  to  his  side  she  parted  his  hair  and  pierced  all  dis- 
guises; for  she  discovered  a  well-known  mark,  a  scar  that  he 
received  by  a  fall  on  the  stairs  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age, 

"  Whereas  many  stubborn,  refractory,  and  discontented  servants  and  apprentices  withdraw  them- 
selves from  their  masters'  services,  to  improve  their  time  to  their  own  advantage  ;  for  the  prevent- 
ing thereof  I 

"  It  is  Ordered,  that  Whatsoever  servant  or  apprentice  shall  hereafter  offend  in  that  kynd,  before 
their  covenant  or  term  of  service  are  expired,  shall  serve  their  said  masters,  as  they  shall  be  appre- 
hended or  retained  the  treble  term,  or  threefold  time  of  their  absence  in  such  kynd."— O»- 
necticut  Colonial  Records. 


32  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

which  left  a  deep  cut  high  on  his  forehead  that  he  carried  through 
life.  "John,  you  rogue  !  Is  this  you  ?"  she  exclaimed,  and  rais- 
ing her  hand  she  gave  his  ear  a  sound  cuffing. 

Gladness  and  joy  were  in  the  village-home  that  night.  The 
evening  was  given  to  quiet  chat  about  the  boy's  life.  Like  other 
mothers,  since  the  world  began,  she  affectionately  entered  into  the 
interesting  plans  and  future  career  which  were  opening  for  her 
son.  A  satisfactory  settlement  was  made  with  his  former  master, 
and  after  a  short  visit  he  returned  to  America.1 

In  Windsor,  Conn.,  the  town  of  his  adoption,  he  married 
Hannah  Drake  on  the  pth  of  November,  1671. 

1  The  main  incidents  concerning  the  courtship  and  marriage  of  John  Higley  and  Hannah  Drake 
are  drawn  from  the  best  sources.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  there  have  been  venerable  grand- 
parents, hale  and  hearty,  whose  years  of  early  manhood  were  contemporary  with  some  of  John  Hig- 
ley's  sons  and  daughters,  and  whose  lives  extended  to  the  middle  of  the  present  century,  bridging 
the  gap  between  that  era  and  descendants  now  living,  to  whom  it  was  their  delight  to  recount  the 
interesting  story.  These  channels,  with  the  traditions  gathered  from  nearly  every  branch  of  the 
family  now  widely  scattered  in  many  different  sections  of  our  country,  many  groups  of  whom  had 
no  knowledge  of  each  other  until  recent  time,  together  with  old  scraps  and  papers  written  nearly 
a  half  a  century  ago,  all  agree  upon  these  points — that  of  the  apprenticed  runaway  lad,  the 
circumstances  under  which  he  came  to  America,  and  his  romantic  love  story  as  related  above. — THE 
EDITOR. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

EARLY    MARRIED    LIFE    OF    CAPTAIN    JOHN    HIGLEY,    1671-78. 

"First  Gent.  All  times  are  good  to  seek  your  wedded  home 
Bringing  to  a  mutual  delight. 

"  Second  Gent.  Why,  true, 

The  calendar  hath  not  an  evil  day 
For  souls  made  one  by  love,  and  even  death 
Were  sweetness,  if  it  came  like,  rolling  waves 
While  they  two  clasped  each  other,  and  foresaw 
No  life  apart." 

AFTER  their  marriage  John  Higley  and  his  young  wife  took  up 
their  residence  upon  the  eastern  shore  of  "  Ye  Great  River  " — 
the  Connecticut.  The  attention  of  the  grandfather,  Deacon 
John  Moore,  Captain  Benjamin  Newberry,  and  others  had  been 
fixed  upon  the  rich  meadows  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  they 
had  already  secured  large  grants  of  land  which  were  considered 
"among  their  most  important  and  valuable  interests."  Deacon 
Moore  possessed  an  ownership  in  one  tract  of  about  four  hundred 
acres. 

"  Until  a  few  years  previous  these  lands  were  not  occupied 
except  as  a  pasturage  for  their  cattle,  and  some  small  pieces  for 
mowing.  Tempting  as  were  the  advantages  offered  by  its  broad 
expanse  of  fertile  meadow,  there  were  obstacles  and  dangers  in  the 
way  of  its  actual  settlement  which  could  be  neither  overlooked 
nor  rashly  encountered.  The  broad  stream  of  the  Great  River, 
at  all  times  an  inconvenient  highway,  was  in  the  winter  season, 
when  not  frozen  over,  almost  impassable  with  ice  and  drift.  It 
was  also  a  serious  barrier  to  social  intercourse  and  mutual  aid  or 
protection,  while  its  annual  freshets  obliged  them  to  build  on  the 
uplands  at  a  considerable  distance  from  its  banks,  and  conse- 
quently a  greater  remove  from  the  main  settlement."  ' 

"The  Indians  abounded  in  all  that  region,  and  though  these 
river  Indians  were  generally  friendly  and  peaceful,  yet  there 
were  warning  signs  and  tokens  which  made  families  fearful  about 
taking  up  their  residence  at  points  remote  from  the  main  body  of 

1  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor,"  p.  221. 
33 


34  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

settlers."  '  It  is  stated  that  there  were  ten  distinct  tribes  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  township  of  Windsor,  and,  says  Stiles,  "the 
greater  number  resided  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut 
River."  The  repeated  enactments  by  the  General  Assembly  for 
many  years  about  this  time,  as  measures  of  protection  against 
these  savages,  evidences  the  constant  danger  of  the  scalping- 
knife  and  tomahawk  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  young  settle- 
ment were  subjected.  However,  "a  number  of  middle-aged  or 
young  married  men,  urged  by  the  adventurous  spirit  of  the  day, 
or  by  the  necessity  of  larger  accommodations  for  their  growing 
families,  crossed  the  river  and  built  their  humble  dwellings  along 
the  uplands  which  overlooked  the  meadows."  2 

Among  these  were  John  Higley  and  his  wife  Hannah.  In  the 
"List  of  Persons  on  the  East  side  of  Ye  Great  River,"  who  were 
appointed  to  make  some  improvements  on  a  road,  in  June,  1672, 
the  name  of  our  enterprising  John  is  on  record. 

The  same  year  Major  Pyncheon,  in  his  account  book,  entered 
the  following: 

"1672.  The  charge  and  cost  of  my  saw-mill  at  Stony-River. 
Viewing  and  searching  for  a  place,  alsoe  hiring  John  Higley  to 
discover,  &c.  .  .  likewise  myselfe  and  my  expence  with  you, 
and  feriage  &c  wch  come  to,  ^i :  o8s  :  ood."  ' 

Out  of  this  amount  the  "discoverer  "  of  the  suitable  location 
for  the  saw-mill  was  probably  paid  his  share  of  the  "  charges  and 
costs  "  for  his  time  and  labor. 

Young  married  people  in  those  days  set  out  upon  their  own 
responsibility,  and  the  first  proceeding  after  their  wedding 
festivities  was  to  found  their  own  hearthstone.  It  was  custom- 
ary for  the  young  man  to  build  a  house  before  marriage.  From 
the  houses  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  times  we  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  first  dwelling  which  furnished  the  rude  home  comforts  of 
this  youthful  pair.  They  were  made  entirely  of  untrimmed  logs. 
Scarcely  an  implement  was  used  in  their  construction  other  than 
the  ax  and  auger.  The  rough,  wooden,  eighteen-inch  shingles 
called  clapboards,  which  formed  the  roof,  the  floors,  and  doors, 
were  hewn  out  of  logs,  and  were  undressed  and  unplaned,  and 
fastened  into  their  places  by  wooden  pins.  It  is,  however, 
barely  possible  that  the  occupants  of  this  simple  home  in  ques- 

1  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  p.  107. 

*  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor,"  p.  233. 

*  "  Documentary  History  of  Suffield,"  by  M.  S.  Sheldon. 


EARLY  MARRIED  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.        35 

tion  may  have  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  doors  and  floors  of  sawed 
plank  procured  at  the  saw-mill  after  it  was  established,  though  it 
was  about  eight  miles  distant  through  the  dense  woods.  The 
door  was  hung  upon  wooden  hinges  and  closed  with  a  wooden 
latch.  There  were  few  nails  used,  for  there  were  none  to  be  had 
except  those  hammered  one  by  one  upon  the  anvil  of  the  neigh- 
borhood blacksmith. 

The  chimney,  huge  in  dimensions  when  compared  with  the 
building  itself,  was  built  against  the  house  upon  the  outside.  It 
was  built  of  sticks  and  thoroughly  plastered  with  clay.  Im- 
mense fires  of  logs,  taken  from  the  dense  forests  surrounding  the 
house,  were  kept  constantly  going,  and  were  a  necessity  to  keep 
the  occupants  of  the  dwelling  even  in  tolerable  comfort  in  winter 
weather.  The  sweeping  winds  whistled  between  the  logs  which 
constituted  the  side  walls  of  the  apartment,  it  came  in  under- 
neath the  door,  and  from  the  cracks  in  the  floor,  with  chilling 
draughts. 

The  windows  were  small,  and  there  was  no  window  glass. 
"Bring  oiled  paper  for  your  windows,"  writes  one  of  the 
Plymouth  pilgrims  to  some  who  were  about  to  come  over.  Oiled 
paper  for  a  long  time  let  a  dusky  light  into  the  obscure  rooms 
of  many  settlers'  houses.  About  1700  "window  shasts  with 
crystal  " — that  is,  with  glass  that  one  could  see  through — are 
spoken  of  as  a  luxury.  Carpets  were  hardly  known  at  all  in 
America  until  seventy-five  years  after  this  period.1  The  floor 
of  the  cottage  log  dwelling  was  therefore  carpetless. 

On  the  i6th  of  August,  1673,  the  birth  of  John  Higley's  first 
child  is  recorded.  He  was  given  the  name  of  his  father,  John, 
and  on  February  16,  1675,  the  birth  of  the  second  child  is 
announced,  called  Jonathan,  probably  in  honor  of  his  grand- 
father Higley,  who  was  laid  in  his  moss-covered  grave  in  Frimley 
churchyard,  England,  more  than  ten  years  before. 

Windsor  now  contained  about  one  hundred  families.  On  Sun- 
days the  people  residing  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut 
crossed  the  river  in  boats  to  attend  church  service.  It  was  no 
small  undertaking  to  get  the  family  in  readiness  and  over  the 
distance  between  their  home  and  the  ferry,  then  await  the  ferry- 
man to  bring  them  across  the  deep,  swift,  angry  stream,  which  in 
some  seasons  of  the  year  was  filled  with  floating  ice,  causing  the 
passage  to  be  attended  with  danger.  Strict  laws,  by  decree  of 

1  "  The  Colonist  at  Home,"  by  Edward  Eggleston,  The  Century,  1884-85. 


36  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Court,  governed  this  ferry.  But  thirty-seven  persons  were  per- 
mitted to  cross  at  one  time,  the  number  exceeding  this  must 
stand  upon  the  banks  and  await  their  turn.  And  yet  the  select- 
men were  ever  on  the  alert,  and  if  each  household  did  not 
appear  at  the  place  of  worship  it  was  liable  to  a  fine.  To 
announce  the  hour  of  service  a  drum  was  beaten.  The  towns- 
people were  not  in  possession  of  a  church-bell,  and  for  more 
than  one  hundred  years  after  these  times,  it  was  the  practice  for 
a  man  employed  by  the  town  "for  the  beating  of  the  drume  on 
ye  Sabboth  dayes  "  l  to  ascend  to  the  roof  of  the  church,  where 
a  footwalk  was  constructed,  and  sound  a  trumpet  or  a  drum,  "  to 
give  warning  to  ye  inhabitants  when  to  begin  meting." 

We  fancy  that  we  see  our  John  in  the  saddle  upon  the  back  of 
the  family  horse,  with  little  John  in  front  of  him,  and  his  wife 
Hannah,  behind,  clinging  to  him  with  one  arm,  while  with  the 
other  she  held  baby  Jonathan  to  her  bosom,  wending  their  way  on 
a  quiet  Sabbath  morning  to  the  house  of  worship.  The  saddle 
horse,  if  taken  across  the  river,  was  led  swimming  alongside  the 
ferryboat,  and  tied  to  a  tree  close  to  the  church  with  scores  of 
others. 

The  sermon  was  long,  usually  from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two 
hours,  and  was  the  principal  event  of  the  week  for  discussion. 

King  Phillip's  Indian  war  followed  soon  after  the  birth  of  John 
Higley's  second  child.  The  year  1675  was  a  stormy  one  for  the 
Connecticut  colonists.  Both  social  and  political  surroundings 
were  full  of  intense  excitement  and  increased  dangers.  Rumors 
of  Indian  plots  "for  the  distruction  of  the  English"  were  con- 
stantly reaching  the  ears  of  the  inhabitants,  together  with 
reports  of  the  hostilities  of  the  Dutch  at  New  York,  and  the  "un- 
warrantable practices  "  and  uneasiness  given  by  Major  Andros. 
"The  distressed  condition  of  our  neighbors  and  countrymen  on 
Long  Island"  was  also  a  source  of  solicitude.  "It  was  a  time 
of  difficulty  with  us,"1  say  they,  on  the  loth  of  July,  1675.  So 
threatening  was  the  aspect  of  affairs,  and  so  great  was  the  need 
of  men,  that  the  General  Assembly  ordered  that  if  any  one  de- 
serted the  colony  who  was  "above  fourteen  years  of  age,  or 
under  seventy,  he  should  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  pounds,  and 
be  "liable  to  corporal  punishment."  ' 

"The  young  settlement  [on  the  east  side  of  the  river]  had  but 
just  fairly  commenced,"  says  Stiles,  "when  great  fear  fell  upon 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 


EARL  Y  MARRIED  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLE  Y.        37 

the  land.  Danger  lurked  in  every  bush,  and  peered  from  behind 
every  tree;  their  houses  were  scattered,  their  numbers  few;  the 
Indians  numerous;  and  the  broad  stream  of  the  Long  River  cut 
them  off  from  any  immediate  help  from  their  friends  and  neigh- 
bors on  the  west  side. 

"In  that  hour  of  anxious  fear  and  torturing  suspense  they  felt 
that  'in  union  there  was  strength.'  Many  removed  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  those  who  remained  carried  their 
4  lives  in  their  hands."  Finally  the  inhabitants  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Connecticut  were  ordered  '  forthwith '  to  remove 
themselves,  with  their  cattle  and  grain,  to  the  west  side;  and 
garrison  houses  were  ordered  to  be  kept  for  the  protection  of  the 
few  who  were  obliged  to  remain.  In  fact  the  settlement  was 
temporarily  broken  up  and  dispersed."  * 

We  are  assured  that  John  Higley  was  found  bearing  his  part  in 
the  defense  and  safety  of  the  homes,  though  there  is  no  record 
of  conspicuous  service.  He  was  now  a  man  twenty-eight  years 
of  age,  strong  and  able-bodied,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  was 
early  put  into  military  training.  It  had  been  required  by  law  for 
many  years  that,  "All  persons  above  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
except  magistrates  and  church  officials,  shall  beare  arms."2 
They  were  required  to  have  "in  continual  readiness  a  good 
musket  or  other  gun  fit  for  service,"  with  "a  sword  rest  and 
brandaleers,"  and  ammunition  kept  in  good  order.2  At  this  time, 
all  the  men  were  impressed  into  military  service  on  sentinel 
duty.  Regular  watches,  consisting  of  one-fourth  of  the  men  of 
the  town,  were  appointed,  the  watch  continuing  from  the  "shut- 
ting in  of  the  evening  till  sunrise."  It  was  "Ordered,  that  no 
man  walk  about  singly,"  and  they  might  not  work  in  fields 
except  in  groups  of  six  together,  with  guns  at  hand,  "  well  fixed 
and  fitted  for  service."*  Everyman  was  obliged  to  go  constantly 
fully  armed,  and  stand  ready  night  and  day  to  do  battle.  They 
slept  upon  their  weapons,  and  as  had  been  a  custom,  they  carried 
them  to  church.  Scouts  were  constantly  kept  in  service,  and 
were  required  to  be  on  duty  "  by  sun  an  hower  high  in  each  day." 

1  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor." 

2  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

3  In  October,  1675,  "  Ordered,  to  joyne  together  to  gather  the  Indian  corn  and  bring  it  on  ye  west 
sideof  ye  Great  River,  into  places  of  best  security."     In  November,  "Ordered  to  kill  and  salt  up 
what  of  their  cattell  were  fitt  to  kill  and  secure  it  in  the  best  places  they  could  from  the  enemie  " 
— to  thresh  and  bake  up  their  wheat  into  bread,  "  for  use  of  the  soldiers  on  gaurdfor  our  defence." 
"  Ordered,  that  200  bushells  of  wheat  be  baked  into  biskit  with  all  the  speed  that  may  be,  and 
200  bushalls  of  oats  for  the  army,"— Connecticut  Colonial  Records. 

4 


38  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

As  the  year  neared  its  close,  troops  from  the  different  colonies 
were  called  together  and  a  successful  contest  followed  on  the 
evening  of  December  19,  1675,  at  Pettyquamsquot,  in  the  north- 
east part  of  Connecticut,  where  the  Indians  had  taken  refuge  in 
a  log-constructed  barricade.  The  struggle  was  ended  by  a  bloody 
fight;  the  soldiers  set  fire  to  the  rude  stockade,  and  burned  with- 
out mercy  warriors,  squaws,  helpless  old  red-skins,  and  children, 
in  one  mass  of  flame. 

It  is  stated  that  "three-hundred  warriors  were  slain,  and 
nearly  the  same  number  taken  prisoners,  including  women  and 
children.  The  entire  number  -of  Indians  thought  to  have  been 
inside  the  fortress  numbered  into  thousands.  Those  who  were 
not  consumed  or  taken  prisoners,  fled  to  the  swamps,  where  they 
spent  the  cold  winter  night  without  food,  fire,  or  covering."  "  It 
was  cold  and  stormy,"  says  one  narrator,  "the  snow  fell  deep, 
and  it  was  not  until  after  midnight  the  army  got  in." 

The  MS.  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Ruggles  says:  "The  burning 
of  the  wigwams,  the  shrieks  and  cries  of  the  women  and  children, 
and  the  yelling  of  the  warriors,  exhibited  a  most  horrible  and 
affecting  scene,  so  that  it  greatly  moved  some  of  the  soldiers. 
They  were  in  doubt  then,  and  afterwards  often  seriously  inquired, 
whether  burning  their  enemies  alive  could  be  consistent  with 
humanity  and  the  benevolent  principles  of  the  gospel."  1 

At  the  following  May  session  of  the  General  Assembly  (1676) 
— our  worthy  Deacon  Moore  being  a  member  for  Windsor — there 
was  a  reiteration  of  some  of  the  laws  bearing  upon  subjects  of 
a  social  and  moral  nature"  indicating  that  the  recent  trials  through 
which  they  had  passed  were  the  cause  of  awakening  the  colony 
to  a  greater  degree  of  devotion.  The  last  day  of  the  month  was 

1  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 

2  It  was  Ordered,  "  If  any  persons  on  Saturday  night  or  the  Lord's  Day,  though  it  be  after 
sun-sett,"  were  found  "sporting  in  the  fields,  or  drinking  in  houses  of  public  entertainment  or 
elsewhere,"  should  be  subject  to  fine  or  to  "suffer  corporall  judgment."     "  Noe  serville  worke" 
was  to  be  done  on  the  Sabbath,  "  such  as  were  not  workes  of  piety,  necessity,  or  charity."     "  Noe 
profane  talke"  was  allowed,  nor  "  irreverent  behavior." 

Ministers  were  strongly  recommended  "  to  look  into  the  state  of  families."  "  Noe  person  "  was 
to  "  retayle  any  less  quantity  than  an  anchor  of  drink  at  a  time  without  special  lycence."  "  Dilli- 
gent  search"  was  to  be  made  by  all  constables  and  grand  jurymen  for  all  transgressions  of  this 
order.  Special  "  care  and  notice  was  to  be  taken  by  all  persons  frequenting  publique  houses 
and  spending  their  precious  time  there."  "  If  he  be  fownd  in  such  place  and  convicted,"  he  was 
to  be  fined  five  shillings  or  "  sit  in  the  stocks  one  hower  for  every  such  offence."  The  "  sin  of 
uncleanness"  was  "on  the  increase,"  and  ministers  were  recommended  "  to  beare  such  due  tes- 
timonie  against  such  wickedness  according  to  law  (if  it  be  God's  holy  will)  that  such  sin  may  be 
prevented." 

"  Excess  of  Apparell"  also  claimed  the  Court's  attention,  as  "  unbecoming  a  wilderness  condi- 


EARL  Y  MARRIED  LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLE  K.         39 

"  apoynted  to  be  kept  as  a  day  of  Solemn  Humiliation,  of  fasting 
and  prayer."  * 

It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  John  Higley  with  his  young 
family  was  of  the  number  who  removed,  when  the  general  order 
to  that  effect  was  given,  to  the  main  settlement  upon  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  where  he  is  found  established  soon  after. 

Amid  the  scenes  of  terror  in  which  they  had  for  many  months 
been  living,  it  does  not  appear  that  his  material  prosperity  had 
been  seriously  interrupted.  His  feet  were  continued  on  the 
ascent.  In  a  'Mist"  of  voluntary  contributions  "made  to  the 
poor  in  want  in  other  colonies  "  in  June  of  the  following  year, 
is  found  the  name  of  "Hana  Higley"  as  having  donated  is.  3d." 
Her  grandfather,  Deacon  Moore,  Sr.,  contributed  6s.  6d.  to 
the  same  fund,  and  was  one  of  a  committee  of  three  appointed 
by  the  General  Council  "to  distribute  according  to  good  dis- 
cretion."2 

From  an  old  "Book  of  Rates"  it  appears  that  John  Higley's 
amount  of  list  on  January  25,  1676-77,  was  ^24,  and  his  tax  was 
i6s.  The  following  year,  on  the  2ist  of  January,  his  "List"  is 
recorded  ,£22  and  the  "Rate"  143.  8d.s  From  these  modest 
amounts  he  came  in  after  time  to  be  one  of  the  heaviest  taxpayers 
in  the  colony. 

On  "  March  ye  i4th,  1677-78,"  the  following  was  recorded:  "  A 
Town  meeting  was  held  to  publish  ye  Town  rate  for  ye  year  past, 
and  ye  ferry  tax, — alsoe  John  Higley  is  now  granted  liberty  to 
take  a  parcell  to  bild  on  25  foot  in  length  against  ye  river,  and 
20  foot  in  breadth  ye  other  way.  But  he  must  take  after  ye 
Widdow  Marshall  has  git  out  her  grant,  next  after  George 
Griswold. "  4 

It  was  upon  this  piece  of  land  that  he  erected  a  warehouse. 
His  remarkable  business  and  public  career  was  now  taking  per- 
manent shape. 


tion,  and  the  profession  of  the  gospel,  whereby  the  rising  generation  is  in  danger  of  being  cor- 
rupted." Persons  wearing  "gold  or  silver  lace,  gold  or  silver  buttons,  silk  ribbons,  or  other  super- 
fluous trimmings,  or  any  bone  lace  above  three  shillings  per  yard,  or  silk  scarfs,"  were  required  to 
be  heavily  assessed.  Exception  was  made  to  "  Magistrates,  public  Officers,  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, who  are  left  to  their  discression,  or  any  settled  Military  Commissioned  Officer,"  and  if  "  any 
taylor  shall  fashion  any  garment  for  any  child  or  servant  contrary  to  the  minde  of  the  parent  or 
master,"  a  fine  was  to  be  imposed. — Connecticut  Colonial  Records. 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

9  Old  Church  Records,  Windsor,  Conn. 

1 "  Book  of  Rates  and  Town  Meeting  Proceedings,"  Windsor,  167-  to  1683. 

4  "  Windsor  Records,"  book  ii. 


40  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

On  the  i3th  of  March,  1677,  Elizabeth,  his  first  daughter,  was 
born,  and  the  same  year  (September)  is  marked  by  the  death  of 
the  grandfather,  Deacon  John  Moore,  who  had  for  more  than 
forty-two  years,  with  true-hearted  devotion,  been  one  among  the 
valuable  lives  of  his  times  ;  having  shared  the  stress  of  sore 
trials  incident  to  those  who  had  cast  their  lot  with  the  new 
colonies,  and  set  going  a  stream  of  civilization  and  progress. 
He  stamped  his  footprint  upon  the  early  annals  of  our  colonial 
history,  and  left  behind  him  a  memory  enriched  by  his  example, 
his  character,  and  his  work. 

The  old  Puritan  heroes  who  came  from  the  motherland  had 
most  of  them  quitted  this  earth  life.  Few  were  left.  His 
honored  friend,  Governor  John  Winthrop,  with  whom  he  was 
a  co-laborer  for  many  years,  died  the  year  preceding,  and  Henry 
Wolcott,  Esq.,  the  most  prominent  citizen  and  his  associate  in 
town  and  colonial  affairs,  had  died  long  before. 

"  They  have  left  unstained  what  there  they  found, 
Freedom  to  worship  God." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

BUSINESS   PROSPERITY. — A    GRANDMOTHER'S   MEMORIES. 

To  be  born  where  great  and  good  men  have  had  their  nativity,  to  live  where  they  have  lived, 
to  be  allied  to  them  by  kin,  is,  as  it  were,  a  patent  of  nobility. — CHARLES  CARLKTON  COFFIN. 

IN  vol.  i.  of  the  ancient  Land  Records  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  is 
found  the  following  entry,  under  date  of  November  4,  1679,  the 
last  part  of  which  seems  to  be  a  confirmation  of  the  former  grant 
of  1677.  "  A  parcell  of  woodland  that  John  Drake  makes  over  to 
his  son-in-law  John  Higley;  it  is  out  of  that  land  he  formerly 
bought  of  Richard  Lyman,  it  Lyes  towards  Hartford  Bounds; 
he  is  to  have  out  of  it  fifteen  acres  of  the  South  end  of  said  Lott. " 
[Here  follow  boundaries]. 

"Alsoe,  he  has  a  parcell  of  Land  whereon  he  has  bilt  his 
Dweling  house,  the  land  was  set  out  to  him  by  his  Grandfather, 
Deacon  Moore,  it  is  one  acre  and  half  of  the  Land  Called  Cow- 
feild."  [Here  follow  boundaries]. 

"Alsoe,  he  hath  a  Small  parcell  of  Land  Granted  him  by  The 
Town  on  the  North  side  of  the  ferry  by  the  Rivulet  to  bild  a 
warehouse  upon;  it  is  set  out  below  the  widow  Marshels's  which 
Lyes  between  it  and  George  Griswold's,  and  this  of  John  Higley's 
is  in  length  on  the  top  of  the  bank  against  the  River,  thirty  foot 
in  length  downward  and  in  breadth  twenty-four  foot." ' 

He  is  now  found  in  possession  of  other  lands,  a  new  dwell- 
ing, and  a  business  house.  After  this  period  his  life  had  to 
do  with  many  diverse  interests.  His  warehouse,  which  was  the 
beginning  of  his  commercial  transactions,  proved  a  channel 
for  his  genius  in  business  and  was  an  element  of  success  and 
wealth. 

Windsor  at  this  time  was  not  merely  a  village  on  the  foreline 
of  western  civilization,  but  was  a  chief  center  for  trade,  and  a 
port  of  entry.  Sailing  vessels  of  sixty,  and  up  to  seventy  tons, 
ascended  the  river  to  this  point,  and  there  was  not  only  a  thriv- 

1  "  Windsor  Land  Records,"  vol.  i.  p.  344. 


42  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEI'R  ANCESTRY. 

ing  coastline  trade,  but  an  extensive  commerce  carried  on  be- 
tween England  and  the  West  Indies. 

It  was  a  day  of  bustle  and  excitement  in  the  streets  when  a 
ship  arrived  from  England.  The  townspeople  turned  out  en 
masse  to  hear  the  news  from  the  old  home-country,  and  spectators 
lined  the  shores.  The  docks  presented  a  lively  scene,  men 
hurried  to  and  fro,  and  business  at  the  warehouses  was  active. 
Two  neighbors,  with  whom  John  Higley  is  found  closely  associ- 
ated in  the  following  years  (Benjamin  Newberry  and  George 
Griswold),  owned  warehouses  close  by. 

In  the  record  of  items  left  on  the  pages  of  his  account-book, 
in  his  own  handwriting,  it  appears  that  he  held  the  appointment 
of  Officer  of  the  Customs,  and  there  is  some  evidence  that  he 
possessed  an  interest  in  vessels  plying  between  this  coast  and 
Bermuda.  The  latter,  however,  is  not  quite  clear. 

Much  of  the  business  of  the  warehouse  had  to  do  with  the 
importation  of  rum.1  The  island  of  Barbadoes,  with  which  there 
was  much  communication  at  that  time,  "was  the  first  sugar 
colony  which  the  English  possessed,  and  was  a  place  of  consider- 
able importance.  In  1684  the  distillation  of  rum  from  the  cane 
juice  was  extensively  carried  on,  and  there  were  not  fewer  than 
358  sugar  works  in  operation."2 

But  there  were  obstructions  to  trade  in  the  colony,  as  reported 
to  the  House  of  Lords  by  a  committee  appointed  to  make  in- 
quiry into  the  state  of  the  colony,  "  for  want  of  men  of  estates 
to  venture  abroad,  and  of  money  at  home  for  the  management  of 
trade,  and  labor  being  so  dear."  * 

John  Higley  turned  his  attention  in  this  direction.  According 
to  old  MS.,  he  made  two  voyages  to  the  West  Indies  and  some 
coastwise  trips.  His  name  is  also  found  in  the  return  passenger 
list  as  follows: 

1  The  following  entries  are  extracts  from  John  Higley's  Account-Book  : 

"  Aprill  25,  1683.  Mr.  Henry  Wolcott  made  entry  of  one  barroll  of  Rum  for  transportation  and 
if  he  did  not  transport  it  he  would  pay  the  costom  of  it." 

"July  10,  1683.  Nathaniel  Bissell  made  entry  of  a  cask  of  rum  of  about  52}  gals.,  which  he 
entered  for  transportation,  marked  NB." 

"August  5,  '83.  Mr.  Thos.  Cook  made  entry  of  one  hhd.  of  rum  for  transportation  :  mark 
TC  [  .  .  .  some  words  not  deciphered]  ye  was — &  mye  same  boats  and  barroll  of  Rum  for 
Tho:  Dewey  of Rum." 

"  1683.  _  Josias  Wolcott  made  entry  of  6  barrolls  of  Rum  for  transportation  and  if  he  did  not 
transport  it for  costom." 

Says  Eggleston  :  "  There  was  no  class  in  the  colonies  that  could  be  called  temperate,  if  judged 
by  modern  American  standards.  .  .  .  Drinking  was  universal.  The  birth  of  a  child,  the  taking 
of  a  piece  of  land,  the  induction  of  a  new  minister,  an  election  of  officers,  weddings,  funerals, 
auctions,  and  even  religious  meetings  in  private  houses,  were  occasions  for  drinking." — "  The 
Colonist  at  Home"  The  Century,  1884-83. 

2  "  History  of  Barbadoes,"  by  Sir  R.  Schoonbruck. 
*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records. 


BUSINESS  PROSPERITY.  43 

"  Persons  of  Qualitie  who  went  to  the  American  Plantations,"  sailing  from  Bar- 
badoes  in  1678  :  viz. 

"  Ticquetts  granted  out  of  the  Secys  Office  of  the  Island  of  Barbadoes  for  the 
departure  off  the  Island,  March  the  24th,  John  Higley  on  the  ketch  Mary  for 
Boston.  John  Gardener,  Commander."1 

The  commodities  shipped  direct  to  Barbadoes  and  Jamaica 
were  "  there  bartered  for  sugar,  cottonwood,  and  rumme  and  some 
money."  At  this  time  in  the  history  of  the  colony,  "  the  chief 
staples  for  trade  were  wheat,  peas,  hemp,  '  Ry,'  barley,  Indian 
corn,  'Porck'  beefe,  'woole,'flax,  cider,  staves,  and  horses."  The 
great  forests  supplied  materials  for  shipbuilding.  These  were 
"good  timber — oak,  pine,  and  spruce  for  masts,  'tarr'  and 
pitch."  The  wearing  apparel  of  the  colonists  was  procured  by 
shipping  the  provisions  they  raised  to  Boston,  which  were  ex- 
changed for  goods  "to  cloathe  with."  There  were  now  "about 
thirty  black  slaves  in  the  Connecticut  Colony."* 

It  was  seldom  that  relief  was  needed  for  the  poor.  "  Labor  is 
deare  and  provisions  cheap,"  continued  the  Report  to  the  House 
of  Lords.  A  day  laborer  was  paid  two  shillings  a  day,  and  some- 
times two  and  sixpence.  "Beggars  and  vagabond  persons  were 
not  suffered,"  and  when  discovered  were  "  bownd  out  to 
service."  a 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1679,  his  daughter  Katherine  was  born, 
and  in  1680  a  son  was  born,  to  whom  John  Higley  gave  his 
mother's  maiden  name — Brewster.  This  son  became,  in  aftertime, 
the  paternal  ancestor  of  a  long  line  of  descendants  bearing  sterling 
qualities. 

At  the  town  meeting  held  December  30,  1680,  John  Higley  was 
chosen  a  constable  for  Windsor,  the  first  public  office  to  which  he 
was  elected. 

"The  constable  was  an  officer  of  superior  dignity."  He  was 
to  the  inhabitants  "the  right  arm  of  the  king  himself;  a  function- 
ary treated  with  reverent  awe  and  obeyed  with  implicit  deference. 
Whoever  resisted  the  power  resisted  the  ordinance  of  God.  The 
first  constable  in  Windsor  was  Mr.  Henry  Wolcott,  appointed  in 
1636."  3 

About  this  time  John  Higley  began  to  scent  in  the  air  the 

1  Hotton's  "  Original  Lists  of  Persons  of  Qualitie,  Emigrants,  and  Others,"  etc. 

2  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

'  Noah  Porter,  D.  D.,  President  of  Yale  University,  in  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  vol.  iL 
p.  306. 


44  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

future  fortunes  in  the  growth  and  values  of  lands.  In  the  years 
1681  and  1682  he  purchased  additional  tracts  at  Windsor. 

The  year  1681  witnessed  the  death  of  the  venerable  grand- 
mother, Elizabeth  Drake,  who  died  on  the  yth  of  October,  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  years. 

John  and  Hannah  Drake  Higley  now  had  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren. We  indulge  in  the  fancy  of  seeing  the  eldest,  John,  a  boy 
of  eight  years,  standing  beside  the  old  armchair  of  his  great- 
grandmother,  listening  with  gaping  wonder  to  the  stories  of  well- 
nigh  a  century.  Her  life  had  been  co-extensive  with  the  stirring 
events  in  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Puritans'  colonization. 

What  "  grandmother  tales "  she  could  tell  !  not  old  wives' 
fables,  but  entertaining  historic  reminiscences.  Is  it  any  sur- 
prise that  we  have  traditions  ?  And  why  not  give  them  their  due 
weight  and  credence  ?  It  has  recently  been  said  that  "  obscure 
memories  and  vague  traditions  are  powerful  forces  in  our  social 
fabric."  '  The  tendency  of  the  day  to  original  inquiry  and  his- 
toric facts  obtained  from  actual  record,  has,  perhaps,  produced  an 
inclination  to  underestimate  the  importance  of  this  kind  of 
material.  These  old  lives  spanned  each  other  many  years, 
repeating  and  linking  together  successive  periods  of  history,  and 
we  cannot  but  maintain  that  they  conveyed  a  vast  amount  of 
truth  ;  and,  while  we  readily  admit  that  there  were  many  errors 
and  inaccuracies,  we  recognize  all  the  way  along  a  stratum  of 
well-grounded  fact  which  deserves  due  regard. 

Books  were  very  scarce  in  the  days  of  Grandmother  Drake,  and 
newspapers  there  were  none;  consequently  the  range  of  conver- 
sation upon  present  events  was  naturally  limited;  however,  there 
was  little  room  in  her  mind  for  dwelling  upon  the  ordinary 
matters  of  the  neighborhood,  or  upon  visionary  things. 

Her  eventful  life  had  been  made  up  of  actual  realities,  which 
were  no  myth.  As  she  sat,  day  after  day,  she  must  have  readily 
recalled  a  thousand  memories  of  the  long,  long  past  years — her 
recollections  went  so  far  back  that  they  were  beyond  the  reach  of 
everybody. 

We  learn  of  no  lament  falling  from  her  aged  lips  over  past 
hardships.  Her  heroism  had  never  failed.  The  sweet-winged 
angel,  Faith,  had  buoyed  her  from  first  to  last,  and  she  walked 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Puritan's  life  gazing  upward. 

1  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Bayard,  Secretary  of  State,   Speech  at  Holland  Society  Annual   Meeting, 
New  York,  1889. 


B  U SIN  ESS  PROSPERIT  Y,  45 

She  could  tell  of  her  girlhood  days  among  the  charming  land- 
scapes of  the  Devonshire  hills  looking  out  upon  the  waters  of  the 
changing  sea,  of  how  they  had, long  years  ago,  heard  strange  tales 
from  the  "sea  kings,"  and  fishermen,  and  fur  merchants,  of  the 
wild  shore  beyond  the  great  ocean;  then  how  they  were  marked 
for  persecution,  and  of  the  dark  years  that  preceded  the  dawn 
and  epoch  of  their  religious  liberty,  of  severing  the  loved  ties  in 
their  native  land,  of  the  remarkable  sea  voyage,  when  they  were 
helplessly  tossed  in  storm  and  wave,  the  fright  and  conjectures 
whenever  a  sail  appeared  upon  the  horizon,  about  supposed 
Spanish  privateers,  which  were  infesting  the  seas;  of  seventy-two 
days  of  continuous  "  feasts  of  devotion "  which  the  floating, 
homeless  church  enjoyed  with  its  voice  uplifted  in  song  above 
the  roar  of  the  billows — the  fire  of  powerful  sermons  preached 
twice  each  day;  and,  finally,  when  land  was  descried,  with  what 
joy  they  greeted  "the  smell  of  the  shore,  like  the  smell  of 
a  garden." ' 

She  could  speak  of  the  sense  of  isolation  which  stole  secretly 
into  their  hearts,  and  the  high  pitch  of  courage  required,  as  they 
neared  our  unfamiliar  coast  where 

"  the  ocean  eagle  soared 
From  his  nest  by  the  white  wave's  foam  ; 
And  the  rocking  pines  of  the  forest  roared 
This  was  their  welcome  home  !  " 

Then,  in  our  imagination,  came  her  narratives  of  the  dreadful  pri- 
vations, makeshifts,  adventures,  and  escapes  through  which  they 
passed  during  their  life  among  wild  savages — "  the  heathen," 
as  they  called  them  ;  how  these  intruded  themselves  into  their 
homes  whenever  they  inclined  to  open  the  door  and  walk  stealthily 
in  without  even  knocking  ;  meddled  with  everything  they  fancied 
to  lay  their  hands  upon,  and  wrapping  themselves  in  their  bear- 
skins would  lay  themselves  down  to  sleep  upon  the  floor  in  front 
of  the  great  fireplace. 

Mrs.  Drake  could  well  remember  these  savage  rovers  when 
they  became  fierce  and  treacherous,  how  they  tortured  to  death 
and  tomahawked  the  settlers  on  the  river,  and  "  wore  headbands 
made  of  the  fingers  and  toes  of  their  victims,"  the  thrilling  excite- 
ments in  the  settlements  when  they  kidnapped  and  carried  off 
into  the  dark  wilderness  neighbors  and  little  children,  and  the 

1  Winthrop's  Letter*. 


46  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

dreadful  horrors  these  endured,  and  how  stout  hearted  women 
used  the  musket  in  defense  when  needful. 

Grandmother  Drake  had  many  a  true  story  to  relate  of  packs 
of  hungry  wolves  and  other  wild  beasts  of  the  thickets  close  to 
her  dwelling,  howling  and  snarling  at  night,  just  outside  the  door. 
But  her  best  stories  must  have  been  about  real,  live,  so-called 
"witches,"  who  haunted  the  neighborhood — no  mere  phantoms, 
but  women  whom  they  believed  were  intimate  with  evil  spirits, 
and  saw  and  heard  things  supernatural,  who  did  an  endless  string 
of  things  which  upset  the  community. 

Her  voice  no  doubt  trembled  as  she  sometimes  talked  with  the 
older  people  of  the  gloomy  news  that  often  reached  them  from 
the  motherland  in  that  remarkable  age  in  the  history  of  Eng- 
land, the  disorder  and  turmoil  that  prevailed  at  periods  in  the 
political  world,  the  insecurity  of  government,  and  the  grievous 
suspense  they  endured  between  the  long  intervals  of  the  ships 
coming  bearing  news  from  home — sweet  home. 

But  now  the  eventful  journey  of  Elizabeth  Drake's  life  was 
closed.  A  wild  informal  beauty  surrounded  the  scene  as  they 
laid  her  to  her  slumbrous  rest.  It  was  early  autumn.  The  corn- 
tassels  were  brown,  and  the  stocks  were  golden.  All  nature  was 
ripe  and  mellow.  A  glorious  luxuriance  in  color  clothed  the 
boughs  of  the  great  forest  trees,  and  the  bushes  which  fringed  the 
majestic  river,  upon  whose  banks,  as  "a  pilgrim  and  a  stranger," 
she  had  found  a  home.  Its  waters  glistened  between  the  brilliant 
foliage  in  sight  of  her  resting  place.  The  sun  reddened  the 
western  sky,  and  covered  the  summits  of  the  rich  valley  with  a 
glow.  The  birds,  in  flocks,  were  passing  high  in  the  air,  migrat- 
ing to  a  sunnier  home.  The  wind-breezes  blew  a  little  wild 
among  the  giant  pines,  and  furnished  the  music  which  wafted  her 
away  in  holy  triumph,  as  she  took  new  wing  and  went  onward  to 
another  world  and  another  life. 

And  so  she  parted — our  last  old  Puritan  grandmother — leaving 
behind  her,  from  the  blossoms  her  life  had  yielded,  a  rich  fruitage 
of  hope,  courage,  and  devotion. 

"  I  am  the  last.     Once  more  we  are  complete, 
To  gather  round  the  Paschal  feast.     My  place 
Is  near  my  Maker.     My  Lord  ! 
How  bright  Thou  art,  and  yet  the  very  same 
I  loved  on  earth  !     "Tis  worth  the  hundred  years 
To  feel  this  bliss  !     So,  lift  me  up,  dear  Lord, 
Unto  Thy  bosom.     There  shall  I  abide." 

— St.  John,  the  Aged. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SIMSBURY,    CONN. 

And  from  this  ancient  town,  went  forth  men 
Whose  deeds,  recorded  by  the  pen — 
Became  historic.     Their  unflinching  faith, 
Endurance,  and  amazing  hardihood, 
Set  the  great  seal  of  deathless  Industry 
Upon  their  labors  ;  carving  for  themselves, 
With  cumbrous  ploughshare. 

—  The  Titles  of  a  True  Nobility.— PL.  E.  JKNKS. 

IT  was  about  the  year  1683  that  John  Higley's  attention  was 
turned  toward  the  settlement  at  Massacoe,1  nine  miles  distant, 
for  his  future  home.  The  rich  meadows  upon  the  banks  of  the 
noble  stream — the  Tunxus,  now  the  Farmington,  which  was 
swarming  with  myriads  of  fish,  and  the  rich  wooded  upland  slopes, 
gave  to  his  far-seeing  eye  future  promise  of  prosperity. 

As  early  as  March  n,  1663,  the  grandfather,  Deacon  John 
Moore,  with  Captain  Benjamin  Newberry  and  Edward  Griswold, 
all  residents  of  Windsor,  were  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly 
a  committee  "to  lay  out  the  undivided  lands  at  Massacoe,  to  such 
inhabitants  of  Windsor  as  desire  and  need  it,""  and  "in  1667  the 
first  grants  given  by  this  committee,  of  which  any  record  exsists, 
were  made."  s 

Among  those  who  secured  estates  thus  granted,  was  John  Drake, 
the  father-in-law  of  John  Higley.  The  following  year,  October 
1668,  the  General  Court  ordered,  "  that  Massacoe,  which  hitherto 
hath  been  an  appendix  to  the  towne  of  Windsor,  may  be  improved 
for  the  making  of  a  plantation  ;  and  Capt.  Benjamin  Newberry, 
Deacon  John  Moore,  and  Mr.  Simon  Woolcott,  the  present  Com- 
mittee for  the  grant  of  those  lands,  are  desired  and  empowered 
by  the  Court  to  the  further  planting  of  the  same,  and  to  make 
such  just  orders  as  they  shall  judge  requisite  for  the  well  ordering 
of  the  sayd  Plantation,  so  they  be  not  repugnant  to  the  publique 
orders  of  this  Colony."* 

The  first  acknowledged  deed  given  formally  by  the  Indians,  and 
having  the  sanction  of  the  General  Assembly,  was  not  executed 

1  The  Indian  name  for  Simsbury.  '  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury." 

*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  i.  p.  397.  4  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 


48  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

until  twelve  years  later — 1680,  though  "the  Inhabitants  had  held 
quiet  possession  without  interruption  for  some  years  previous." 

The  year  before  his  removal  to  Simsbury,  John  Higley's  name 
was  "propownded"  to  the  General  Assembly,  May  10,  1683,'  for 
admission  as  freeman.  There  is  no  explanation  given  why  he 
deferred  his  application  until  he  was  near  thirty-four  years  of  age. 
He  was  "accepted  " at  the  following  term  of  the  Court  in  October. 

The  act  of  the  Assembly  under  which  the  Connecticut  colonial 
residents  were  given  this  franchise  at  this  time  required,  "that 
they  present  themselves  with  a  certificate  under  the  bands  of  ye 
maior,  and  of  the  Townsman  where  they  live,  that  they  are  per- 
sons of  civil,  peaceable,  and  honest  conversation,  and  that  they 
attain  the  age  of  21  years,  and  have  ^20,  estate  beside  their 
person,  in  the  List  of  estate,  and  that  such  persons  so  qualified  to 
the  Court's  approbation  shall  be  presented  at  the  October  Court 
and  admitted  after  ye  election  at  the  Assembly  in  May.  And  in 
case  any  freeman  shall  walk  scandalously  or  commit  any  scandalous 
offence,  and  be  legally  convicted  thereof,  he  shall  be  disfranchised 
by  any  Civill  Courts."* 

On  the  22d  of  August  the  same  year  (1683)  occurred  the 
happy  birth  of  his  daughter,  Hannah,  who  was  destined,  years  later, 
to  become  the  mother  of  Connecticut's  first  governor,  America's 
distinguished  "Brother  Jonathan"  of  Revolutionary  fame,3  and 
grandmother  and  great-grandmother  to  others  of  Connecticut's 
chiefest  and  most  notable  citizens,  including  two  governors,  and 
one  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

About  this  time  John  Higley  became  involved  in  a  lawsuit,  evi- 
dently in  connection  with  his  warehouse  transactions.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1681,  Joseph  Trueman  recovered  judgment  against  him  for 
twenty-six  gallons  of  "  Rume,"  and  cost  of  court,  amounting  to 
;£i  los.  6d.  The  execution  was  levied  upon  two  hundred  and 
seventy-one  yards  of  "old  statute  lace."  The  General  Assembly 
repealed  this  judgment  at  the  May  session,  1683,  because  Trueman 
thought  the  value  of  the  lace  was  not  equal  to  the  amount  of  the 
judgment,  and  Trueman  was  given  liberty  to  apply  to  the  Court  of 
Assistants.  The  litigation  in  this  case  continued  through  a  period 
of  several  years.  * 

The  precise   date  in  1684  of  John  Higley's  removal  with  his 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 
*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1665-77. 

8  See  sketches  of  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull,  p.  103,  and  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  chapter 
Iviii. 


SIMSBURY,    CONN.  49 

family  to  Simsbury  cannot  be  ascertained.  Legal  documents 
upon  record,  concerning  purchases  of  land  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, clearly  state  that  he  was  a  "  resident  of  Windsor  "  on  the 
4th  of  March  in  that  year  (1684).  His  homestead  farm  at 
Simsbury  was  secured  at  two  purchases,  the  first  from  Samuel 
Brooke  in  March,  1684,  and  the  remainder  on  the  ad  of  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year  from  George  Griswold.  Since  the 
deed  to  that  purchased  from  Griswold  includes  the  dwelling, 
barns,  and  other  buildings,  and  in  the  December  following  he  is 
found  to  have  become  a  permanent  resident  of  Simsbury,  it  is 
conclusive  that  he  removed  from  Windsor  and  took  possession  of 
his  new  abode  early  in  the  autumn  of  1684.  The  property  was 
known  as  the  "  Wolcott-farm." 

A  very  old  record  shows  that  this  was  a  part  of  the  original 
tract  of  land  "laid  out"  to  Simon  Wolcott,  January  28,  1675. 
It  gives  to  Wolcott  "  land  which  lyeth  adjacent  to  his  house-lott 
(which  house  lott,  by  a  previous  grant  contayned  5  acres  and  64 
rods)  and  Contayned  by  estimate  Twenty  Accres,  one  Roode,  and 
two  perchase."  ' 

Mr.  Simon  Wolcott  afterward  added  lands  to  this  tract.  He 
occupied  the  property  until  about  the  year  1680,  and  one  of  its 
chief  glories  has  been  that  it  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  birth- 
place of  Governer  Roger  Wolcott.8  The  house  also  bears  the 
distinction  of  having  been  the  first  licensed  place  at  Simsbury  for 
the  sale  of  liquors.  Wolcott,  while  he  was  its  owner,  having  been 
"  granted  liberty  to  retayle  spirits." 

John  Higley  finally  became  the  purchaser  of  the  entire  farm, 
which  contained  ninety-four  acres,  and  additional  adjacent  lands. 

For  some  reason  Simon  Wolcott  had  divided  the  property  and 
sold  a  part  to  Christopher  Saunders  of  Rehobeth,  Mass.,  and  the 
remainder  to  George  Griswold  of  Windsor. 

The  early  Land  Records  of  Simsbury  were  accidentally  burned 
about  the  year  1684-85,  and  in  many  cases  a  second  deed  of 
property,  which  had  been  previously  placed  upon  record,  is  found 
in  the  ancient  Records  as  though  given  at  a  later  date.* 

1  From  Book  i.  "  Records  of  Simsbury." 

*  The  Rev.  Increase  Tarbox,  in  the   "  History  of  Hartford  County  "  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull, 
states  that  Simon  Wolcott  removed  to  East  Windsor  in  1680,  and  that  his  son,  Roger  Wolcott,  was 
then  an  infant,  one  year  old.     Family  tradition  has  long  had  it  that  about  three  years  intervened 
between  Simon  Wolcott's  sale  of  the  estate  and  John  Higley's  purchase  of  the  same. 

*  The  following  is  taken  from  a  statement  in  Book  i.  "  Simsbury  Land  Records,"  p.  26,  dated 
May  i,  1688  : 

"  On  March  4th  1683-4  John  Higley  of  Windsor  bought  of  Samuel  Brooke,  son  of  John  Brookes, 


5°  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  estate  was  situated  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the 
present  limits  of  Simsbury  township,  upon  the  direct  road  lead- 
ing from  the  town  to  the  old  Newgate  prison  and  copper-mines, 
and  half  a  mile  above  the  spot  where  the  road  to  the  village  of 
Salmon  Brook  branches  off.  The  property,  which  included  this 
farm,  was  purchased  and  presented  to  the  town,  in  1883,  by 
Amos  R.  Eno,  Esq.,  for  a  "home  for  the  poor  of  the  town,"  and 
is  now  known  as  the  "  Town  Farm."  ' 

When  owned  by  John  Higley,  it  comprised  rich  bottom  lands 
of  the  Farmington  River,  including  a  sloping  ridge,  or  uplands, 
that  bound  the  valley,  which  are  said  to  have  been  covered  by 
stately  pines.  Pickeral  Cove,  which  formed  one  of  the  boundaries, 
is  to  this  day  a  beautiful  and  romantic  spot,  and  the  "  little  brook  " 
mentioned  in  the  deed  is  still  a  lively,  dancing  stream,  whose 
waters  flow  by  in  forgetfulness  of  its  owner  of  two  centuries  ago. 

The  house  and  buildings  were  placed  on  the  slope  of  the  rising 
land,  looking  across  the  valley,  and  stood  upon  the  east  side  of  the 
road.  Its  quaint,  old-fashioned  exterior  was  distinctly  remem- 
bered by  Dr.  Lucius  I.  Barber  and  Mr.  Newall  Goddard  of  Sims- 
bury,  who  were  born  and  brought  up  near  the  site  where  it  stood, 
both  of  whom  described  it  to  the  writer. 

It  was  a  good  specimen  of  the  better  class  of  colonial  home- 
steads, and  was  far  above  the  primitive  dwelling-houses  of  those 

late  of  Simsbury,  Deed.,  land  distributed  to  said  Samuel  Brookes  from  the  estate  of  his  father,  as  by 
the  '  honored  Court  Records  may  appear,"  a  certain  portion  of  land,  which  was  the  one-half  interest 
of  the  property  known  as  the  Wolcott  farm, '  for  and  in  Consideration  of  a  Valuable  summe  to  him 
payd  and  Secured.' 

"  The  Deed  from  Christopher  Sanders  of  Rehobeth,  Mass.,  to  John  Brookes  of  Windsor,  of  said 
farm  reads  thus  ;  '  Which  sayd  Farrne  was  bought  by  me,  the  said  Christopher  Sanders,  of  Simon 
Wolcott  of  Windsor,  the  Whole  farm  being  by  estimation  Ninety-four  Accres.'  " 

From  Book  i.  "Simsbury  Records": 

"  I,  George  Griswold  ...  of  Windsor,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds,  paid  by  John  Higley  of  Windsor,  have  sold  .  .  .  the  moiety  of  one  half  of  a  certain  ffarmme 
which  was  formerly  bought  of  Mr.  Simon  Wolcott  of  Windsor,  the  whole  farm  being  by  estimation 
ninety-four  acres  more  or  less,  situated  on  the  westerly  side  of  the  river  above  the  falls,  and  begins 
at  a  little  brook  by  the  river  side,  which  brook  bounds  it  next  to  land  I  bought  of  John  Griffen,  116 
rods  in  breadth  by  the  river,  and  runs  from  the  river  towards  the  upland  130  rods  ;  the  land 
which  was  anyways  granted  or  given  to  Simon  Wolcott  by  the  Inhabitants  of  the  said  town  of  Sims- 
bury,  together  with  all  buildings,  edifices,  fences,  orchards,  gardens,  and  all  other  parts  and  appur- 
tences,  as  also  ;  And  moreover  tbe  moiety  of  one  half  of  that  parcel  of  land  which  Samuel  Phelps 
and  I,  the  aforesaid  George  Griswold  bought  of  John  Griffen,  the  whole  being  about  twenty  acres 
lying  on  the  same  side  of  ye  river  and  abutting  S.  W.  on  the  Aforementioned  farm,  easterly  by  the 
river,  and  north  N.  E.  on  Pickerall  Cove. 

"  Dated  ;  This  Second  day  of  September,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-four. 

"  [Signed]          GEORGE  GRISWOLD." 

An  adjoining  tract  of  land  is  recorded  as  follows  : 

At  a  town  meeting  held  "  March  ye  34  1690,  given  to  Lieut.  John  Higley  a  certain  parcel!  of  land 
lying  without  the  line  that  was  laid  out  to  Mr.  Samuel  Wolcott,  it  is  a  kind  of  frog  Pond  ;  alsoe 
there  is  thirty  acres  of  land  joins  sd  Lieut.  John  Higley's  on  his  Brook  between  his  land  and 
Salmon  Brook  path,"  etc. 

NOTE.— Many  of  the  earliest  papers  concerning  lands  at  Simsbury  were  burned  in  1676.  Dr. 
Lucius  I.  Barber  is  authority  for  stating  that  there  were  also  a  number  burned  in  an  accidental 
fire  which  occurred  about  1684-85. 

1  The  present  buildings  on  the  "  Town  Farm  "  are  upon  the  west  side  of  the  road,  nearly  opposite 
to  the  spot  where  John  Higley's  house  stood. 


SIMSBURY,    CONN.  51 

early  times.  This  one  is  described  as  a  substantial  frame  struc- 
ture, commodious  in  size,  two  stories  in  front,  the  rafters  of 
whose  roof  slanted  downward  in  the  rear  to  within  eight  or  ten 
feet  of  the  ground.  This  rear  part  of  the  building  was  called 
"  the  lean-to." 

There  was  one  massive  chimney,  which  it  is  stated  was  full 
twelve  feet  square,  and  stood  like  a  great  tower  directly  in  the 
center  of  the  roof.  The  fireplace  was  eight  feet  wide,  and 
several  feet  deep,  built  of  stone  laid  in  clay.  The  chimney  was 
topped  with  brick  brought  from  England.  The  windows  were 
small,  after  the  style  of  the  times,  containing  window-panes 
6"X8",  and  were  three  panes  wide. 

"  These  homes,"  says  Eggleston,  "  had  an  air  of  domesticity — 
of  large  and  elegant  domesticity,  but  still  they  looked  like  homes, 
the  homes  of  people  of  sense,  and  taste,  and  character."  ' 

A  few  venerable  apple  trees,  which  have  leaved  and  budded  at 
the  springtime  of  years  numbering  almost  a  century,  which  were 
probably  planted  by  John  Higley's  grandchildren,  are  all  that  is 
now  left  to  mark  the  spot  where  stood  the  old  homestead  which 
has  long  since  disappeared.  It  was  torn  down  in  the  year  1827  by 
Alexander  Holcombe,  who  was  at  that  time  the  owner  of  the  farm. 

It  was  here  that  Captain  Higley's  son  Joseph  was  born,  and  this 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  son  Samuel,  who  has  become  a  char- 
acter of  national  interest,  as  the  designer  and  manufacturer  of  the 
earliest  American  copper  coin  put  into  circulation.  It  was  also 
within  its  walls  that  his  daughter  Mindwell  was  born. 

John  Higley  afterward  purchased  adjoining  tracts  and  addi- 
tional lands,  until  his  estates  in  the  northern  part  of  Simsbury 
township  extended  from  the  town  of  Simsbury  to  the  village  of 
Salmon  Brook,  and  thence  running  east  across  the  Farmington 
river,  included  some  of  the  best  meadow  lands  in  the  township, 
and  the  present  site  of  Tariffville. 

This  region  of  country,  extending  full  four  miles  along  the 
river  north  and  south,  and  from  the  river  to  the  West  Mountain, 
a  distance  of  at  least  3^  miles  in  another  direction,  was  after- 
ward called  Higley-town,  and  was  so  known  for  more  than 
150  years.  He  was  also  the  possessor  of  lands  at  a  settlement 
a  few  miles  away,  called  Scotland,  and  at  Turkey  Hills,  and 
Windsor.  An  excellent  map  of  Simsbury,  made  by  order  of  the 
Connecticut  General  Assembly  in  1730,  the  original  of  which 

1  Edward  Eggleston,  in  The  Century,  1883. 


52  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

is  still  in  existence,  shows  Higley-town  marked  with  beautiful 
clearness,  and  indicates  the  dwellings  contained  in  the  entire 
township,  with  the  names  of  the  land-owners, 'among  whom  are 
a  large  number  of  the  Higleys  of  the  second  and  third  generations. 

Upon  his  removal  to  Simsbury,  John  Higley's  usefulness  in  his 
new  sphere  of  life  is  soon  apparent. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1684,  a  committee  was  appointed  by 
the  town  meeting  to  provide  for  and  superintend  "  Ye  finishing 
of  ye  Meeting  House,  with  full  power,"1  etc.  This  committee 
consisted  of  the  townsmen,  and  John  Higley.  The  following 
summer  a  committee  was  chosen  "for  ye  procuring  of  a 
minister,"  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stow  declining  "  to  stay  no  longer  than 
to  mak  up  his  four  Years  which  will  terminate  said  he  in  the 
middle  of  October."  The  record  reads  as  follows  : 

"August  14,  1685. — At  a  Town-Meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of 
Simsbury  there  was  a  Committee  chosen  by  the  Inhabitants 
thereof  who  have  full  power  by  virtue  of  this  vote  to  choose  and 
look  after  and  procure  a  Minister  for  the  sd  town  of  Simsbury 
and  give  him  suitable  Incouragement  according  to  our  capacity  "a 

This  committee  consisted  of  nine  persons,  one  of  whom  was 
John  Higley. 

By  a  subsequent  vote  of  the  town  the  committee  was  con- 
tinued, and  John  Higley  was  delegated  by  this  committee,  as  its 
messenger,  "  to  treat  with  Rev.  Mr.  Emmerson  or  Other  suitable 
person  for  the  right  discharge  of  the  ministeriall  function,"  and 
authorized  unanimously  by  vote,  "to  tender  fifty  pounds 
annually,"  and  if  he  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  come  on 
these  terms,  "then  sixty  pounds  "  were  to  be  offered.  He  was 
also  invested  with  considerable  latitude  in  the  offer  of  certain 
lands  to  anyone  whom  he  might  consider  a  "  suitable  man  for 
the  place,"  in  case  Mr.  Emmerson  did  not  accept. 

In  December,  1685,  he  was  chosen  "townsman,"  and  was 
re-elected  to  the  position  after  this  almost  every  year  until  1692. 
Upon  the  3ist  of  the  same  month  he  was  made  one  of  a  com- 
mittee to  "lay  out,  state,  and  settle  "  matters  concerning  fenc- 
ing, "in  some  just  and  equitable  way." 

There  was  no  end  to  the  vexations  and  annoyances  incident  to 

1  "  Simsbury  Records  of  Town  Meetings,"  book  i.  p.  34. 
•  "  Simsbury  Records  of  Town  Meetings,"  book  i.  p.  42. 


SIMSBURY,    CONN.  53 

life  in  an  unsettled  wilderness.  The  lands  were  not  defined  at 
this  time  by  settled  boundaries,  and  there  was  little  or  no  fencing, 
and  great  trespasses  and  contests  were  practiced.  Later  on, 
after  fencing  had  been  ordered,  but  had  not  been  attended  to  by 
the  inhabitants,  John  Higley,  with  his  associate  "  Selek  men  of 
Simsbury,'1  in  behalf  of  the  townspeople  offered  a  petition  to  the 
"Generall  Assembly,"  in  which  they  portray  in  pitiful  complaint 
the  imposition  of  their  neighbors'  "  horses,  catell  and  swine," 
which  were  permitted  to  roam  at  large,  saying  : 

"Our  Cornfields  lye  exceedingly  hazzardous  and  .our  labors  be 
distroyed,  as  we  are  Yearly  so  Distroyed  and  devoured  one  of 
another  that  it  is  most  grevious  :  which  if  there  be  not  some 
speedy  care  taken  of  us  that  our  meadows  and  cornfields  be 
secured,  and  our  crops  preserved,  we  shall  bee  very  much 
empoverished  :  neither  shall  we  bee  able  to  carry  on  any  publique 
duties,  either  in  eccleasticall  matters  or  civill  effayres,  ...  so  that 
in  sense  thereof  we  do  most  earnestly  begg,  pray  and  Implore  this 
honnered  Court  to  take  vs,  and  our  most  sadd  estate,  into  your 
serious  Considerason  and  find  out  some  way  for  our  reliefe  and 
welfare.  .  .  so  that  we  pray  and  entreat  your  worships  to  afford 
us  some  reliefe.  And  in  hopes  shall  crave  leave  to  subscribe 
ourselves  your  humble  petitioners."1 

Serious  questions  arose  as  to  the  validity  of  the  Indian  titles 
under  which  the  lands  of  Simsbury  were  then  held.  To  settle 
these  questions  the  governor,  Robert  Treat,  by  authority 
and  direction  of  the  General  Assembly,  issued,  March  n,  1686, 
a  Patent  of  the  township  of  Simsbury  to  eight  proprietors  and 
their  associates;  and  one  of  these  eight  proprietors  named  in  the 
patent  was  "Mr  John  Higley."*  The  Patent  was  again  con- 
firmed by  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1703,  while  Captain 
John  Higley  was  yet  living. 

From  this  period  (1686)  to  the  close  of  his  life,  he  was 
a  leading  spirit  in  the  town,  and  prominent  in  the  annals  of 
public  affairs  in  the  colony.  Except  in  those  of  the  Church,  his 

1  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  p.  79. 

8  The  names  appearing  in  this  original  Patent  of  Simsbury,  are  :  "  Major  John  Talcott,  Capt. 
Benjamin  Newberry,  Ensign  John  Terry,  Mr.  John  Higley,  Mr  John  Case,  Mr  Joshua  Hoi- 
combe,  Mr  Samuel  Wilcox,  and  Mr  Thomas  Barber." 

A  duplicate  copy  of  this  Patent,  recorded  on  parchment,  is  in  the  hands  of  Miss  Emma  Higlev 
of  Vermont,  which  has  descended  with  other  relics  left  by  Captain  John  Higley. 
5 


54  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

name  appears  upon  the  records  in  connection  with  nearly  all  of 
the  important  interests  of  his  time. 

While  his  career  was  one  marked  by  stanch  integrity,  justice, 
and  truth,  and  the  utmost  fidelity  to  any  cause  that  he  espoused, 
his  religious  communion  appears  to  have  been  in  the  invisible 
world,  and  not  as  a  member  of  the  Puritan  church  organization. 
His  name,  as  thus  connected,  is  not  to  be  found  upon  any  church 
records  or  in  private  papers,  and  even  tradition  is  silent.1  There 
is,  however,  no  proof  that  there  was  infidelity  in  his  mind.  He 
lived  in  the  Christian  faith.  But  his  religion  was  more  a  matter 
of  life  than  of  creed,  of  deeds  than  of  outward  profession. 

The  town  meeting  in  those  days  managed  all  ecclesiastical 
affairs,  and  through  this  channel  he  was  active  in  means  pertain- 
ing to  public  worship.  He  contributed  faithfully  to  the  support 
of  the  Church — the  law  requiring  the  minister's  rates  to  be  col- 
lected by  the  same  methods  as  the  rates  for  the  town.  In  the 
Windsor  meetinghouse  he  was  assigned  a  seat,  by  the  •"  Seating- 
Committee,"  April  13,  1681,  in  the  "first  gallerie,"  for  which  he 
appears  to  have  paid  four  shillings. 

Unhappily  there  was  a  bitter  contention  in  the  old  Windsor 
Society,  and  a  lack  of  unanimity,  covering  a  period  of  several 
years  during  John  Higley's  residence  there,  and  he  was  probably 
never  attracted,  in  this  state  of  things,  to  become  personally  iden- 
tified in  membership  with  the  church. 

The  tranquillity  and  peace  of  the  churches  in  the  colonies  were 
disturbed  by  controversies  about  the  grounds  for  admission  to 
church  membership,  baptism,  and  other  doctrinal  issues,  and  at 
Windsor  there  had  been  a  long  period  of  seething  discontent  and 
inharmony  upon  the  question  of  repairs  of  the  meetinghouse, 
which  resulted  in  contention  and  bitterness.  The  participators 
in  the  contending  parties  upon  one  side  were  Jacob  and  Job 
Drake,  and  John  Moore,  Jr.,  the  uncles  of  Hannah  Drake 
Higley,  who  took  their  prominent  part,  as  did  other  influential 
families  with  whom  John  Higley  was  in  daily  association — among 
whom  were  the  Wolcotts,  Captain  Newberry,  the  Loomises,  Gris- 
wolds,  Bissells,  and  Phelpses. 

At  Simsbury  there  was  a  prolonged  contention,  lasting  several 
years,  concerning  the  location  of  a  needed  house  for  worship. 
The  unhappy  differences  were  finally  settled  "at  a  solemn  meet- 

1  "  Church  membership,  as  in  Massachusetts,  was  not  a  requisite  qualification  in  the  Connecti- 
cut colony,  for  a  freeman."—  Pitkin's  History,  p.  44. 


SIMSBURY,    CONN.  55 

ing  on  ye  24th  of  May  1683,"  by  "too  PaPers  put  into  ye  hatt," 
which  were  "  Drawne  by  ye  lott,"1  and  at  the  time  of  John 
Higley's  removal  to  the  place  the  following  year,  the  meeting- 
house, a  building  28X24  feet,  was  erected,  but  stood  unfinished. 
It  was  located  upon  the  west  side  of  the  river  just  across  the 
road,  or  street,  which  now  runs  by  the  ancient  Hop-Meadow 
burying-ground.  As  has  been  before  stated,  his  first  appoint- 
ment by  the  town  meeting,  after  coming  to  Simsbury,  was  to 
serve  with  "the  Selek-men  for  the  finishing  of  the  house,"  which 
was  accomplished  in  1685. 

In  due  time  "a  floor  was  laid,  seats  or  benches  furnished, 
and  a  pulpit  built."  It  was  eleven  years  after  this  before  the 
building  was  ceiled,  and  supplied,  for  the  first  time,  with  windows 
and  a  gallery.  "It  was  never  painted — though  the  town  once 
voted  'to  daub  it.'  This  house  was  used  for  public  worship 
and  town  meetings  nearly  sixty  years."8 

At  the  time  that  John  and  Hannah  Drake  Higley  became 
residents  in  Simsbury,  "Rev.  Mr.  Samuel  Stow"  was  preaching 
in  the  place.  His  salary  was  fifty-six  pounds  a  year.  "The 
town  agreed  with  Samuel  Adams  for  to  get  Mr.  Stow's  firewood 
for  a  whole  year  compleat,  and  for  his  reward  he  is  to  have  ^5, 
i28."  Thomas  Barber  received  ten  shillings  yearly  "for  the 
beating  of  the  Drumme  on  the  Sabboth  Dayes. " 3 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Stow  remained  but  a  brief  period,  and  in 
1687  John  Higley  was  again  active  in  behalf  of  the  town  meeting 
in  securing  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson.  In 
June  of  that  year  Mr.  Thompson  "was  employed  to  preach, 
though  not  as  a  Settled  Pastor."  *  He  came  with  his  family,  from 
Cape  Ann,  Mass. 

1  Old  Simsbury  Records. 

a  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  p.  47. 

3  Simsbury  Public  Records. 

4  Old  Records  of  Congregational  Church  Society,  Simsbury. 


CHAPTER  XL 

PUBLIC    LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN    JOHN    HIGLEY. 

Man's  true  fame  must  strike  from  his  own  deeds. — MIDDLETON. 

IN  political  affairs  the  colonies  were  in  disturbed  relations  with 
the  transatlantic  power.  In  1685  Charles  II.  died  and  James  II. 
came  to  the  throne  of  England.  James  followed  in  the  wake  of 
Charles  as  a  tyrant.  He  soon  began  measures  to  have  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  surrender  their  patents,  and  to  unite  them  into  prov- 
inces under  a  governor-general  appointed  by  the  Crown.  In  1686 
the  Connecticut  General  Assembly  sent  a  petition  to  the  king  by 
a  special  representative,  praying  for  the  privilege  to  continue 
its  charter.  The  royal  government  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
request. 

Sir  Edmund  Andros  arrived  in  Boston  in  December  of  the  same 
year,  to  assume  the  position  of  governor-general  over  New  Eng- 
land. On  the  3ist  of  October,  1687,  Andros,  with  a  company  of 
soldiers,  came  to  Hartford  while  the  General  Assembly  was  in 
session,  to  which  body  he  was  courteously  escorted  by  the  train- 
bands. Ensign  John  Higley  was  present.  Andros  demanded  the 
Connecticut  charter,  which,  after  a  heated  debate,  prolonged  until 
nightfall,  was  brought  into  the  Assembly  chamber  and  laid  upon 
the  table.1  Suddenly  the  lights  were  extinguished,  "leaving  the 
chamber  in  complete  darkness,"  during  which  the  charter  was 
spirited  away. 

"  The  tradition  is  that  Captain  Joseph  Wadsworth  was  the  chief 
actor  in  this  episode.  The  act  has  given  his  name  a  worthy  place 
among  those  honored  by  Connecticut  as  patriots  and  heroes."5 
But  that  Captain  Wadsworth  had  his  helpers  in  the  "  irregular 
proceeding,"  who  were  at  hand  to  assist  in  this  shrewdly  managed 
action,  is  plain  to  be  seen. 

1  The  following  entry  in  the  Colonial  Records  doubtless  has  reference  to  this  scene  : 
"  Sundry  of  the  Court  desiring  the  Patent  or  Charter  might  be  brought  into.the  Court,  the 
Secretary    sent    for  it  and  informed    the  Governor  and  Court    that    he  had  the  Charter,   and 
showed  it  to  the  Court,  and  the  Governor  bid  him  put  it  in  the  box  again,  and  lay  it  on  the  table, 
and  leave  the  key  in  the  box,  which  he  did  forthwith." — Hollester's  History  of  Connecticut. 
a  "  The  Story  of  the  Charter  Oak,"  by  W.  I.  Fletcher,  Librarian,  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 

56 


PUBLIC  LIFE   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.  57 

Old  private  MS.  in  the  hands  of  the  Higley  descendants  state 
positively  that  the  document  was  given  to  their  honored  ances- 
tor, John  Higley,  that  he  mounted  his  horse  and  galloped  off  with 
it  to  Higley-town,  where  he  kept  it  secreted  six  weeks,  before  it 
finally  found  its  hiding-place  in  the  hollow  of  the  since  famous  oak 
tree  in  Hartford. 

That  there  was  a  duplicate  copy  of  the  charter  is  well  known, 
and  whether  this  may  have  been  the  prize  preserved  by  our  worthy 
hero  cannot  be  stated;  indeed,  it  is  not  known  how  authentic  is  the 
story,  which  comes  down  to  us  direct,  of  his  fast  horseback  ride 
through  the  forests  bearing  the  valuable  parchment  to  Higley- 
town;  but  since  it  is  both  possible  and  creditable,  true  to  the  old 
tradition  we  record  it  here,  knowing  that  John  Higley  was  a 
man  equal  to  any  great  emergency,  possessing  bouyancy  and  great 
tact,  full  of  clear  grit  and  defiant  courage.1 

The  times  were  stirring,  and  the  prominent  men  were  on  the 
keen  alert  during  the  critical  situation,  more  especially  that  "it 
had  been  declared  that  the  titles  of  the  colonists  to  their  lands 
were  of  no  value,  and  Andros  had  said  that  Indian  deeds  were 
no  better  than  ' the  scratch  of  a  bears  flaw.'"*  Indeed  many 
proprietors  of  lands  "were  obliged  in  many  instances  to  take 
out  new  patents  for  their  estates,  for  which  a  heavy  fee  was  de- 
manded." It  would  seem  a  matter  of  course  that,  as  a  public- 
spirited  man,  Ensign  John  Higley  would  be  in  Hartford  watching 
with  eager  interest  the  proceedings.  His  fortune  and  his  prop- 
erty were  at  stake.  Besides,  his  military  duties  demanded  his 
presence  in  Hartford  with  the  train-band,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber, these  having  been  ordered  to  the  town  on  the  day  in  question. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Whether  or  not  we  may  receive  it  as  a  quiet  reward,  or  recogni- 
tion of  his  gallant  deed,  we  find  John  Higley  soon  after  commis- 
sioned by  Governor  Robert  Treat  as  an  officer  of  the  militia, 

1  "  The  extinguishment  of  the  lights,"  says  Fletcher,  "  and  the  removal  of  the  Charter  h*ad 
been  the  act  of  a  few  private  individuals,  whose  desire  to  save  the  precious  document  ex- 
ceeded their  fear  of  the  consequences  to  themselves  of  a  rash  and  dangerous  attempt.  It  was  long 
before  it  was  prudent  to  have  the  names  of  these  men  known,  and  the  necessity  goes  far  to  ex- 
plain the  haziness  of  the  history  which  has  come  down  to  us." 

"  To  complete  the  chapter  it  only  remains  to  add  that  government  under  the  Charter  was 
resumed  in  1689,  when,  on  the  news  of  the  revolution  in  England  reaching  Boston,  Andros 
had  been  arrested  and  imprisoned." — Fletcher's  Story  of  the  Charier  Oak. 

"  Connecticut  obtained  from  the  most  able  lawyers  in  England  an  opinion  that  the  colony,  not 
having  surrendered  the  Charter  under  seal,  and  no  judgment  being  entered  on  record,  the  Charter 
was  not  invalidated." — Barber's  Historical  Collections,  p.  23. 

1  "  Connecticut  Historial  Collections,"  by  John  Warner  Barber. 


5§  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

and  bearing  the  distinction  of  ensign.1  This  was,  at  that 
time,  the  highest  military  official  in  the  town. 

If  a  man  played  a  distinguishing  part  in  administrative  affairs  in 
those  old  days,  it  was  a  guarantee  that  he  was  of  good  character 
and  good  habits,  and  possessed  well-balanced  abilities,'  directed  to 
ends  valuable  to  the  Commonwealth.  Repeated  and  successive 
promotions  signalized  John  Higley  as  having  qualities  of  good  fel- 
lowship which  commanded  the  admiration  and  confidence  of  his 
townspeople  and  political  associates. 

On  May  21,  1688,  he  was  chosen  "commissioner  for  Sims- 
bury."8  This  invested  him  with  the  power  of  a  public  civil 
officer  for  his  town,  whose  duty  was  "  the  dispensation  of  justice." 
In  August,  1687,  he  was  chosen  deputy  to  the  General  Assembly,3 
and  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  that  body  as  a  representative  for 
thirty-seven  terms,  held  during  the  twenty-two  years  following. 
During  this  long  period  of  legislative  service  he  received  various 
appointments  on  committees  of  importance. 

In  May,  1690,  the  number  of  Simsbury  soldiers  having  been  in- 
creased, he  was  promoted  by  the  General  Court  to  the  grade  of  lieu- 
tenant,4 and  in  1691  he  was  again  recorded  by  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  a  "commissioner,"  which  office  he  held  by  successive 
annual  elections  until  the  colonial  legislature  at  the  May  term  in 
1693  "provided  by  law  "a  "Commission  for  Justices,"6  replacing 
the  office  formerly  known  as  commissioner.  To  this  office  he 
received  the  first  appointment  for  Hartford  County,  and  filled  it 
by  annual  election  for  twelve  successive  years.  In  1710  he  was 
appointed  a  "  Justice  of  the  Quorum,"  an  office  akin  to  the  county 
court.  "Thus,"  says  Dr.  L.  I.  Barber,  "he  was  the  first  citizen 
of  Simsbury  to  hold  the  several  offices  of  '  Commissioner,'  'Justice 
of  the  County  Court,'  and  '  Captain  of  the  Malitia.' ' 

During  these  busy  years  in  public  affairs  his  comprehensive 
grasp  and  persistent  industry  caused  his  vocations  to  be  diverse 

apd   numerous.     In   addition   to   serving  upon   important   com- 

\ 

1  "Connecticut  Colonial  Records." 

a  "  May  21, 1688. — At  a  General  Town  Meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Simsbury  Mr.  John  Higley 
was  chosen  Commissioner  for  the  Town  of  Simsbury,  to  attend  to  those  Offices  as  by  Law  required 
of  such  Commissioners,  and  he  is  to  serve  in  ye  place  till  ye  next  May  come  Twelve  Month." — 
Simsbury  Records,  book  i.  p.  65. 

'"General  Court  held  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  October  10,  1687  ;  Ensign  John  Higley,  Deputy  for 
Simsbury."— Connecticut  Colonial  Records, 

*  "  May  term  1690. — John  Higley  is  allowed  Lieutenant,  and  Thomas  Barber  Ensign  of  Sims- 
bury  Train-band,  and  are  to  be  Commissioned." — Connecticut  Colonial  Records,  vol.  iv. 

*  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  iv. 


PUBLIC  LIFE   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.  59 

mittees  of  the  General  Assembly,  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  the 
detail  of  town  government.  The  town  records  abound  in  the  use 
of  his  name  associated  with  its  various  interests.  Among  other 
appointments  it  may  be  noted  that  he  was  again  made  chairman 
of  a  committee  early  in  August,  1691,  "  to  be  active  in  ye  procur- 
ing of  a  minister,"  the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson  '  declining  longer 
to  serve  as  pastor  of  the  church. 

Among  other  town  improvements  he  was  granted  liberty  at 
a  town  meeting  held  in  February,  1697,  "to  set  up  a  saw  mill 
north  on  Bissell's  Brook,"  and  the  following  year,  in  partnership 
with  Daniel  Adams,  "  to  set  up  a  Dam  and  Grist  Mill  in  any  stream 
in  town  that  they  may  choose."  By  papers  recorded  at  the 
settlement  of  his  estate  it  is  shown  that  he  had  been  engaged  in 
obtaining  tar  and  turpentine  from  his  "  Pine  plains."  Draft  was 
made  upon  his  time  by  frequent  appointments  to  "lay  out" 
lands.  Among  many  appointments  of  like  character,  he  "was 
empowered"  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1698  to  ^  lay  out"  a 
grant  of  two  hundred  acres  to  the  Rev.  Dudley  Woodbridge,  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Simsbury,  and  the  next  year  he  was  chosen 
to  "lay  out  to  Mr.  Henry  Wolcott  land  formerly  granted  him." 

It  must  be  remembered  also,  that  he  had  a  young  and  constantly 
increasing  family  to  provide  and  care  for,  and  the  wilderness  was 
in  process  of  being  turned  into  grain-bearing  fields,  while  the 
scarity  of  laborers  was  severely  felt. 

He  was  all  the  while  doing  conspicuous  and  honorable  service  in 
the  military  line.  In  1698, "  there  now  being  nine  files  of  soldiers," 
the  number  required  to  make  up  a  full  company,  Lieutenant  John 
Higley  was  advanced,  by  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  to  the  rank 
of  captain  :  "an  office  of  great  dignity  in  those  days,  and,  with 
a  single  exception,  the  highest  then  known  in  the  colony — each 
county  having,  as  chief  military  officer,  a  sergeant-major."2 

Training-day  was  usually  a  great  public  day.  "It  was  in  these 
days,  when  the  people  were  assembled,  that  the  town  business  was 
generally  transacted.  The  train-bands  contained  sixty-four  men, 
and  some  had  more  than  one  hundred.  No  distinctive  uniform  was 
required  before  the  Revolution.  The  men  were  armed  with  fire- 
locks [later  called  flint-locks]  and  pikes,  swords  and  cutlasses."  8 

1  For  further  particulars  concerning  Rev.  Edward  Thompson,  see  chapter  xxi. 

*  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  p.  83.     Also  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  v. 

"  Lieut.  John  Higley  was  confirmed  Captn  of  the  Train-band  in  the  Town  of  Simsbury,  and 
to  be  Commissioned  Accordingly." 

*  Extracts  from  "History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 


60  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  they  carried  the  British  flag.  Our  fore- 
fathers were  born  and  reared  under  the  mother  government,  and 
they  at  this  time  had  not  a  thought  of  breaking  away  from  her. 
There  was  as  yet  no  sight  of  "star  and  stripe";  our  honored 
spangled  banner  that  to-day  floats  forty-four  stars  was  not 
then  dreamed  of. 

"Those  were  the  times  when  everything  associated  with  the 
community  revolved  more  or  less  around  the  Church,"  says 
Senator  Hawley,  in  a  recent  speech.  "There  were  four  great 
men  in  these  towns,  the  first  selectman,  the  captain  of  the  militia, 
the  preacher,  and  the  schoolteacher.  It  was  a  military,  if  not  a 
warlike,  people.  They  were  up  to  every  demand  of  the  king."  ' 

"To  the  military  organizations  the  meetinghouse  was  in  some 
sense  the  center.  The  minister  was  summoned  yearly  to 
offer  prayer  upon  the  Green  amid  the  assembled  companies,  and 
invited  to  dine  with  the  officers.  Should  it  rain  beyond  endur- 
ance on  training-day,  the  meetinghouse  was  opened  to  protect 
the  soldiers  from  drenching.  Its  sacred  walls  have  many  a  time 
reverberated  to  drum  and  fife,  and  the  tramp  of  files  along  the 
aisles,  while  excited  boys  looked  down  from  the  gallery  with  won- 
der at  so  strange  a  spectacle."  2 

The  morning  of  the  4th  of  August,  1694,  dawned  with  a  cloud 
of  heavy  bereavement  in  the  home  of  Captain  John  Higley ;  for  it 
was  on  this  day  that  the  death  of  his  estimable  wife,  Hannah 
Drake  Higley,  the  beloved  mother  of  his  nine  children,  took 
place.  She  became  his  wife  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  during 
the  twenty-three  years  of  their  married  life  they  had  together 
divided*  many  toilsome  days.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  few,  if  any, 
shadows  had  cast  themselves  over  the  domestic  fireside.  They 
had  had  much  sunshine  both  outside  and  inside  their  home,  and 
in  material  prosperity  their  feet  had  been  on  the  continual  ascent. 

Hannah  Drake  witnessed  the  early  struggles  of  her  husband 
while  seeking  to  get  a  start  in  life,  and  shared  in  the  great  battle 
of  civilization,  the  dangers  of  a  frontier  home,  the  hard  work,  and 
the  cares  and  solicitude  of  a  growing  family;  and  had  stood 
strong  while  the  husband  and  father  had  been  occupied  for  several 
years  in  public  and  political  engagements.  Every  day  of  her 

1  Hon.  Joseph  R.  Hawley  of  Connecticut,  at  annual  dinner,  in  New  York  City,  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Society. 

a  "  History  of  Hartford  County,"  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 

Training-day  was  a  holiday  observed  so  essentially  the  same  in  each  town  that  had  its  military 
company,  that  the  description  given  of  one  will  belong  to  all.—  ED. 


PUBLIC  LIFE   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY.  6 1 

whole  existence  had  been  passed  in  the  wilderness.  She  was 
born  and  bred  within  the  nightly  sounds  of  howling  wolves,  and 
was  familiar  with  the  prowling  habits  of  the  bear  and  the  native 
wild  animals  of  the  forests.  She  had  no  practical  knowledge  of 
life  away  from  the  privations  and  inconveniences  attendant  upon 
the  pioneer.  She  knew  what  it  was  to  singe  her  hair,  blister 
her  hands,  and  scorch  her  clothing  while  cooking  over  an  open 
fireplace,  a  method  now  growing  to  be  known  only  in  the  hunter's 
camp  and  in  history.  The  tread  of  her  foot  and  the  spinning- 
wheel  performed  accompanying  parts  in  the  round  of  her  daily 
duties,  and  her  busy  hands  managed  the  loom.  The  minister, 
the  teacher,1  and  the  meetinghouse  had  been  almost  her  only 
instructors.  Yet  she  had  a  long  lineage  back  of  her,  gifted 
with  superior  intellectual  abilities,  and  with  such  antecedents  and 
home-training,  it  is  not  surprising  that  her  mind  was  cultivated  to 
a  considerable  degree.  Her  parents  and  grandparents  knew  on 
coming  to  the  wilderness  that  no  greater  stigma  could  rest  upon 
them  than  that  of  leaving  their  children  without  the  opportunity 
of  an  ordinary  education,  but  for  the  most  part  it  was  the  boys  of 
the  Puritan  households,  and  not  the  girls,  who  received  these 
advantages.  The  schoolhouse  was  planted  simultaneously  with 
the  church.*  The  course  of  education  was  limited  to  elementary 
groundwork.  These  were  thoroughly  taught;  though  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  Hannah  Drake  was  ever  a  schoolgirl.3 

The  original  old  Puritans  with  whom  her  girlhood  was  spent, 
and  their  sons  and  daughters  who  emigrated  with  them,  brought  to 
the  new  country  habits  of  intelligent  observation  and  discussion, 
and  shared  with  their  children  around  the  table  the  results  of 
their  acquaintance  with  the  world;  these  children  were  taught  to 
listen  intelligently.  From  these  Hannah  would  naturally  imbibe 
the  knowledge  that  there  was  in  the  somewhere,  a  moving,  restless, 
and  busy  world;  but  she  had  never  seen  it — her  only  glimpse  of 
it  had  been  at  the  stately  ships  which  came  to  and  fro  into  the 
Windsor  port. 

1  An  installed  teacher  was  connected  with  many  New  England  churches  in  the  early  times. 
"  It  was  the  general  opinion  that  the  pastor's  work  consisted  principally  in  exhortation  ;  but  the 
teacher's  business  was  to  teach,  explain,  and  defend  the  doctrines  of  Christianity." — Barber's 
Historical  Collections,  p.  128. 

a  Schools  were  at  once  established.  By  an  early  statute  it  was  ordered  that  "  every  town  con- 
taining thirty  families  shall  maintain  a  school  to  teach  reading  and  writing,  and  that  every  county 
town  should  have  a  Latin  school.  The  pupils  were  grounded  in  reading,  writing,  and  the  cate- 
chism."— History  of  Hartford  County,  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  p.  354. 

*  Old  business  accounts  and  receipts  evidence  that  Captain  Higley's  daughters  were  taught  the 
elementary  branches  of  education. 


62  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

And  yet,  though  she  knew  no  people  but  a  community  "  cradled 
in  Christian  faith,"  and  swarms  of  dusky  Indians,  she  was  familiar 
with  the  sea  and  its  wonders,  through  voyages  made  by  her 
kindred  and  those  made  by  her  husband.  She  must  have  been 
intelligently  acquainted  with  social  and  political  affairs,  both 
in  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies,  which  were  much  talked  of 
themes  in  every  home  circle,  and  in  her  father's  house  she  had 
always  had  the  rare  advantage  of  the  constant  association  and 
instructive  conversation  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wareham,1  a  man  of 
high  culture  and  superior  attainments.  And  she  shared  too  in 
the  friendship  and  everyday  interests  of  life  with  the  Griswolds, 
the  Wolcotts,  and  other  notable  families  who  were  originally  from 
the  cultivated  homes  of  England. 

Such  a  life,  trained  in  an  industrial  education,  quickened  the 
faculties,  heightened  the  abilities,  and  gave  that'  firmness  of 
character  which  adorned  the  women  of  those  times.  As  her 
children  came  into  her  arms  one  by  one,  no  doubt  her  aspirations 
for  them  reached  above  the  tree  tops  that  swung  over  the  roof  of 
her  home  in  the  forests,  and  beyond  the  thickets  and  briers  and 
brush  that  belted  their  domain. 

And  now  that  she  had  folded  her  arms  and  laid  her  down,  and 
the  grave  closed  over  her  while  they  were  all  yet  young,  she  had 
done  well  her  work.  Every  one  of  her  children,  as  time  brought 
them  to  mature  years,  took  an  honorable,  and  most  of  them  a 
prominent  position  in  interests  connected  with  Church  and  com- 
munity, and  were  living  evidences  of  the  united  care  and  training 
of  their  parents,  as  well  as  of  the  worthy  example  they  set  before 
them  in  right  living. 

Her  grave,  if  it  ever  had  a  memorial  stone,  cannot  be  found — 
every  vestige  of  it  has  been  swept  away  by  Time,  that 

"  Old  ruin-maker,  gnawer  of  tombstones, 
Father  of  buried  centuries  : 

Who  dost  not  hesitate  to  lay  thine 
Envious  tooth  upon  the  hardest  monuments 
That  man  hath  reared." 

The  following  entry  is  preserved  in  the  ancient  Records  at 
Simsbury:2 

"Mrs.  Hannah  Higley,  whose  maiden  name  was  Drake,  departed  this  life  in  ye 
year  of  our  Lord  God  1694,  August  4  day." 

1  See  chapter  iii.  a  Book  i.  leaf  3. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

CAPTAIN     JOHN     HIGLEY's   SECOND    MARRIAGE. — LIFE'S    ACTIVITIES. 
A  good  life  writes  its  own  memorial  and  tablet  day  by  day. — HENRY  WARD  BEECHER. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY  did  not  resume  his  seat  in  the  General 
Assembly  the  year  succeeding  his  wife's  decease, — 1695, — nor 
again  until  the  year  1698.  It  appears  from  the  records  that  no 
representatives  were  sent  from  Simsbury  to  the  May  sessions  of 
1695-96.  These,  with  the  sessions  of  1690  and  1703,  are  the 
only  years  in  which  he  did  not  serve  as  a  member  of  that  legisla- 
tive body  from  1689  to  1711. 

His  second  marriage  took  place  about  1696.  Sarah  Strong 
Bissell,  who  became  his  second  wife,  was  the  daughter  of  Return 
Strong,  of  one  of  the  good  old  families  of  Windsor,  Conn.  She 
was  an  old  acquaintance,  and  there  existed  a  family  connection, 
her  husband,  Joseph  Bissell,  being  a  first  cousin  to  John  Higley's 
first  wife,  Hannah. 

Sarah  Strong  Bissell  was  born  March  14,  1666,  and  married 
Joseph  Bissell,  July  7,  1686.  Joseph  Bissell  was  the  grandson  of 
Deacon  John  Moore,  Sr.  On  both  sides  of  Sarah  Bissell's  family 
she  was  of  a  lineage  distinguished  in  Colonial  annals  for  contain- 
ing some  of  the  foremost  characters  of  Puritan  belief  among  the 
founders  of  New  England.  Elder  John  Strong,  her  paternal 
grandfather,  is  historically  known  as  one  of  the  first  and  most 
active  founders  of  the  towns  of  Taunton  and  Northampton, 
Mass.,1  and  upon  her  mother's  side  she  was  the  granddaughter 

1  The  Strong  family^n  England  was  originally  located  in  Shropshire.  One  of  the  family 
married  an  heiress  of  Griffeth  of  the  County  of^Caernarvon,  Wales,  in  1561.  In  I596he  removed  to 
Taunton,  Somersetshire,  England,  where  he  died  in  1613,  leaving  a  son,  John,  then  eight  years  of 
age,  and  a  daughter,  Eleanor.  John  Strong  was  born_in  Taunton,  England,  in  1605,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  London,  and  afterwards  to  Plymouth.  Having  decided  Puritan  principles,  he  sailed  from 
Plymouth  for  the  New  World,  March  20,  1630,  in  company  with  Revs.  John  Wareham,  Maverick, 
Mason,  John  Moore,  the  Drakes,  and  Roger  Clap,  in  the  ship  Mary  and  John.  The  grandfather 
of  Elder  John  Strong  was,  as  tradition  informs  us,  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  lived  to  a  great  age.  In 
1635,  after  having  assisted  in  founding  and  developing  the  town  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  John  Strong 
removed  to  Hingham,  Mass.  Here  his  stay  was  short,  as  on  December  4,  1638,  he  is  found  to  be 
an  inhabitant  and  proprietor  of  Taunton,  Mass.  He  remained  at  Taunton  until  1645,  and  was 
deputy  to  the  General  Court  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  1641-44.  From  Taunton  he  removed  to  Windsor, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  appointed,  with  four  others,  "to  superintend  and  bring  forward  the  settlement 
of  that  place."  In  1659  he  removed  from  Windsor  to  Northampton,  Mass.,  of  which  town  he  was 
one  of  the  founders.  In  Northampton  he  lived  forty  years,  and  was  a  leading  man  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Church  and  the  town.  He  was  a  tanner,  and  very  prosperous  in  business.  He  was  ordained 
elder  of  the  church,  March  13,  1663.  His  first  wife,  whose  name  is  not  known,  died  on  the  pas- 
sage to  America,  leaving  two  children.  In  December,  1630,  he  married  Abigail  Ford  of  Dorcester, 

63 


64  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  the  Rev.  John  Wareham,  who  was  the  most  distinguished 
person  who  came  to  our  shores  in  the.Winthrop  fleet;  if  we  except 
Winthrop  himself.  Return  Strong,  her  father,  "was  the  sixth 
child  of  Elder  John  Strong.1  He  was  born  in  1641  and  on  the 
nth  of  May,  1664,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wareham. 
He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  a  man  of  large  estates.  His  wife 
died,  Dec.  26th  1678,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years.  Return 
Strong  removed  in  later  years  to  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he 
died  April  gth  1726." 

Sarah  was  the  eldest  child  of  his  family.  Joseph  Bissell,  her 
first  husband,  died  August  3,  1689,  leaving  her  a  young  widow 
with  one  child — Joseph,  Jr.  On  the  7th  of  December  following, 
four  months  after  his  father's  decease,  another  son  was  born, 
whom  she  called  Benoni,"  "  the  son  of  my  sorrow." 

Mrs.  Sarah  Bissell  assumed  many  responsibilities  when  she 
entered  the  home  of  her  husband,  Captain  Higley,  with  her  two 
children  and  became  the  second  mother  to  his  family  of  nine 
children.  They  began  life  together  with  a  household  of  eleven 
children.  It  seems,  however,  that  her  intuitive  mind  coped  well 
with  the  great  task  before  her.  As  the  duties  came  to  her  one 
after  another,  both  of  a  social  and  domestic  nature,  she  faithfully 
fulfilled  them.  It  is  easy  to  detect  the  results  of  her  excellent 
motherhood  to  her  husband's  children  as  well  as  her  own,  espe- 
cially the  younger  ones,  by  a  decided  religious  influence  growing 
out  of  her  life  in  the  household.  And  she  seems  to  have  given 
them  the  sympathy  born  of  a  true  woman's  love,  since  we  find 
them,  both  elder  and  younger,  using  affectionate  terms  respect- 
ing her.  It  was  always  "Our  dear  mother,"  even  in  business 
entries  and  transactions  years  later,  of  which  there  were  many 
after  their  father's  decease. 

In  1697  Captain  Higley's  tenth  child  was  born,  to  whom  was 
given  the  name  of  her  mother — Sarah. 

"  This  was  a  year,"  says  Governor  Wolcott,  "  of  great  scarcity 
and  mortality.  The  summer  was  cool  and  cloudy — not  a  month 


01  wnom  naa  lammes.  n is  son  i  nomasnaa  sixteen  cnuaren,  jeaeaian  naa  lourieen,  oamuci  nai 
twelve.  His  grandson  Jonathan  had  seventeen.  His  son  Return  Strong  settled  at  Windsor, 
Conn. — Condensed  from  History  of  the  Strong  Family ,  by  B.  \V.  Dwight, 

1  "  History  of  Strong  Family." 

5  Joseph  Bissell,  Jr.,  born  March  21, 1687,  lived  to  have  a  grandson,  Benjamin  Bissell,  born  October 
i,  1720.  Benoni  Bissell  lived  to  seventy-one  years  of  age,  and  died  August  26,  1761,  an  honored 
and  respected  citizen.  There  are  many  reasons  for  the  conclusion  that  both  of  these  sons  were 
brought  up  with  Captain  John  Higley's  family. 


LIFE'S  ACTIVITIES.  65 

without  frost  in  it;  the  winter  was  very  long  and  severe.  In 
February  and  March  the  snow  was  very  high  and  hard.  There 
was  a  great  cry  for  bread;  the  cattle  perishing  in  the  yards  for 
want;  the  sickness  was  very  distressing  and  mortal."1  On  the 
loth  of  November  the  same  year,  Rev.  Dudley  Woodbridge  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Simsbury  church. 

In  the  year  1698,  Captain  John  Higley  is  again  found  a  member 
of  the  Colonial  legislature.  At  the  May  session  an  act  was  passed 
that  the  October  sessions  should  afterward  be  held  in  New  Haven. 
This  involved,  for  our  legislator,  a  tedious  journey  on  horseback, 
through  forest-lined  bridle  paths,  the  underbrush  grown  in 
tangle  mass,  and  across  unbridged  swollen  streams,  through 
which  he  must  swim  his  horse.  This  was  the  only  method  of 
travel  by  land,  in  those  times  there  being  no  wheeled  vehicles. 

The  next  year,  1699,  occurred  the  birth  of  his  son  Nathaniel, 
who  is  found  upon  record  in  after  time  as  a  man  of  fine  abilities 
and  uprightness  of  character. 

Captain  Higley  appears  to  have  been  pursuing  his  busy  avoca- 
tions with  the  energy  that  marked  his  earlier  years.  Marriages 
are  placed  upon  the  records  as  having  been  performed  by  him, 
and  his  appointments  in  local  matters  continued  many  and 
various. 

The  cause  of  higher  education  was  a  subject  discussed  with 
much  earnestness  by  the  learned  minds  in  the  colony,  who, 
grasping  the  needs  of  the  future,  saw  that  provision  for  mental 
culture  of  their  sons  upon  a  more  extended  basis  was  essential 
to  the  future  elevation  and  prosperity  of  the  rising  generations. 
It  was  also  their  desire  that  an  educated  ministry  should  be  provided 
for  within  the  limits  of  the  Connecticut  Colony.  The  standard 
at  the  schools  had  already  deteriorated,  and  they,  were  no  longer 
cheerfully  sustained.  The  result  was  the  birth  of  Yale  College. 

In  the  year  1700,  ten  ministers,  "nominated  by  general 
consent,  formed  themselves  into  a  society,"  and  proceeded  to 
carry  out  their  project,  among  whom  were  two  of  Captain  John 
Higley's  closest  friends  and  associates — the  Revs.  Samuel  Mather 
of  Windsor  and  Timothy  Woodbridge  of  Hartford.  In  October, 
1701,  the  Connecticut  Assembly  passed  an  act  to  establish  the 
"Collegiate  School,"  which  has  since  become  the  famous  seat  of 
learning — Yale  University.  The  charter  ordained  that  the  cor- 
poration should  consist  of  ministers  only.  The  founding  of  the 

1  Stiles'  "  History  of  Ancient  Windsor." 


66  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

institution  becomes  of  interest  in  these  pages  from  the  fact  that 
Captain  John  Higley  was  a  member  of  this  legislature  which 
granted  the  charter;  and  less  than  five  years  later,  being  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  valuable  mines  at  Copper  Hill,  was  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  association  which  made  the  first  appropriation 
of  funds  toward  the  support  of  the  institution.  We  fancy  his 
enthusiasm  as  very  earnest  in  the  subject  of  advanced  educa- 
tional opportunities  for  young  men,  since  the  after  history  of 
his  own  large  family  shows  that  he  was  not  negligent  in  pro- 
moting its  education,  as  far  as  was  practicable  under  the  limited 
resources  of  that  day. 

The  eventful  changes  which  time  always  brings  to  a  large 
family  came  to  the  household  of  the  Higleys.  In  1701  twins 
were  born,  Joshua  and  Josiah,  one  of  whom — Joshua — died  an 
infant  of  seven  months;  and  during  the  same  year  the  first  mar- 
riage took  place,  that  of  Jonathan,  the  second  son,  to  Ann 
Barber.  In  1703  their  daughter  Abigail  was  born,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  two  daughters  were  married,  Katherine,  a  gifted 
girl,  married  James  Noble  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  and  Hannah 
married  Joseph  Trumbull,  and  became  the  founder  of  a  family 
distinguished  in  American  history  through  several  generations. 
A  daughter  who  was  named  Susannah  was  born  in  1705,  and  two 
years  later,  on  July  20,  1707,  the  youngest  son  and  last  child, 
Isaac,  was  born.  It  was  about  this  period  that  his  eldest 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  married  Nathaniel  Bancroft.  Captain  John 
Higley  was  the  father  of  sixteen  children,  fifteen  of  whom  lived  to 
over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  thirteen  married  and  had  fami- 
lies. The  eldest  and  the  youngest  were  thirty-four  years  apart. 

Early  in  the  new  century  an  agitation  arose  in  the  Simsbury 
community  through  the  circulation  of  flying  reports  that  the  west- 
ern slope  of  the  Talcott  Mountain  contained  .valuable  deposits  of 
mineral,  and  was  especially  rich  in  copper  ore.  There  are  slight 
historical  intimations  that  this  fact  had  previously  been  surmised, 
but  no  definite  discovery  had  yet  been  made. 

These  elevated  lands,  which  have  since  been  known  as  Copper 
Hill,  were  yet  undivided,  and  were  still  held  by  the  original  pro- 
prietors of  the  town.  They  were  in  a  wild  state,  frequented  by 
the  Indians  as  a  hunting-ground. 

The  "Patent"  of  Simsbury,  it  will  be  remembered,  which  was 
confirmed  by  the  General  Court  to  the  proprietors  in  1685-86,  had 
been  reconfirmed  by  act  of  Court  in  1703. 


LIFE'S  ACTIVITIES.  67 

Thomas  Barber,  John  Higley,  Samuel  Wilcoxen,  and  John  Case, 
of  the  original  patentees,  were  still  living. 

Near  the  close  of  1705,  at  a  town  meeting,  the  following  resolu- 
tion was  passed,  which  was  entered  upon  the  Records  : ' 

"  There  being  a  report  made  in  the  town-Meeting  of  eithor  a  silver  or  Copor  min  or  minorall 
found  within  the  Lymitts  of  the  township  of  Simsbury,  eastwardly,  as  the  town  being  moot 
together  December  the  i8th  1705,  did  mak  chuse  of  Decon  Holcomb  and  John  Pettibone  Junr.  to 
mak  sorch  for  the  same,  bring  in  an  account  of  the  same  to  the  next  meeting. 

"  Voted  in  the  affirmative." 

The  report  of  the  above  committee  was  evidently  favorable, 
though  it  is  not  found  upon  record.  An  association  was  formed, 
composed  of  the  landed  proprietors  of  the  town,  and  at  a  town 
meeting  held  May  6,  1707,*  the  subject  was  taken  up  in  a  practical 
manner.  Various  resolutions  were  passed,  and  different  commit- 
tees were  appointed  "in  referance  to  the  coppor  affaires  now  in 
hand."  It  was  "propownded  to  the  people  to  give  their  freedom 
to  chose  a  committee  to  treat  with  workman."  A  contract  was 
drawn  and  presented  at  a  "Subscribers'"  meeting,  held  on  the 
i7th  of  May,  in  which  the  association  "agreed  to  pay  the  town  io8 
on  each  ton  of  copper  produced  which  should  create  a  fund  for 
educational  purposes."  Two-thirds  was  appropriated  for  the  sup- 
port "of  an  able  schoolmaster"  in  Simsbury,  and  the  other  one- 
third  was  voted  to  the  "Collegiate  School" — Yale.  A  certain 
amount  went  to  the  Crown  of  England  as  revenue.  "  The  residue 
of  profits  was  to  be  divided  among  the  partners  pro-rata,  accord- 
ing to  the  amount  of  their  respective  shares."  Jonathan  Higley, 
the  second  son  of  Captain  John  Higley,  was  one  of  the  signers  to 
the  agreement. 

An  acrimonious  controversy  followed,  between  the  proprietors 
of  the  town  and  the  townspeople.  The  pitch  of  excitement  con- 
cerning the  valuable  lands  ran  high,  and  there  was  sharp  diver- 
gence of  opinion  between  the  two  factions  claiming  supreme 
rights.  A  great  ado  was  made  over  the  richness  of  the  "find,"  and 
the  people  who  laid  claim  believed  themselves  upon  the  verge  of 
immense  wealth. 

At  this  time  Captain  Higley  owned  the  largest  quantity  of  land 
in  the  township,  and  was  the  heaviest  taxpayer.  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Barber — the  father-in-law  of  his  son  Jonathan,  who  had 
also  increased  his  estates — stood  next  on  the  list.  Captain  Higley 
had  now  three  sons  who  were  men  of  full  age, — John,  Jonathan, 

1 "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  ii.  p.  79.  *  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  ii.  pp.  84,  85. 


68  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

and  Brewster, — all  landholders.  The  representation  of  the  Higley 
family  was  therefore  very  considerable.  And,  always  vigilant  in 
business,  it  is  a  matter  to  be  noted,  how  keenly  alive  they  appear 
to  have  been  through  this  contest  to  their  own  family  interests. 

They  were  careful  to  be  represented  in  all  the  meetings,  and 
generally  some  one  of  them  had  a  place  in  the  committees  which 
were  appointed.  On  the  2Qth  of  July,  1707,  a  severe  protest  by 
the  "aristocratic"  landed  proprietors  is  recorded  on  the  books, 
claiming  that  "The  Towne  by  vote  having  sequestored  the 
coppor-mins  that  are  commons  in  said  towne  of  Simsbury  for 
their  own  benefit  .  .  .  and  their  having  been  some  persons  pre- 
tending themselves  to  be  the  only  proprietors  of  ye  said  copor 
mines,  have  in  a  very  disorderly  Sacactilgious  [sacrilegious  ?] 
manner  given  away  the  right  and  benefit  of  the  said  Coper  mines, 
to  some  persons  which  are  unconcerned  in  the  towne,  which  is 
greatly  to  the  disturbance  of  the  peace  of  many  principall  persons 
in  Sd  towne,  Pantentees,  proprietors  and  Inhabitants.  [Here 
follows  protest]  against  such  unrighteous,  and  irregular,  unjust 
dealings  and  actions,  and  We  do  hereby  protest  against  the  .  .  . 
[illegible]  of  all  or  any  such  unjust  contracts,  or  votes  of  such 
pretenders,  in  our  towne  record  books.1 

[Signed]          "JOHN  HIGLEY,  Sen. 

THOS.  BARBER,  Sen. 

SAMUEL  WILCOXEN,  Sen. 

JOHN  GRIFFEN, 

JOHN  HIGLEY,  Jnr. 

BREWSTER    HIGLEY, "and 
others. 

The  controversies  over  the  copper-mining  district  were  finally 
carried  to  the  General  Assembly  in  1709,  when  a  commission 
was  appointed  to  settle  them.  For  many  years  litigation  was 
going  on,  during  which  the  proprietors  of  the  town  worked  the 
mines,  or  leased  them  to  other  parties  who  agreed  to  pay  a  per- 
centage upon  the  ore  produced. 

In  1721  the  mining  lands  were  divided,  and  Captain  John 
Higley's  sons  came  into  possession  of  a  fine  tract  of  the  mineral 
section. " 

These  mines  have  since  become  famous,  not  only  from  the  rich 

1  Book  ii.  "  Simsbury  Records,"  p.  85. 

*  The  reader  is  further  referred  to  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Samuel  Higley,  p.  115. 


LIFE'S  ACTIVITIES.  69 

quality  of  the  ore  which  they  yielded,  but  as  a  prison  fortress  of 
historic  interest  associated  with  the  American  Revolution.  The 
prison  was  called  after  the  name  of  the  "world-renowned"  prison 
of  London.  Says  Phelps  :  "  There  is  an  exciting  fascination  in 
the  eventful  history  of  this  Newgate  of  Connecticut."1 

"An  important  branch  of  the  trade  on  the  coast  of  New  England 
was  furnishing  the  Royal  navy  with  yards  and  bowsprits.  White 
pine  trees  over  two  feet  in  diameter  were  reserved  for  the  navy,  to 
be  used  for  masts,  which  were  at  that  time  made  of  one  piece."' 
At  the  October  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  1705,  Captain 
John  Higley  was  chosen  as  one  of  "Sundry  principall  gentleman 
in  this  and  other  governments  to  undertake  the  management  of 
procuring  masts,  and  other  navall  stores  for  the  supply  of  her 
fleet  (Lady  Queen  Ann)  and  other  shipping  of  the  nation."* 
Since  the  burning  of  Simsbury  in  March,  1676,  the  Indians  had 
not  slumbered.  The  inhabitants  had  never  been  free  from  fear 
and  imminent  danger  of  destruction,  and  were  still  obliged  to 
maintain  constant  watchfulness.  Simsbury  was  yet  on  the  fore- 
line  of  civilization.  The  French  were  in  possession  of  Canada, 
and  in  every  possible  way  they  were  moving  the  savages  to  attack 
the  English  settlers.  Roving  bands  were  constantly  skulking 
through  the  dense  forests,  and  were  likely  at  any  hour  to  suddenly 
wreak  vengeance  upon  those  innocent  of  provocation  for  wrongs 
they  conceived  somebody  had  done  them.  The  parsonage  at 
Simsbury  was  fortified  in  1690  ;  and  again  in  the  year  1700  old 
time  frontier  forts,  or  block-houses,  were  built.  "In  1707  there 
was  an  alarm  spread  that  the  Indians  comtemplated  an  invasion 
of  the  town,  when  the  Assembly  granted  seven  pounds  from  the 
treasury  to  fortify  it  ;  and  the  next  year,  a  further  grant  of  seven 
pounds  and  six  shillings  was  made,  to  pay  the  soldiers  belonging 
to  Simsbury,  who  had  been  employed  under  Captain  John  Higley, 
in  the  public  service"  It  was  also  ordered  about  this  time,  that 
"Two  faithful  and  trusty  men,  as  a  scout,  be  out  every  day,  to 
observe  the  motions  of  the  enemy."'  One  strong  fortification 
called  Great  Fort,  the  remains  of  which  are  still  to  be  found,  was 
built  in  1708,  by  order  of  the  General  Assembly,  with  colonial 

1  This  picturesque,  historic  spot,  though  now  but  little  known,  continues  to  be  a  place  of  intense 
interest  to  the  tourist.  He  will  be  well  repaid  to  seek  the  attractive  views  from  the  Talcott  Moun- 
tains and  Copper  Hill,  with  its  rock-hewn  caverns  fifty  feet  below  the  surface  which  are  ruins 
stored  with  remarkable  relics  of  the  past,  and  filled  with  tales  of  thrilling  horror.— ED. 

a  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  vol.  iv.  p.  535. 

*  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  p.  33. 
6 


7°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

funds,  and  was  "located  in  Higley-town,  probably  through  the 
sagacity  and  legislation  of  our  untiring  hero,  who  would  neglect 
no  opportunity  for  the  direct  benefit  of  his  own  immediate  domain. 
The  garrison  was  within  a  half  a  mile  of  his  house. 

In  the  autumn  of  1707  the  community  was  thrown  into  a  high 
state  of  alarm  and  solicitude  at  the  capture  by  the  Indians  of 
Daniel  Hayes,  who  was  a  neighbor  of  Captain  Higley,  and  no 
doubt  on  intimate  friendly  terms  with  his  family.  He  was  a  young 
man,  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  carried  to  Canada  and 
sold,  and  there  kept  in  captivity  nearly  six  years  before  he  could 
succeed  in  getting  released.  During  this  time  his  experiences 
were  thrilling,  and  were  sometimes  attended  with  barbarity. 
From  the  hour  when  he  was  kidnaped,  near  to  his  home,  he  heard 
nothing  from  his  relatives  or  friends,  and  they,  hearing  no  tidings 
of  him,  gave  him  up  as  dead.  Every  effort  was  made  by  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood  to  find  the  captive,  but  their  pursuit 
was  without  avail.  The  Indians  finally  sold  him  to  a  Frenchman 
in  Montreal,  who  kindly  opened  the  way  for  him  to  earn  money 
to  purchase  his  freedom,  and  sent  an  Indian  guide  to  accompany 
him  down  the  Connecticut  valley  far  enough  to  "point  to  him  the 
smokes  of  his  friends,  '  the  pale  faces.'  "  * 

The  recent  defense  in  the  warlike  threatening,  with  French  and 
Indians,  brought  an  increased  burden  of  taxation,  and  caused  even 
greater  scarcity  of  specie  than  had  heretofore  existed.  The 
colony  had  always  been  embarrassed  for  want  of  circulating  cash. 
There  was  little  actual  money  passing.  "Provision  pay  "was 
therefore  resorted  to  as  the  legitimate  exchange  in  business  trans- 
actions. On  the  town  records  it  is  seen,  "that  one  Thomas 
Bacon  mortgaged  his  farm  to  Capt.  John  Higley,  for  the  full  and 
just  summ  of  £8,  in  current  wheat,  peas,  and  Indian  Corn,  at 
equal  proportions  at  current  market  price."  a 

1  The  following  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  October,  1713  :  "  Upon  consideration 
of  the  petition  of  Daniel  Hayes  of  Simsbury,  having  been  taken  by  the  Indian  enemie  and  carried 
captive  to  Canada — praying  for  some  releife  :  This  Assembly  do  grant  unto  the  petitioner  the  sum  of 
seven  pounds  to  be  paid  him  out  of  the  public  treasury  of  this  Colony." — Connecticut  Colonial 
Records. 

A  fuller  narrative  of  Daniel  Hayes  than  is  here  given,  may  be  found  in  "Newgate  of  Connecti- 
cut," p.  103.  He  lived  in  the  village  of  Salmon-Brook,  to  the  good  age  of  seventy-one,  "  a  thriving 
agriculturist,  and  a  respected  citizen."  A  monument,  still  standing,  marks  the  spot  of  his  last 
resting-place  in  the  village  cemetery. 

5  Book  i.  "  Simsbury  Land  Records." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LAST    SCENES   IN   CAPTAIN    HIGLEY's   LIFE. 
Have  left  a  name  behind  them. — Eccltsiasticus  xliv.  8. 

NUMEROUS  transactions  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  lands,  aside 
from  Captain  John  Higley's  public  career,  were  apparently  the 
chief  feature  of  his  private  business  interests  after  his  removal  to 
Simsbury.  By  judicious  investments  in  lands  he  found  himself, 
in  the  prime  of  life,  with  large  possessions — from  the  standpoint 
of  those  times — of  ever-growing  values.  For  several  years  he 
enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  largest  taxpayer  in  the 
township,  and  as  the  owner  of  these  estates  his  assessments 
exceeded  in  amount  those  paid  by  any  fellow-citizen.  Before 
his  decease  he  settled  lands  upon  those  of  his  children  who  had 
arrived  at  full  age. 

From  business  transactions  found  on  record,  it  would  seem 
that  he  was  yet  in  the  midst  of  his  engrossing  interests  as  the 
twilight  of  his  active  life  was  approaching,  when  night  suddenly 
fell — he  left  mortality  and  passed  peacefully  into  the  silent-land. 
He  lived  three  weeks  beyond  his  sixty-fifth  birthday.  The  entry 
upon  the  Simsbury  records  is  as  follows  : 

"  Cap*-  John  Higley  departed  this  life  August  25th  1714." 

Of  the  disease  and  illness  which  ended  in  his  death,  no  mention 
is  made  in  private  memoranda  yet  discovered,  further  than  that 
he  was  attended  by  his  friend  and  physician,  Dr.  Samuel  Mather 
of  Hartford,  and  that  toward  the  last,  probably  when  there  was 
grave  apprehension  that  his  life  must  be  despaired  of,  Dr.  Haston 
was  called  into  consultation.  He  was  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of 
his  brother-in-law,  John  Drake.  His  grave  is  yet  to  be  seen  in 
the  old  Hop-Meadow  (Simsbury)  burying-ground,  directly  in  the 
rear  of  the  site  where  the  first  meetinghouse  of  the  town  once 
stood,  and  near  to  the  tablet  monuments  of  the  Revs.  Dudley  and 
Timothy  Woodbridge. 

The  tombstone  is  a  neat  red  sandstone  slab,  standing  two  feet 

7* 


72  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

high,  with  a  tasteful  panel  around  the   face   of  it,  bearing  the 
following  inscription  : 

Oaptt. 


DteO  august 
25*1714 

66 


From  the  ancient  account  book  in  which  his  executors  kept 
their  accounts  in  the  settlement  of  Captain  Higley's  estate,  we 
extract  some  of  the  expenses  incurred  upon  the  occasion  of  his 
death,  mainly  made  up  of  the  funeral  costs,  which  contrast 
strangely  with  the  heavy  funeral  expenses  of  the  present  day. 
The  entries  are  in  the  clear-handed  penmanship  of  his  son,  Dr. 
Samuel  Higley.  The  fact  of  the  first  and  most  important  item 
used  on  the  day  of  his  decease  being  rum,  seems  scarcely  credible 
in  our  day.  Yet  this  was  the  custom  in  "ye  olden  time."  "A 
colonial  funeral,"  says  Eggleston,  "deserved  to  rank  as  a  festive 
occasion  —  a  time  of  much  eating  and  a  great  deal  of  drinking."  l 
The  emblems  of  "mourning"  supplied  consisted  of  black  ribbon 
for  badges  and  trimmings.  As  the  ten  elder  children  were  grown, 
and  the  most  of  them  were  married,  it  is  likely  they  provided 
their  own  somber  habiliments. 

By  special  provision  of  the  town  meeting,  a  citizen  stood 
appointed  ''to  mak  coffins  for  our  Townspeople."  "Unkel 
Holcom"set  about  making  a  coffin,  while  Mary  Holcombe,  who 
appears  to  have  been  a  useful  busybody  who  repeatedly  rendered 
service  in  the  household,  invaded  the  kitchen  to  make  ample  prep- 
aration for  the  expected  funeral  guests. 

Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge  was  at  that  time  the  settled  pastor 
of  the  church  at  Simsbury,  but  we  cannot  say  whether  or  not 
he  officiated  at  the  funeral  services.  Some  of  the  towns  were 
about  this  time  deviating  from  the  customs  of  the  earliest  New 
Englanders,  who  "  followed  the  body  in  silence  to  the  grave 
'without  funeral  service  of  any  sort,  lest  they,  '  confirme  the  popish 
error  that  prayer  is  to  bee  used  for  the  dead';"1  and  it  may 
have  been  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodbridge  conducted  prayers  at 
the  house,  or  at  the  grave. 

Captain  John  Higley's  will,  the  original  copy  of  which  is  still 
extant,"  bears  the  date,  May  6,  1714  —  three  months  before  his 

1  Edward  Eggleston,  in  "  Social  Life  in  the  Colonies,"  The  Century,  1884. 
a"  Hartford  Probate  Records,"  vol.  ix.  p.  41. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY' S    WILL.  73 

death.     He  constitutes  his  two  sons,  John,  Jr.,  and  Samuel,  the 
executors  of  his  estate. 

"The  Last  WILL  and  TESTAMENT  of  John  Higley  of  Symsbury,  in  the  County  of  Hartford,  and 
Colony  of  Connecticut,  in  New  England,  which  is  as  followeth — Being  under  many  weaknesses, 
age,  and  infirmities  of  body,  but  of  Sound  Judgement  and  understanding  and  not  knowing  how  soon 
the  time  of  my  dissolution  will  be,  I  do  therefore  Committ  my  Soul  into  the  hands  of  God  who 
gave  it,  and  my  body  to  the  earth  for  a  decent  and  Christian  burial),  Expecting  by  faith  a 
Glorious  Resurrection.  And  as  for  those  worldly  goods,  which  God  in  his  Providence  hath 
bestowed  on  me,  I  thus  dispose  of  them  when  my  Just  Debts  and  funeral!  charges  are  paid. 

"Imprimis^  I  give  unto  my  loving  Wife  Sarah  one  third  part  of  my  moveable  goods  of  Housing 
Stuf  and  Utencells  thereto  belonging  to  her  disposall  as  She  Sees  cause  to  dispose  of  them  to  my 
children  by  her  ;  Alsoe,  I  give  her  that  third  part  of  moveables  of  her  former  Husbands  [Joseph 
Bissell]  Estate  which  is  yet  undivided.  I  Likewise  give  unto  her  the  one  third  part  of  this  my  Reai 
Estate,  here  in  Symsbury,  with  the  Use  of  my  now  Dwelling  house  during  the  term  of  Nathaniall's 
life,  or  as  long  as  She  continueth  my  Widow,  and  if  by  the  providence  of  God  She  be  Married 
again.  She  Shall  be  allowed  by  my  Executors  Six  pounds  a  year,  for  the  third  of  my  Real  Estate 
during  life,  to  be  disposed  of  by  her,  among  my  Children  by  her. 

"Item.  I  give  to  my  Eldest  Son  John  Higley,  a  double  portion  out  of  my  whole  Estate,  and  to 
the  rest  of  my  Sons,  Jonathan,  Brewster,  Joseph  and  Samuel,  Nathanel,  Josiah  and  Isaac,  to  each 
of  them  a  Single  portion  out  of  my  whole  Estate,  with  what  either  of  them  has  already  Received. 

"Hem.  1  give  unto  my  daughters  Katherine,  Hannah.  Elizabeth,  and  Mindwell,  Sarah,  Susan- 
nah, and  Abigail  to  each  of  them  half  so  much  as  to  each  of  my  Sons,  Excepting  John,  out  of  my 
Estate,  with  what  Either  of  them  have  already  received  at  Marriage,  to  be  paid  to  them  in  Twelve 
months  after  my  decease,  or  at  Eighteen  years  of  age,  by  my  Executors  hereafter  mentioned. 

"Item.  My  Will  further  is  that  my  Sons  Shall  have  all  my  Lands,  they  paying  to  their  Sisters 
what  is  wanting  of  the  moveables  to  make  up  their  portions. 

"Item.  All  the  lands  which  I  have  at  Windsor,  which  came  by  my  first  Wife,  I  give  to  my  five 
Eldest  Sons  which  I  had  by  her,  in  equall  Share,  they  paying  to  their  four  eldest  Sisters  twenty 
shillings  each. 

"Item.  I  give  my  wearing  apparell  unto  my  Youngest  Sons,  viz.,  Nathaniel,  Josiah  and  Isaac, 
and  provided  that  Either  of  them,  or  their  Sisters  shall  dye  before  they  are  of  age  their  por- 
tion Shall  be  divided  among  their  Survivors. 

"Item.  AH  my  books,  bonds,  bills,  and  debts  standing  out  I  leave  with  my  Executors,  and 
hereby  Impower  them  for  to  Recover  and  cause  to  be  added  to  the  Inventory  of  my  whole  Estate, 
they  being  Reasonably  paid  for  their  pains  and  Costs. 

"And  I  do  hereby  Appoint,  Authorize,  and  Constitute  my  loving  Sons  John  Higley,  and  Samuel 
Higley  to  be  my  Executors  to  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament.  In  Witness  whereof  I  have  here- 
unto Sett  my  hand  and  fixed  my  Seal,  this  the  Six  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  God,  One 
thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  fourteen,  and  in  the  twelth  Year  of  the  Reign  of  Anne  of  Great 
Britain,  Queen  &c.  Anno  Dom.  1714. 

"  Signed  and  Sealed  ,  — - *—  . 

in  presence  of  Witness,  JOHN  HlGLEV." 

JOHN  CASK,  1  SEAL>  f 

THOMAS  HOLCOMB,  — -v—  ' 

his 

ROBERT  RH.  HASKINS. 
mark. 

The  inventory  of  the  estate  was  taken  the  3oth  of  December, 
and  is  full  of  curious  details.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  times  to 
record  minutely  the  smallest  personal  belongings,  and  from  these 
inventories  we  learn  something  of  the  daily  habits  of  the  deceased 
individual. 

The  following  extracts  show  the  quantity  and  value  of  lands 
Captain  John  Higley  held  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  after  having 
settled  portions  upon  his  children  who  had  reached  a  legal  age  : 

"94  acres,  formerly  Simon  Wolcott's,  .£200;  20  acres  adjacent  to  the  west  side,  £to  ;  10  acres 
called  'the  Strap,'  .£20;  40  acres  marsh  and  upland  adjoining,  £10  ',  14  acres  east  side  the  river 
against  the  94,  £10  ',  42  acres  upland  with  house  and  barn,  £80;  32  acres  up  the  brook  called 
'  Simon's  Brook.'  £15  ;  100  acres  at  a  place  called  N.  E.  corner,  £25  ; »  100  acres  Pine-plain  toward 
Salmon-Brook,  .£20  ;  20  acres  bought  of  Jute  Hayt,  ,£50  ;  38  acres  at  Salisbury,  ,£14." 

His  lands  at  Windsor  were  given  to  his  elder  children,  and  are 
not  described. 

1  "  The  N.  E.  corner  "  was  afterward  called  "  Turkey  Hills,"  and  is  now  East  Granby,  Conn. 


74 


THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


Among  his  books  mentioned  are  a  "Physic  Book,"  45.,  Con- 
cordance, 45.,  Sermon  Book  35.,  Psalm  Book,  3  Sermon  Books, 
and  sundry  "old  books." 

His  clothing,  as  is  shown  by  the  will,  was  bequeathed  to  his 
three  youngest  sons.  Among  the  articles  named  was  a  "broad- 
cloth coat  lined  with  shalloone,"  and  a  "heavy  coat."  In  the 
list  is  his  "  sword,  a  sword  belt,  etc.,  155.,  a  gun,  125.,  small  gun, 
2os.,  caps  and  pistols,  245.,  a  pair  of  brass  scales  and  weights  used 
for  weighing  coin,  8s.,  an  hour  glass."  (There  were  no  clocks  in 
New  England  in  those  times. )  His  equipments  for  traveling  (as 
there  were  no  carriages  or  wagons)  were  "a  saddle  and  furniture, 
1 8s.,  a  bridle,  45.,  '  portmantle, '  mail  pillion,  straps,  and  spurs, 
135."  There  are  quantities  of  household  articles,  farming  imple- 
ments, and  live  stock  catalogued,  and  the  essential  "cydar  press." 
The  inventory  of  personal  effects  was  appraised  at  ^605  35.  id.  In 
the  executor's  account  are  to  be  seen  the  original  autographs  of 
several  of  Captain  Higley's  heirs  signed  as  receipts  for  moneys 
paid  to  them:  "Nathaniel  Bancroft  for  my  wife  Elizabeth." 
"  Sary,"  "  Kateron,"  "Abigail,"  "Susana,"and  "Isaac."  The 
book  contains  other  signatures  in  connection  with  various  mat- 
ters, among  which  are  John,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Brewster,  Samuel,  and 
"Josias."  Mindwell  Hutchason  "alias  Higley "  of  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  received  "the  sum  of  wun  pound  in  money"  from  John 
Higley,  executor,  January  10,  1723.  The  receipt  is  signed- by 
"Abigail  Thorp  alias  Higley."  By  the  following  entries  taken 
from  the  same  book,  it  would  appear  that  the  staple  articles  of 
living  were  rye,  Indian  corn,  and  pork. 

MEMORANDUM    OF    WHAT    MOTHER    RECEIVED. 


£ 

s. 

d. 

1714 

Oct. 
Nov. 

22 

i 
i 
i 

6 

6 
4 
3 
4 
3 
9 

12 

3 
4 

2 

3 

2 

3 

3 
3 

i 

2 

8 

6 

6 
9 

3  bushels  Indian  corn  ,  

a  bu    %  R  y  

To  one  bushel  %  Ry  

LAST  SCENES  IN  CAPTAIN  HIGLEY'S  LIFE. 


75 


£ 

i. 

d. 

Jan.  1720 
1721 

1722 

1724 

Jan.  1729 
i73» 
1739 

2 
I 

3 

8 

o 

4 
a 

7 

a 

2 

4 
6 
8 

12 

4 

10 

8 
o 

6 
6 
6 

8 

2 

6 

10 
o 

o 

By  fifteen  pounds  pork  out  of  bbl.  by  Nathanel  at  60  O  bbl  

8            "        Flax  by  Nathaniel.  

The  distribution  of  Captain  Higley's  estates  was  ordered  by 
the  Court  in  Hartford,  May  10,  1720.  This  distribution  seems 
to  have  been  set  aside  and  a  new  one  took  place  April  i,  1723. 
There  appears  to  have  been  some  disagreement  between  the 
guardians  of  the  younger  children  and  the  executors  previous  to 
the  final  distribution. 

Of  the  ancient  relics  there  are  but  few.  His  autograph  and  the 
old  account-book  containing  entries  by  Captain  Higley's  own 
hand,  the  latter  half  of  which  was  appropriated  by  his  executors 
for  items  concerning  his  estate,  has  survived  the  accidents  of 
more  than  two  centuries,  and  is  now  held  in  high  value  by  his 
descendants.  It  has  reached  this  day  well  preserved  through  the 
care  of  his  son  Brewster's  line  of  descent,  and  is  now  in  possession 
of  Miss  Emma  L.  Higley  of  Vermont. 

A  venerable  walking-stick  has  come  down  to  the  present  gen- 
eration through  the  line  of  another  son,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley,  and 
is  in  the  hands  of  Jonathan  Higley,  Esq.,  of  Ashtabula  County, 
Ohio.  It  is  marked  in  clear  lettering,  "J.  H.  1714."  The 
carving  was  probably  done  by  Samuel's  hand  near  the  time  of  his 
father's  death. 

His  compass,  which  was  the  essential  accompaniment  and  guide 
in  his  journeys  about  the  wilderness,  has  descended  to  the 
seventh  generation,  and  is  owned  by  Milo  H.  Higley,  Esq.,  of 
Meigs  County,  Ohio. 

A  pair   of  ancient  balances,  such  as  were  used  for  weighing 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


money,  etc.,  which  belonged  either  to  Captain  John  Higley,  or 
his  son,  Brewster,  or  perhaps  to  both,  is  in  the  possession  of 
Alfred  Higley,  Esq.,  of  Middlebury,  Vt.  It  is  supposed  that 
these  are  the  same  which  are  mentioned  in  the  inventory. 

Captain  Higley's  second  wife,  Sarah,  survived  him  twenty-five 
years.  In  February,  1716,  she  was  appointed  the  guardian  of  her 
daughter,  Abigail.  She  appears  to  have  removed  from  the  home 
farm  at  Simsbury  in  the  spring  of  1725,  and  returned  with  the 
younger  children  of  the  family  to  Windsor,  where  she  resided  the 
remainder  of  her  life.  She  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
The  record  of  her  decease  is  found  upon  the  Windsor  records  as 

follows  : 

"  Mrs.  Sarah  Higley  Dyed  may  the  27th  Anno  Dom.  1739." 

The  inventory  of  her  estate  was  taken  December  4,  1739,  and 
was  "presented  to  the  Court  by  her  son-in-law  Jonathan  Loomis 
and  Sarah  his  wife."  Jacob  and  Job  Drake  and  Timothy  Loomis 
were  the  appraisers.  Her  property  was  bequeathed  to  her  own 
children.  The  final  distribution  of  her  estate  was  not  made  until 
March  26,  1750.'  One  year  previous  to  this  date,  the  Probate 
Court  ordered  money  distributed  to  her  children,  Benoni  Bissell, 
Nathaniel,  Josiah,  and  Isaac  Higley,  Sarah  Loomis,  Susannah  Black- 
man,  and  "  to  the  heirs  of  Abigail  Thorp  their  mother's  part." 

The  children  of  Captain  John  Higley  were  as  follows  : 

John,          born  March  16,  1673. 

Jonathan,  "  February  16,  1675. 

Elizabeth,  "  March  13,  1677. 

Katherine,  "  August  7,  1679. 

Brewster,  "  1680." 

Hannah,  "  April  22,  1683. 

Joseph,  "  about  1685. 

Samuel,  "         "       1687. 

Mindwell,  "  "  1689. 

'Sarah,  "  "  1697. 

Nathaniel,  "  November  12,  1699. 

Joshua,  )  tw.  born  September  8   I70I 

Josiah,    ) 

Abigail,  "      November  4,  1703. 

Susannah,  "  1705. 

^Isaac,  "  July  20,  1707. 

1  "  Hartford  Probate  Records,"  vol.  xv.  a  Tradition  says  in  the  month  of  March. 


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CHARACTER  OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HIGLEY,  77 

Captain  John  Higley's  career  was  a  part  of  the  history  of  Sims- 
bury.  He  was  a  marvel  of  uniform  courage,  energy,  and  industry, 
and  must  have  possessed  almost  inexhaustible  vitality.  From 
the  first  knowledge  that  has  been  discovered  concerning  him,  he 
did  nothing  in  a  half-hearted  way,  and  his  earnestness  of  charac- 
ter and  vigorous  push  were  dominant  at  every  step.  He  left  no 
opportunity  for  rust  or  mold  to  gather  upon  any  part  of  his  busy 
years.  And  these  splendid  qualities,  coupled  with  a  wise  intelli- 
gence, caused  him  to  strike  good  blows  for  civilization  and 
progress. 

He  came  to  America  with  little  to  indicate  the  signally  success- 
ful course  he  was  to  run.  His  education  could  not  have  given 
promise  of  achievement,  since  he  left  England  a  lad  of  not  yet 
seventeen  years.  It  is,  however,  very  probable  that  he  attended  a 
•regularly  established  school,  or  was  under  private  instruction,  and 
gathered  a  fair  English  education  before  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  when  he  was  fourteen,  as  he  belonged  to  a  class  which 
considered  educational  interests  a  paramount  necessity.  He  added, 
no  doubt,  much  to  his  knowledge  after  his  arrival  in  this  country 
while  he  was  a  member  of  John  Drake's  household,  and  some- 
where he  obtained  advantages  for  the  study  of  English  common 
law.  The  fragments  left  of  his  penmanship  show  that  it  was 
excellent,  and  there  is  nothing  whatever  to  intimate  that  he  was 
illiterate. 

While  no  pretense  to  social  eminence  on  his  part  can  be 
discovered,  he  was  well-born  and  well-bred.  On  Katherine 
Brewster's — his  mother's — side,  his  parentage  was  of  the  clergy- 
man's stock,  who  were  of  the  learned  and  refined  professional 
class  of  society.  When  but  a  boy  he  lived  with,  and  finally 
married  into,  a  family  whose  claim  to  family  Arms  was  perfectly 
legitimate  and  confirmed,  a  family  which  represented  the  English 
gentry. 

That  these  primitive  settlers  held  with  natural  adherence  to 
the  English  characteristics  apd  customs,  wherever  there  could  be 
adaptation  to  the  new  surroundings  in  a  new  country,  is  a  matter 
of  fact.  Though  amid  primitive  surroundings,  their  tastes  were 
not  primitive.  As  they  grew  richer,  and  their  facilities  increased, 
the  lines  of  influence  that  had  belonged  to  their  old  lives  were 
forces  that  gathered  strongly  about  their  present  circumstances. 
It  is  well  known  that  class  supremacy  and  social  lines  of  distinc- 
tion were  much  considered  in  those  days.  Our  hero  and  his 


78  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

family  moved  among  those  on  the  upper  rounds  of  the  social 
ladder. 

That  the  early  generations  of  Captain  Higley's  descendants  put 
on  the  full  coat  of  American  armor,  entered  wholly  into  the 
spirit  of  the  Federal  Government  when  it  was  established,  and 
have  always  maintained  the  rank  of  solid,  well-to-do,  substantial 
yeomanry,  and  that  many  have  risen  to  proud  heights  in  different 
exalted  stations,  is  upon  full  record  in  the  historical  annals  of 
New  England  and  other  sections  of  our  country. 

We  shall  never  know  how  Captain  John  Higley  gained  his  first 
knowledge  of  military  tactics,  but  conclude  that  he  was  initiated 
into  training  ranks  soon  after  he  came  to  America,  as  all  persons 
"above  the  age  of  sixteen  except  magistrates  and  Church  Offi- 
cials" were  required  "  to  beare  Arms."  ' 

The  military  spirit  of  this  honored  grandsire  emphatically 
descended  to  his  posterity.  The  honorable  position  which  he 
himself  occupied  has  been  already  shown.  It  is  impossible  to 
recapitulate  the  remarkable  war  history,  or  even  give  the  names 
of  the  long  succession  of  brave  soldiers  among  his  descendants 
who  have  gone  out  to  fight  our  country's  battles  and  give  her  aid 
when  aid  was  needed.  There  are  those  in  every  generation  who 
deserve  an  eminent  record  of  praise  for  their  self-devotion.  In 
the  history  of  all  the  wars  they  answered  to  the  call,  from  the 
very  first  Indian  troubles  down  to  the  latest  struggle — the  Civil 
War.  They  did  not  shrink  from  the  hardships  of  the  camp  or 
the  dangers  of  the  field.  They  were  of  the  noble  men  who  were 
there  before  the  victory  as  well  as  after,  and  who  stood  with 
unflinching  firmness  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their  comrades, 
maintaining  the  ground.  Indeed  none  are  known  to  have  turned 
back  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight.  Few  such  parallels  in  one  family 
line  can  be  found,  where  so  many  men  served  in  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  common  soldier  in  so  many  different  generations. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  greater  number  did  excellent  and  noble 
service  in  the  downright  hard  life  of  the  private  in  the  ranks,  and 
it  was  the  few  who  rose  to  great  distinction  ;  though  among  them 
were  some  who  gained  the  prominence  of  generalship  and  stand 
in  conspicuous  places  in  the  nation's  annals. 

These  mingled  voices  of  Captain  John  Higley's  war  descend- 
ants speak,  from  scores  of  battle-fields  and  military  prisons  from 
which  many  never  returned,  of  lofty  heroism  and  patriotic  devo- 

1  "  Connecticut  Colonial  Records,"  1665-1667. 


CHARACTER   OF  CAPTAIN  JOHN  HI G LEY.  79 

tion.  With  inexpressible  gratitude  we  place  in  spirit,  upon  their 
unmarked  and  long-lost  graves,  as  well  as  on  those  marked,  the 
laureled  wreath  of  sacred  remembrance — 

IN  MEMORIAM. 

"  On  Fame's  eternal  camping-ground 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread  : 
And  glory  guards  with  solemn  round 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

The  brave  fellows  whose  lives  were  not  a  sacrifice  upon  the 
field  of  contest,  when  mustered  out  of  service  went  back  to  their 
working-clothes,  became  true  citizens  in  the  nation's  peace,  and 
have  joined  those  who  march  on,  among  private  citizens,  living 
quiet,  unostentatious  lives. 

There  is  not  a  glimmer  of  fact  to  confirm  the  tradition  afloat, 
that  Captain  John  Higley  ever  returned  to  his  native  land  more 
than  once  after  he  quitted  the  scenes  of  his  youth.  No  letters 
or  papers  are  extant  to  warrant  the  belief.  Nor  is  there  left 
upon  record  anything  concerning  his  stature  or  personal  appear- 
ance. If  we  measure  his  proportions  by  his  progeny,  we  may 
conclude  that  he  was  a  broad-shouldered,  hearty  specimen  of 
manhood,  of  commanding  physique,  full  six  feet  high,  and  possess- 
ing strength  in  proportion.  Old  family  letters  still  preserved, 
which  were  written  during  the  lifetime  of  those  who  lived  con- 
temporary with  his  youngest  son,  Isaac,  speak  of  Isaac's  unusually 
fine  proportions,  and  especially  his  height,  that  he  was  so  nobly 
tall — six  feet  and  five  inches — that  he  was  obliged  to  stoop  to 
enter  a  door  of  ordinary  height.  There  have  been  hundreds  of 
Captain  John  Higley's  lineal  descendants  living  in  the  different 
generations,  down  to  this  day,  who  are  noticeable  anywhere  for 
their  fine  figures  and  avoirdupois. 

At  this  late  period  we  cannot  analyze  the  life  of  Captain  John 
Higley,  but  from  the  few  helps  to  our  inferences,  the  essence  of 
it  was  a  sympathetic  temperament  and  highly  amiable  qualities. 
That  he  was  magnetic  and  possessed  an  open  and  full  nature 
there  is  no  question.  And  we  may  again  attest  this  fact  by  his 
posterity,  who  are  inheritors  of  his  blood.  If  he  were  sensitive 
and  sometimes  fiery  under  great  provocation,  his  anger  was  short- 
lived. His  wholesome  life,  which  was  both  popular  and  peace- 
able, brought  genial  good  fellowship,  and  consequently  many 
friends. 


8o  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

That  he  was  keen-sighted,  shrewd,  and  equal  to  good  bargain- 
ing has  been  elsewhere  alluded  to,  yet  there  is  not  a  shadow  to 
lead  us  to  suppose  that  he  was  not  at  all  times  strictly  correct 
and  just  in  his  dealings. 

We  are  warranted  in  believing  that  his  method  of  action  in 
public  affairs  was  in  accordance  with  the  wise  principle,  ''In 
essentials,  unity  ;  in  non-essentials,  liberty;  and  in  all  things, 
charity."  Though  it  is  conclusive  that  he  never  subscribed  to 
formal  religious  creeds,  he  evidently  practiced  the  better  require- 
ments of  the  Puritan's  rigid  administration,  or  he  could  not  have 
been  so  popular  with  that  church-governed  people  ;  but  he  did 
not  participate  in  the  austere  and  rigorous  measures  of  the  times. 
The  records  are  utterly  silent,  nor  can  there  be  found  proof  that 
he  took  part  in  the  prosecution  or  trial  of  any  case  in  which 
severity  in  judgment  and  public  punishment  was  likely  to  be  the 
final  decree,  unless  such  may  have  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  court  over  which  he  presided.  Though  he  was  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  1692,  and  was  present  at  the  discussion 
and  appointment  of  a  committee  to  take  in  hand  a  number  of 
alleged  witches,  he  is  not  heard  from.  Indeed,  except  in  connec- 
tion with  two  prominent  lawsuits,  one  of  which  was  concerning 
his  landed  rights  to  the  valuable  copper  mining-lands,  he  cannot 
be  traced  in  the  general  animosities  of  his  times. 

In  a  case  of  arbitration  which  claimed  his  judgment  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  General  Court,  the  parties  were  brought  together, 
the  appeal  was  withdrawn,  and  the  papers  were  ordered  to  be 
delivered  to  the  parties,  "they  having  determined  to  burn  them, 
both  plaintiff  and  defendant."  We  take  note  of  this  for  the 
reason  that  it  brings  out  a  native  trait  of  character  that  Captain 
Higley  left  as  an  inheritance  to  his  posterity,  many  of  whom,  to 
this  day,  possess  a  great  natural  aptitude  or  capacity  for  peace- 
making. If  the  "sins  of  the  fathers"  are  visited  "upon  the 
children,  and  upon  the  children's  children  unto  the  third  and  to 
the  fourth  generation,"  we  may  well  conclude  that  their  virtues 
also  course  through  the  channels  of  transmission,  and  are  as  well 
a  legacy  of  truly  noble  and  God-blessed  gifts,  received  by  the  heirs 
in  generations  following. 

Thirteen  of  Captain  John  Higley's  children  lived  to  be  married 
and  to  have  families.  One  son  lived  and  died  a  bachelor,  another, 
an  unmarried  man,  died  nine  months  after  his  father's  decease, 
and  one  was  buried  an  infant.  His  daughters  all  married  into 


LAST  SCENES  IN  CAPTAIN  HIGLEY'S  LIFE.  8 1 

prominent  families — time-honored  to  this  day.  Not  a  child  dis- 
appears from  view,  and  as  has  already  been  stated,  all  filled  posi- 
tions of  more  than  ordinary  and  prominent  usefulness  to  the 
world  about  them. 

There  are  found  in  the  long  line  of  numerous  descendants,  as 
there  are  in  all  families,  some  degenerate  offspring  ;  "but  still 
the  fact  remains,"  as  someone  has  remarked,  "that  even  degen- 
erate descendants  are  not  the  worse  for  having  had  illustrious 
sires."  In  no  case,  all  through  the  long  period  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  years,  is  there  a  renegade,  or  those  criminated,  to  be 
discovered.1 

The  strong,  active,  and  vigorous  life  we  have  been  tracing,  full 
of  manly  independence  and  earnestness  of  purpose,  which  was 
"a  life  well  worth  living,"  is  an  inspiration  to  those  young  men 
among  his  descendants,  who,  like  Captain  John  Higley,  have  no 
other  capital  with  which  to  begin  their  future  than  a  good  stock 
of  common  sense.  His  name,  as  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
America  which  bears  it,  will  be  held  in  honor  and  sacred  posses- 
sion in  their  many  gathered  households  to  their  latest  day. 

1  If  some  of  our  readers  shall  say  there  should  be  an  exception  made  in  the  case  pf  John  Brown, 
of  Harper's  Ferry  fame,  we  may  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  public  sentiment  has  so  changed 
during  the  period  of  time  elapsed  since  his  wild  struggle  to  liberate  the  slaves,  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  people  now  believe  him  to  have  been  a  hero  of  human  freedom,  led  on  by  a  fanaticism 
not  born  of  wisdom. — ED. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY 
OF  HIGLEYS. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY 
OF  HIGLEYS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — JOHN    HIGLEY,  JR. 

By  ascending  to  an  association  with  our  ancestors  ;  by  contemplating  their  example  and  study- 
ing their  character  ;  by  partaking  of  their  sentiments  and  imbibing  their  spirit  ;  by  accompanying 
them  in  their  toils  ;  by  sympathizing  in  their  sufferings  and  rejoicing  in  their  successes,  we 
seem  to  belong  to  their  age,  and  to  mingle  our  existence  with  theirs. — DANIEL  WEBSTER,  ON 
PLYMOUTH  ROCK. 

JOHN  HIGLEY,  JR.,  was  the  first  child  born  of  Captain  John 
Higley's  marriage  with  Hannah  Drake. 

His  birthplace  was  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  March  16,  1673.  He 
was  eleven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  removal  of  his 
parents  to  Simsbury.  When  but  a  boy  of  twelve  years,  his  father 
secured  for  him  a  special  grant  of  land  containing  twenty  acres, 
"lying  upon  ye  west  side  of  ye  mountains  on  ye  little  brook 
that  runs  under  ye  mountains  into  ye  falls,"  given  by  the 
town  meeting  held  December  31,  1685,  in  his  own  name — 
John  Higley,  Jr.  This  was  the  cheerful  beginning  of  his  be- 
coming in  after  time  a  large  landed  proprietor.  Other  grants 
of  land  to  him  are  recorded  as  early  as  1698  and  1699. 

He  was  qualified  according  to  law  and  took  the  freeman's  oath, 
April  30,  1717.  Of  his  earlier  years  little  is  known,  and  how  he 
received  his  education  cannot  be  stated.  He  appears  to  have  had 
some  insight  into  Latin.  Latin  was  a  chief  study  in  the  schools 
of  his  day.  In  the  year  1717  we  find  him  the  schoolmaster  of  the 
town. 

"  June  the  tenth  1717;  then  Received  of  the  Select  Men  of  Simsbury  two  pounds 
in  bills  of  Credit  pro  nos   John  Higley  for  Keeping  of  School." 

To  a  great  extent,  after  reaching  maturer  years,  he  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  though  his  life  does  not  betray  an 
energy  of  character  equal  to  that  which  was  so  prominent  a  char- 
7  85 


86  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

acteristic  of  Captain  John  Higley.  The  records  show  that  he 
was  a  citizen  of  distinction.1  He  held  posts  of  honor;  and  family 
papers  convey  the  statement  that  his  reputation  for  integrity  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men  was  good. 

His  appointment  as  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  and  his 
association  with  different  public  enterprises,  his  holding  various 
local  offices,  with  nominations  and  elections  as  Representative 
to  the  Connecticut  General  Assembly  from  1728  to  1730,  repeat 
the  verdict  of  approval  of  his  public  services. 

By  his  father's  will,  John,  with  his  brother  Samuel,  was  intrusted 
with  the  settlement  of  Captain  Higley's  estate,  which  claimed  his 
attention  for  a  period  covering  more  than  eight  years. 

In  the  contest  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  concerning  the 
valuable  Copper-Hill  lands  and  mines,  he  took  decided  grounds 
sustaining  his  father.  Besides  receiving,  by  special  bequest, 
"a  double  portion  out  of  the  whole  estate "  of  Captain  Higley,  in 
conjunction  with  his  brother  Brewster  he  finally,  in  1725,  secured 
the  original  family  homestead.  He  also  received  by  inheritance 
one-fifth  share  in  lands  at  Windsor,  which  came  by  legacy  from 
his  mother;  and  deeds  are  extant  showing  that  he  secured  by 
purchase  from  his  brothers  and  sisters  several  of  the  shares 
belonging  to  their  father's  estate.  At  a  town  meeting  held 
January  2,  1723,  when  a  general  distribution  of  the  common  lands 
was  made,  John  and  Brewster  are  named  together  as  having 
shares  apportioned  to  them,  and  at  the  death  of  their  brother 
Joseph,  who  died  unmarried,  they  became  possessed  by  legacy  of 
his  property.  In  1716  he  was  appointed  "sole  executor"  to  the 
estate  of  his  brother  Jonathan,  and  is  named  in  Jonathan's  will  as 
a  legatee;  also  receiving  lands  through  this  channel. 

John  Higley,  Jr.,  never  married.  Between  his  brother  Brewster 
and  himself  there  existed  the  closest  brotherly  relation.  Their 
landed  interests  were  largely  in  partnership,  and  until  his  decease 
they  occupied  the  old  homestead  together  after  their  stepmother, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Higley,  had  returned  with  the  younger  children  to 
Windsor.  To  his  brother  Brewster  Higley  he  bequeathed  his 
entire  property,  both  real  and  personal,  and  "constituted  him  his 
sole  and  lawful  executor."  There  is  no  record  bearing  evidence 
that  he  ever  was  a  member  of  the  Simsbury  Church. 

His  health  was  in  a  failing  condition  for  some  time  previous  to 

1  The  prefix  "  Mr."  is  generally  found  placed  before  his  name.  "  Mr."  was  an  aristocratic  class 
title  in  those  days. 


JOHN  HIGLEY,  JR.  87 

his  decease,  but  of  what  disease  he  died  no  facts  are  given.  His 
will  is  brief,  and  was  executed  October  24,  1741,  but  six  weeks 
before  his  death.  It  begins  with  the  usual  form  of  expression  in 
those  times,  declaring  that  he  was  "of  sound  mind — Blessed  be 
God  therefor,"  etc.  He  died  December  i,  1741,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years,  and  was  interred  in  the  ancient  cemetery  in  the 
village  of  Simsbury. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — JONATHAN    HIGLEY,    1ST. 

A  life  spent  worthily  should  be  measured  by  a  nobler  line— by  deeds,  not  years.— RICHARD 
BRINSLEY  SHERIDAN. 

IT  appears  from  the  records  that  Jonathan,  the  second  son  of 
Captain  John  and  Hannah  Drake 'Higley,  lived  and  died  in  Sims- 
bury.  There  is  less  in  his  life  of  a  conspicuous  nature  to  record 
than  of  his  brothers  who  lived  to  the  same  age,  his  walk  having 
been  in  quieter  and  more  unobtrusive  channels. 

He  was  born  at  Windsor,  February  16,  1675,  and  died  in  May, 
1716,  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years,  less  than  two  years  after  his 
father's  decease.  Of  his  earlier  childhood  there  are  found  no 
memoranda.  Captain  Higley  had  imbedded  an  ambition  in  this 
boy  before  he  was  thirteen,  as  he  did  in  all  of  his  older  sons,  for 
the  possession  of  lands,  by  securing  for  him  by  grant  of  the  town 
in  his  own  name  two  lots  of  land,  the  whole  containing  twenty- 
five  acres,  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  He  was  honored 
by  the  town  meeting  with  sundry  local  appointments  in  the  town 
and  neighborhood  while  yet  a  young  man,  and  served  in  matters 
concerning  the  Church. 

The  following  documents  are  upon  record,  to  which  his 
name,  with  that  of  his  brother  John,  Jr.,  and  other  citizens,  is 
appended,  showing  an  agreement  entered  into  by  the  town  upon 
a  call  to  Rev.  Dudley  Woodbridge  as  minister,  and  the  method  by 
which  his  salary  should  be  paid.  Jonathan  was  now  twenty-two 
years  old. 

"Whereas  here  propounded  at  a  Town  Meeting  held  June  2gth  1697  that  the 
Inhabitants  of  Simsbury  to  se  what  ye  gud  simsbury  people  would  give  in  labour  to 
Mr.  D.  Woodbridge  Annually  for  the  space  of  four  years :  it  was  agreed  by  subscrib- 
ing to  give  him  three  days  work  in  a  year,  and  all  heads  of  families  ym-selves  and 
all  under  their  command,  children  or  servants,  also  those  young  men  that  are  free 
hand  engaged  :  three  days  work  once  a  year  a  piece  for  four  years,  the  persons  en- 
gaged are  Male  persons  fit  for  labour  from  sixteen  years  and  upward,  to  help  to  bring 
his  land  in  tillage  in  case  Mr.  Woodbridge  settles  in  office  amongst  us  in  Simsbury." 

88 


JONATHAN  HIGLEY,    iST.  89 

Three  years  later  the  following  receipt  is  recorded  : 

"  Rec*1-  of  Jonathan  Higley  of  Simsbury  the  full  proportion  of  Three  days  labor 
that  he  engaged  to  me,  which  was  three  days  work  a  year  for  four  years,  as  is 
intimated  in  Simsbury  records.  I  say  received  by  me. 

"DUDLEY  WOODBRIDGE,  Jan.  i4th,  1700." ' 

On  the  4th  of  December,  1701,  Jonathan  Higley  married  Ann 
Barber,  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Thomas  Barber.  Lieutenant 
Barber  was  at  that  time  in  command  under  Captain  John  Higley  of 
the  Simsbury  militia.  The  family  of  Barbers  were,  if  not  the  lead- 
ers, among  the  most  prominent  citizens,  and  founders  of  the  town. 

Jonathan  and  Ann  settled  upon  their  home  farm  at  the  "N.  E. 
Corner,"  afterwards  called  Turkey  Hills.  An  unusual  fatality 
appears  to  have  overtaken  their  children.  The  successive  births 
and  deaths  of  four  infants  occurred.  Except  one,  a  daughter, 
none  lived  beyond  babyhood.  This  daughter,  who  was  named 
Mercy — a  family  name  among  the  Barbers — was  born  November 
12,  1712,  and  baptized  on  the  i3th  of  the  following  June.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  the  town  meeting  ordered  lands  "laid  out"  to  her. 
She  afterward  married  John  Coult  and  resided  at  Harwinton, 
Conn.,  and  became  the  mother  of  a  family  ;  her  eldest  son,  born 
October  13,  1735,  bearing  his  grandfather's  name — Jonathan 
Higley  Coult. 

Jonathan  Higley's  name  frequently  appears  upon  the  Land 
Records,  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  lands,  and  in  this  connection 
it  may  be  remarked  that  repeated  transactions  in  business,  as  well 
as  social  relations  between  his  brothers  and  himself,  indicate  a 
beautiful  harmony  and  kindly  family  feeling  existing  between 
them,  which  commands  hearty  admiration.  In  the  sharp  diver- 
gence and  bitter  contest  between  the  proprietors  of  the  town 
and  the  townspeople  over  the  Copper-Hill  lands,  he  represented 
the  family  in  the  people's  meetings.  As  has  been  previously  stated 
the  Higleys  were  careful  that  some  one  of  their  number  should 
be  present  at  all  public  discussions  where  measures  concerning 
these  lands  were  likely  to  be  taken. 

He  died  in  May,  1716.  Jonathan  Higley's  will  was  dated  April 
9,  1716,  one  month  before  his  death.  The  main  bequests  were  to 
his  "beloved  wife  Ann,"  and  to  his  "only  daughter  Mercy." 
He  gave  legacies  in  land  to  his  "  six  brothers,"  and  divides  his 
Windsor  property  between  his  "three  eMest  brothers,  John, 

1  Book  ii.  "  Simsbury  Records." 


90  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Brewster,  and  Samuel,"  and  remembered  in  his  bequests  David, 
the  second  son  of  Brewster,  who  was  then  but  a  lad.  He  named 
his  brother  John  Higley,  Jr.,  as  his  "Sole  Executor."  The  will 
was  presented  in  court  the  following  July.  But  a  partial  inven- 
tory appears  to  have  been  taken,  the  greater  portion  of  the  per- 
sonal effects  having  been  left  in  the  hands  of  his  wife,  without 
being  appraised.  She  being  a  person  possessed  of  considerable 
property,  their  united  estates  represented  an  unusual  amount 
of  wealth  for  those  times. 

Ann  Higley  survived  her  husband  but  six  years,  and  died  No- 
vember 15,  1722,  leaving  their  only  child  an  orphan  ten  years  of 
age.  The  child  became  heir  to  all  of  the  property  that  belonged 
to  both  of  her  parents.  An  additional  and  very  long  inventory 
was  taken  within  a  week  following  her  mother's  decease,  which 
includes  quantities  of  land  and  farms,  with  every  sort  of  belong- 
ing contained  in  a  Colonial  home  of  the  well-to-do  class.  In  this 
list  are  found  the  articles  of  clothing  which  had  belonged  to  both 
Jonathan  and  his  wife.  Among  the  garments  named,  showing 
that  they  were  among  the  better  dressed  people  of  that  day,  are 
the  following  from  Ann  Higley's  wardrobe: 

"  Silk  hoods,  gloves,  Ribbons,  Damask  petticoats,  a  black  damask  petticoat, 
black  crape  coat  and  mantle,  linen  '  changes,'  linen  night  west-coat,  silk  and  lace 
handkerchiefs,  woolen  gloves,  a  green  gown,  one  silk  damask  mantle,  a  Riding 
gown  and  Riding  hood,  etc." 

All  such  materials  and  garments  were  brought  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  The  last  mentioned  was  probably  a  "French 
hood,"  which  were  much  in  vogue  and  were  worn  in  all  colors. 
Such  an  one  provoked  the  following  advertisement  from  a  parish 
vestry  about  this  period  : 

"  All  ladies  who  come  to  church  in  the  new  fas  honed  hoods  are  desired  to  be  theft 
before  divine  service  begins,  lest  they  divert  the  attention  of  the  congregation"  1 

In  addition,  the  inventory  contains,  "a  white  worked  blanket, 
tablecloths  and  napkins,  laced  pillow  cases,  sheets,  a  pair  of  fine 
sheets,"  etc.,  etc. 

It  is  not  known  where  Jonathan  and  Ann  Barber  Higley  were 
interred.  Time  has  obliterated  every  record.  The  only  child 
they  left  was  barely  old  enough  to  remember  her  parents. 

The  brief  obituary  of  Joseph,  ruler  of  Egypt,  is  fitting  to  these  : 
"  And  he  died,  and  all  his  brethren,  and  all  that  generation." 

"  Ye  fashon  of  this  wurld passeth  awaie  /" 
1  "  Book  of  Costumes,"  p.  145. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. ELIZABETH    HIGLEY    BANCROFT.1 

"  All  that  tread 

The  globe  are  hut  a  handful  to  the  tribes 
That  slumber  in  its  bosom." 

ON  March  13,  1677,  there  was  born  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  to  Cap- 
tain John  and  Hannah  Drake  Higley  their  first  daughter,  who  was 
baptized  Elizabeth. 

There  is  no  record  of  her  early  years.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
woman's  estate  was  inconspicuous  and  limited  in  those  bygone 
times,  and  it  was  not  the  custom  to  chronicle  much  concerning 
her  daily  round  of  existence. 

It  appears  that  Elizabeth  Higley  remained  at  home  with  her 
father  until  she  was  about  thirty-three  years  of  age;  probably 
having  general  supervision  of  the  household  after  her  mother's 
decease,  or  until  her  father's  second  marriage.  She  married 
Nathaniel  Bancroft  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  between  the  years  1706 
and  1710,  the  exact  date  not  being  known. 

Her  husband,  Nathaniel  Bancroft,  was  born  in  Windsor, 
Conn.,  September  25,  1680.  While  he  was  yet  a  young  man  his 
parents  removed  to  Westfield,  where  he  married  in  1705,  but  lost 
his  wife  by  death  in  less  than  one  month.  Elizabeth  Higley 
became  his  second  wife.  He  was,  by  profession,  a  surveyor. 
The  Bancrofts  of  Westfield  held  large  possessions,  and  the 
descendants  of  some  members  of  the  family  became  historically 
quite  famous. 

From  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Elizabeth  Higley,  which  took 
place  amid  perilous  times,  when  the  yells  of  the  Indian's  wild 
war-whoop  had  scarce  died  from  the  surrounding  forests,  and  the 
village  of  Simsbury  was  yet  lying  in  ashes  and  deserted,  her  life 
seemed  destined  to  be  spent  amid  fightings  and  torturing  appre- 
hensions of  danger  from  the  hostile  savages. 

During  her  young  womanhood,  and  through  the  period  of  the 
French  and  Indian  war,  it  was  never  known  what  day  or  night  the 

1  Many  valuable  facts  for  this  sketch  were  kindly  furnished  by  J.  M.  Bancroft,  Esq.,  historian  of 
the  Bancroft  family. — ED. 

9» 


92  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

enemy  might  burst  like  a  cyclone  on  the  settlement.  It  was 
needful  ever  to  be  on  the  alert.  These  grave  and  alarming 
threatenings  were  often  the  cause  of  her  father,  Captain  Higley, 
holding  himself  and  his  soldiers  in  readiness  for  active  service  "  at 
an  hour's  warning."  The  men  of  the  settlement  went  constantly 
armed  and  the  families  were  often  forced  "to  haste  to  th'  Garri- 
son house  for  saftie."  A  church  which  was  erected  in  an  adjacent 
settlement,  about  the  time  of  her  marriage,  "was  provided  with 
'  gaurd  seats,'  as  they  were  called,  when  some  ten  or  twenty  men 
could  be  on  the  lookout  near  the  doors  against  a  sudden 
assault."  ' 

"  '  We  could  scarce  abide  in  oure  house,'  said  some  aged  dames 
one  day,  according  to  a  story  of  '  ye  olden  time,'  who  were  over- 
heard talking  over  those  days  of  strange  and  woeful  experiences 
when  '  th'  dreadful  folk '  were  on  the  war-path. 

"  'We  could  scare  abide  in  oure  house,'  said  they,  'so  fear- 
some were  we  of  redskins.  For  alle  th'  wurld  doth  know  y*  in 
those  years  th'  red  men  harried  alle  New  England.  We  grew  soe 
passionatelie  afeared,  y*  if  a  hen  did  but  cackle  on  a  stone  steppe 
th'  cloud  would  grow  upon  our  faces  and  wee,  ready  cloathed  for 
flight,  would  glance  fearfullie  about  and  goe  t'  th'  casement,  alle 
peering  out  together  upon  y6  deepe  woods. 

"  '  Upo'  a  Lord's  day  morn,  do  ye  mind,  how  as  ye  men  sat 
combing  their  locks,  with  we  maids  going  up  and  down  the  still 
room  brushing  th'  rushes  up  o'  th'  floor  into  the  pattern  o'  stars, 
there  would  come  a  thwack  athwart  the  house,  and  th'  cry,  '  The 
Redskins  !  I'  the  East  Part  ! '  wi'  y6  far  clattering  o'  hoofs  down 
oure  lane. 

"  'Then  was  th'  brand  covered  hastilie  wi'  ashes,  and  we  alle 
did  rush  into  th'  long  path  atween  high  nodding  weeds  to  th' 
Garrison  House  to  th'  west.  What  a  long,  trembling  day  it  was; 
gossip,  eating  off  another's  dishes,  wi'  naught  natural  but  the 
spring  sun  westerning  slowly  ups  th'  strange  slopes  ! 

"  'But  oh  !  th'  saftie  o'  th'  night,  when  wee  women  alle  slept  i' 
th'  loft  together  for  companie,  cuddling  th'  children  atween  us, 
wi'  th'  certaintie  that  every  man  o'  Simsbury  sat  below  wi'  his 
Queen's  arms  upo'  his  knee  ! 

'"And  here  be  I,  goode  wife,  who  was  ever  listening  so  painfully 
for  th'  singing  arrows  that  folk  smiled.  Yet,  would  I  exchange 
this  fire  dropping  apart  soe  peacefully  upo'  this  hearth  for  one  o' 

1  "  History  of  Hartford  County  "  by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull. 


ELIZABETH  HIGLEY  BANCROFT. 


93 


th'  days  ?  They  do  hold  my  round  cheek  and  the  dark  color 
o"  my  hairs  with  them.  Alack  !  Thou  and  I  do  belong  to 
yesterday  !  ' ' 

Nor  did  Elizabeth  Higley  escape  these  troubles  after  her  mar- 
riage and  removal  to  Westfield.  Her  husband's  brother,  Edward 
Bancroft,  died  on  the  $th  of  September,  1707,  from  the  effect  of 
mortal  wounds  received  from  the  Indians.  Early  in  the  year  1724 
the  family  were  again  brought  into  distress  by  these  fierce,  relent- 
less foes,  who  fatally  wounded  her  father-in-law,  Nathaniel  Ban- 
croft, Sr.,  which  resulted  in  his  death  on  the  2oth  of  February. 

Elizabeth,  in  common  with  the  other  heirs,  received  her  portion 
in  lands,  etc.,  at  the  distribution  of  her  father's  estate. 

The  following  account,  which  it  is  evident  was  made  out  by 
her  brother,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley,  is  found  among  the  executor's 
papers,  and  is  receipted  in  a  clear  hand  by  her  husband  : 

"BROTHER  BANCROFT  CREDIT. 


•  by  keeping  me  when  sik  by  agreement. 
December  the  26  1716. 
paid  to  Nathaniel  Bancroft  in  money. . 
A  mar  and  colt. 


September  14,  1715,  by  money  you  had. 

payd.  for  you  to  Joseph  Adams 

detor  by  a  claim  of  Brewster 

by  tobacco  you  had 


"Jan.  24,  1719. 

"  This  above  account  I  have  upon  the  account  of  my  wife  Elizabeth's  portion  .  .  .  this  is  to  be 
understood  part  of  her  portion.  [Signed]  "  NATHANIEL  BANCROFT." 

Both  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth  Bancroft  were  members  of  the 
Westfield  church,  though  Mrs.  Bancroft  did  not  unite  in  its  mem- 
bership till  1738,  about  the  time  that  a  very  remarkable  revival 
of  religion  took  place  there,  when  she  had  passed  her  sixtieth 
year.  Her  husband  had  ''owned  ye  covenant"  many  years 
previous — as  early  at  1712. 

Of  their  family  of  nine  children  but  two  lived  to  maturity.  We 
find  the  mother  often  plunged  into  the  "boundless  sea"  of 
sorrow  ever  the  graves  of  her  family.  The  two  first  of  whose 
births  record  is  made,  died  in  infancy — one  born  October  7,  1711, 
and  another,  December  26,  1712.  Their  next,  a  daughter  named 

1  This  living  picture,  so  graphically  given,  of  twenty-four  hours  of  the  terror  in  which  many  of 
our  ancestors  of  New  England  were  accustomed  in  those  times  to  live,  is  kindly  contributed  by 
Adeline  A.  Knight  of  Exeter,  N.  H. 


94  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Desire,  was  born  November  14,  1713.  Their  fourth  child, 
Susannah,  was  born  January  30,  1716,  and  was  the  only  child  who 
lived  to  be  married.  She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Benjamin 
Ashley,  May  17,  1739." 

Their  only  son,  Nathaniel,  was  born  July  23,  1720,  and  lived 
but  fifteen  months.  He  died  October  23,  1721.  Mercy  and 
Experience,  twins,  were  born  May  17,  1723.  Experience 
died  on  the  i7th  of  the  June  following  her  birth.  A  daughter 
named  Terza  came  next,  and  a  daughter  named  Elizabeth  was 
born  March  17,  1729,  of  whom  there  is  no  further  account,  and 
who  probably  died  in  infancy. 

The  year  1736  closed  to  Elizabeth  Higley  in  grief.  Three 
more  graves  in  the  parish  burial-ground  told  the  story  of  their 
family  sorrows.  Mercy,  one  of  her  twins,  who  had  now  lived  to 
be  a  girl  of  thirteen,  died  on  the  zyth  of  November.  The  next 
daughter,  Terza,  died  on  the  2d  of  December,  five  days  after 
her  sister.  Their  mournful  footsteps  had  scarcely  turned  from 
the  graves  where  they  laid  these,  than  they  were  called  to  stand 
upon  the  same  spot  and  place  beside  them  Desire,  a  young 
woman  of  twenty-three,  who  died  on  the  7th  of  the  same  month. 

These  loving  daughters  were  laid  in  the  green  resting  place  for 
the  dead  within  ten  days. 

"  Insatiate  archer  !  could  not  one  suffice  ? 

Thy  shaft  flew  thrice  ;   and  thrice  my  peace  was  slain." 

Elizabeth  Higley's  cup  of  bitterness  was  not  yet  drained;  it 
remained  for  her  to  follow,  in  four  brief  years  after,  one  more  to 
the  grave,  the  last  child  of  their  affection  left  to  them — Susannah, 
who  died  in  childbirth  on  the  first  anniversary  of  her  marriage 
day,  May  17,  1740.  She  left  a  young  infant,  who  survived  its 
mother  but  a  few  days. 

Scarce  six  weeks  had  elapsed  after  the  decease  of  Susannah  and 
her  child,  when  on  the  i3th  of  June  (1740),  her  husband 
Nathaniel  Bancroft  died,  leaving  Elizabeth  Higley  a  bereft  and 
childless  widow.  His  age  was  sixty. 

Her  journey  after  them  was  not  long — only  three  years  and 
six  months.  She  died  December  7,  1743,  aged  sixty-six  years. 

"  They  all  passed 
To  where  beyond  these  voices  there  is  peace," 

Nathaniel  Bancroft  named  his  wife  Elizabeth  in  his  will  as 
executrix  of  his  property,  and  among  other  bequests  left  a 


ELIZABETH  HIGLEY  BANCROFT.  95 

legacy  "to  Joseph  Higley  of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  the  son  of 
Brewster  Higley,  Sen.,  my  wife's  brother." 

The  will  of  Elizabeth,  which  is  still  extant,  was  admitted  in 
Court  January  7,  1744.  She  appointed  her  brother,  Brewster 
Higley,  Sr.,  the  administrator  of  her  estate,  and  he  appointed 
his  son  Brewster  the  attorney. 

The  members  of  the  family  were  all  interred  in  the  ancient 
burial  ground  at  Westfield,  Mass. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — KATHERINE    HIGLEY    NOBLE. 

Life  is  but  a  repetition — 

For  the  man  who  lives  to-day 
Loves  and  hopes,  like  countless  millions 

Who  have  lived  and  passed  away. 

— A.  G.  CHESTER. 

KATHERINE,  the  second  daughter  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah 
Drake  Higley  began  her  life  in  the  old  town  of  Windsor,  August  7, 
1679.  She  appears  to  have  been  a  very  clever  girl,  and  was  fif- 
teen at  the  time  of  her  mother's  death. 

At  twenty-five  she  married  James  Noble  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  a 
young  widower  two  years  her  senior,  who  had  two  children.  He 
was  born  October  i,  1677. 

The  Noble  family  was  one  of  great  antiquity  in  Great  Britain, 
and  is  old  and  time-honored  in  this  country.  James  was  one  of 
the  younger  of  the  eleven  children  of  Thomas  Noble,  the  first 
ancestor  bearing  the  name  who  came  to  America.  He  settled  at 
Westfield.1 

James  Noble  and  Katherine  Higley  were  married  February 
24,  1704.  Katherine's  married  life  covered  but  a  few  brief 
years,  her  husband  dying  in  the  vigor  of  manhood — only  thirty- 
four — leaving  her  with  three  children.  His  decease  took  place 
January  18,  1712.  "  Lietts  "  of  administration  on  his  estate 
were  granted  to  "  Katheron,  Widw  &  Relict,  and  Thomas  Noble, 
on  ye  28th  Day  of  March.  Anno  Dom  1712." 

The  inventory  of  his  estate  shows  that  they  were  among  the 
well-to-do  yeomanry,  and  the  prefix  "Mr.,"  placed  before  his 
name  upon  all  the  records,  indicates  them  to  have  been  ranked 
socially  among  the  "upper  class." 

It  was  but  a  few  years  later  on  when  Katherine,  to  her  rights 
in  property  which  she  received  from  her  husband,  had  added  from 
her  father's  estate  legacies  which  made  her  the  possessor  of  a 
considerable  property,  for  those  times. 

1  In  this  sketch  much  valuable  information  was  obtained  and  extracts  taken  from  the  "  Noble 
Genealogies,"  by  L.  M.  Boltwood. 

96 


KATHERINE   HIGLEY  NOBLE.  97 

The  inventory  of  James  Noble's  estate  contained  "a  house  and 
homestead  in  the  town ; "  "a  house  and  homestead  at  the  farm ;  " 
"  one  Acre  of  land  lying  in  the  homelot  that  was  John  Noble's; " 
"16  acres  of  land  behind  Thomas  Noble's  barn;"  "the  brush 
pasture;"  and  several  other  small  lots  of  land,  in  addition  to 
which  was  an  ample  quantity  of  "live  stock,  grains  [Rye,  Peas, 
and  Indian  corn],  farm  and  house  utensils,  and  furniture,"  etc.,  etc. 

Katherine  received  "all  of  the  moveable  goods  to  beat  her 
own  absolute  dispose  for  Ever,"  and  "one  3rd  part  of  the  Real 
Estate  to  be  for  her  Use  and  Improvement  for  the  term  of  her 
life  only." 

In  addition  to  the  bequests  in  lands  and  money  from  Captain 
Higley  to  which  she  was  heir,  she  was,  through  the  executors  of 
his  estate,  the  recipient  of  specialties  which  are  noted  in  their 
settlement  with  her,  viz.  : 

"  A  yock  of  cattoll,  a  mare,  'a  copor  cup' and  a  'copor  kittoll,' 
a  '  mortor  and  pesoll,'  and  a  sermon  boock. " 

Some  years  after  her  husband's  death  Katherine  is  found  teach- 
ing the  village  school.  She  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  woman 
school  teacher  in  Westfield.  On  the  3d  of  May,  1725,  the  town 
meeting  voted  : 

"To  give  the  Widow  Katherine  Noble  twenty-five  shillings  a 
month  for  keeping  school  so  long  as  the  Town  sees  cause  to 
improve  her  in  that  service,  and  she  sees  cause  to  attend  it." 

Her  children  were  as  follows  : 

Lydia,  born  December  7,  1704,  who  married,  April  30,  1734, 
Stephen  Kelsey  of  Killingworth,  Conn.  James,  born  January  12, 
1707,  who  died  in  Westfield,  unmarried,  January  4,  1739.  He  was 
a  farmer  and  "dish-turner."  David,  born  March  3,  1709,  who 
married  Abigail  Loomis,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Hannah  Loomis 
of  Simsbury. '  (See  chapter  xxix.) 

In  1732  Katherine  Higley  Noble  removed  with  her  son  David 
and  his  family  to  Hebron,  Conn.,  where  "they  settled  in  that 
part  now  called  Gilead.  The  homestead  was  about  three  and 
a  half  miles  northwest  of  the  Hebron  church,  and  one  mile  west 
of  the  Gilead  meeting-house,  on  the  highway  leading  to  Marl- 
borough."  '  Here  Katherine  united  with  the  church,  no  doubt 
under  the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  after  she  had  reached  her 
sixty-first  birthday.  The  Rev.  Benjamin  Pomeroy  was  pastor  of 

1  "Noble  Genealogies,"  by  L.  M.  Bolt  wood. 


98  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  church  at  that  time.  He  is  said  to  have  been  "an  ardent, 
zealous,  and  thundering  preacher  of  the  Newlight  order."  He 
was  a  great  admirer  and  supporter  of  Whitefield,  and  Whitefield, 
"who  counted  the  world  his  parish,"  came  about  this  time  to 
Hebron  while  he  was  on  an  evangelistic  tour  through  Connecticut, 
setting  the  towns  ablaze  with  his  fiery  sermons.  However,  he 
seems  to  have  found  it  hard  to  kindle  the  place  into  flame. 
"Hebron,"  he  writes,  "is  the  stronghold  of  Satan,  for  its  people 
mightily  oppose  the  work  of  the  Lord,  being  more  fond  of  earth 
than  heaven." 

It  was  but  shortly  after,  in  the  early  spring,  that  Katherine 
Noble  closed  the  peaceful  evening  of  her  days.  Her  moss- 
covered  tombstone,  which  has  now  stood  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  in  the  ancient  place  for  burial  at  Hebron,  bears  this 
inscription  : 

1Tn  memory  of 

flfcrs.  ikatbarn  TRoble 

of  THaestfielo,  mbo 

2>feo  /Ifcarcb  7  1740/1 

in  ye  62o  Uear  of 

ber  age. 

1T  Gbess.  4:  14.  "Gbem 

also  TKHbfcb  Sleep 

in  Sesus  will  <3oo 

bring  witb  bim." 

Katherine  Noble's  descendants  continued,  chapter  xxix. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. ENSIGN    BREWSTER    HIGLEY,    SR. 

Inquire,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  former  age,  and  prepare  thyself  to  the  search  of  their  fathers. — 
JOB  viii.  8. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  thirty  years  ago  the  Hon.  Jeffery  O.  Phelps 
of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  brother  to  Noah  Phelps  the  historian,  writing 
to  Judge  Erastus  Higley  of  Vermont,  made  the  following  remark  : 

"It appears  by  our  Town  Records  for  many  years  that  Brewster 
Higley  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  the  Town.  I  will  send  you 
what  information  I  possess  regarding  this  large,  ancient,  and 
respectable  family." 

The  above  testimony,  given  by  one  well  qualified  to  speak,  being 
himself  a  descendant  from  some  of  the  earliest  inhabitants  of 
Hartford  County  and  the  ancient  town,  and  having  heard  the 
older  people  talk  who  lived  contemporary  with  the  Higleys,  is  fully 
sustained  by  recent  research. 

Brewster  Higley,  the  third  son  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah 
Drake  Higley,  was  born  in  1680'  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  while  his 
parents  occupied  a  dwelling  in  the  main  settlement  of  that  town 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut  river. 

He  was  their  fifth  child.  As  has  been  already  stated,  he  was 
given  the  family  name  of  his  English  grandmother — Brewster, 
and  proved  the  founder  of  a  successive  line  of  Brewster  Higleys, 
extending  through  seven  generations  to  the  present  day.  When 
Brewster  was  about  four  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Sims- 
bury,  which  was  his  home  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

That  he  received  a  fair  rudimentary  education  in  the  school  at 
Simsbury  is  reasonable  to  believe,  as  Captain  John  Higley  gave 
his  children  the  best  available  opportunities  for  learning  that  the 
times  afforded.  That  he  was  trained  in  the  school  of  practical 

1  The  date  and  month  in  the  year  have  not  been  preserved.  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  who  was  born 
before  the  death  of  Brewster  Higley,  Sr.,  and  lived  contemporary  with  many  of  that  generation, 
used  to  say,  the  correctness  of  which  cannot  be  doubted,  that  each  Brewster  who  headed  the  line, 
in  the  successive  generations  was  born  in  March. 


100  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

effort  was  demonstrated  by  his  vigorous  life  and  the  versatility 
of  his  occupations  in  after  years. 

Two  points  in  their  history  were  early  drilled  by  precept  and 
example  into  the  sons  of  Captain  Higley — the  accumulation  of 
lands  and  military  aspiration.  When  Brewster  was  but  seven- 
teen his  father  obtained  for  him  a  grant  from  the  town  of  thirty 
acres  of  land,  which  the  youth  must  have  held  with  some  degree 
of  allowable  pride,  and  just  before  he  came  of  age  he  received 
additional  grants  through  the  same  channel. 

From  the  yet  scattered  state  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  as  strong  a  military  force  as  could  be  gathered  in  the 
young  colony,  it  was  still  necessary  that  every  available  male 
inhabitant  should  join  the  rank  and  file  of  the  soldiery.  Brewster, 
no  doubt,  from  the  time  he  was  sixteen,  the  age  required  to 
enter  service,  was  a  member  of  the  military  company  of  which 
his  father  was  then  lieutenant  and  afterward  the  captain. 

His  name  appears  in  appointments  by  the  town  society  as 
early  as  1707,  while  he  was  yet  a  young  man;  and  his  useful 
career  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  continued  throughout  his  long 
and  valuable  life. 

On  the  i7th  of  February,  1709,  he  married  Hester  Holcombe,1 
the  daughter  of  Deacon  Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Bliss)  Holcombe 
of  Simsbury,  an  old  family  of  excellent  standing. 

In  December  of  the  same  year  their  first  child  was  born,  and 
named  Brewster,  who  when  he  reached  manhood  was  known  as 
Brewster  Higley,  2d.  They  had  been  married  five  years  when 
their  "  honored  father  "  Captain  Higley  died.  After  this  event, 
upon  the  removal  of  Captain  Higley's  widow  to  Windsor,  in  the 
spring  of  1725,  Brewster  and  his  young  family,  with  his  eldest 
brother  John,  took  up  their  residence  in  the  old  homestead  at 
Higley-Town,  which  lost  none  of  its  former  prestige  through  its 
new  occupants.  It  was  here  the  younger  members  of  their  circle 
of  eight  children,  who  gradually  filled  the  family  home,  were  born. 
There  were  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz.  :  Brewster,  2d; 
David,  Joseph,  Hannah,  Hester,  John,  Elizabeth,  and  Naomi. 

Their  daughters  Hannah  and  Elizabeth  became  the  great- 
grandmothers  to  John  Brown  of  Harper's  Ferry  fame,  and  Naomi 
was  grandmother  to  Rev.  Heman  Humphrey,  late  President  of 
Amherst  College. 

1  The  entry  of  this  marriage  upon  the  "Simsbury  Records, "book  ii  ,  gives  the  name  as  "  Hester." 
In  the  latter  part  of  her  life  she  was  known  as  "  Esther." 


ENSIGN  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,    SR.  IOI 

It  is  plainly  evident  that,  by  nature  and  habit,  Brewster  Higley, 
Sr.,  was  a  man  full  of  push  and  constant  occupation,  and  that  he 
inherited  largely  the  strength  of  character  of  his  father. 

Those  old  land-owners  mingled  the  professions  with  all  sorts 
of  employments  and  trades  in  a  way  that  seems  most  curious  to 
the  present  generation.  With  right  good  heart  and  will  they 
used  their  own  hands  to  meet  the  needs  arising  out  of  life  in  a 
newly  settled  country,  and  did  not  despise  honest  industry  of  any 
kind.  There  is  reason  to  conclude  from  the  quantity  of  cooper's 
tools  catalogued  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate  that  Brewster 
was  a  cooper  by  trade.  He  was  engaged  with  his  brother  John 
in  making  tar,  and  besides  attending  to  his  extensive  farming 
estates,  and  pursuing  his  military  duties,  he  studied  and  practiced 
medicine,  though  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  applied  for  a 
license.  He  possessed  a  human  skeleton, — a  rare  acquisition  for 
those  times, — and  grew  to  be  somewhat  of  an  adept  at  surgery, 
which  was  his  specialty. 

The  medical  practice  in  those  early  times  was  such  as 
progressive  medical  science  and  the  profession  of  to-day  would 
scarcely  tolerate;  but  by  dint  of  perseverance  and  close  study 
of  the  few  medical  works  of  which  he  could  lay  hold,  Brewster 
Higley  was  fairly  successful  and  enjoyed  a  considerable  neighbor- 
hood patronage.  His  excellent  natural  ability  as  a  nurse  greatly 
aided  him  in  his  practice  as  a  physician.  Judge  Erastus  Higley 
states  in  his  Journal  that  "the  aged  people  of  Simsbury  speak 
of  his  practice  with  approbation  and  respect." 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Colony, 
under  date  of  October,  1726,  the  following  Act  was  passed,  which 
gave  him  honorable  distinction  : 

"This  Assembly  do  establish  and  confirm  Mr.  Brewster  Higley 
of  Symsbury  to  be  Ensign  of  the  north  Company  or  Train  band 
in  the  town  of  Symsbury  aforesaid,  and  order  him  to  be  Com- 
missioned accordingly."1 

He  was  thus  commissioned  an  officer  and  was  afterward  known 
as  "  Ensign  Brewster  Higley  Sen." 

The  good  terms  and  strong  brotherly  affection  which  existed  be- 
tween him  and  his  eldest  brother  John  are  again  worthy  of  remark. 
Their  lives  appear  to  have  been  thoroughly  in  accord.  They 
bought,  sold,  and  received  grants  of  land  together,  held  large 

8  * ''  Colonial  Records  of  Connecticut,"  vol.  vii. 


102  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

estates  in  partnership,  and  lived  under  the  same  roof  until  John's 
decease.  We  may  well  imagine  the  afflictive  bereavement  it  was 
to  Brewster  when  his  brother's  death  took  place,  whom  he  outlived 
nineteen  years.  Brewster  received  by  legacy  all  of  his  brother's 
property.  Having  also  come  into  possession  of  his  younger 
brother  Joseph's  entire  estate,  and  having  received  bequests 
from  his  brother  Jonathan,  in  addition  to  his  own  full  share  in 
his  father's  estate,  he  was  estimated  as  a  man  of  large  wealth. 

The  inventory  of  his  personal  belongings  reveals  the  fact  that 
Brewster,  Sr.,  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  fine  clothes.  His  attire  was 
that  of  a  gentleman  of  that  period.1 

The  list  of  articles  belonging  to  his  wardrobe  evidences  that 
his  garments  were  suited  to  his  position  and  his  various  callings. 

To  his  family  he  left,  among  various  articles,  at  his  decease, 
his  handsome  belongings  as  follows: 

"A  gold  ring,  Pocket  case,  and  the  money  it  contained—  £2,25,  two  chains,  silver  buttons,  three 
silver  buckles,  gun  and  pistols,  'a  fine  hat,'  strait-bodied  coat,  a  waistcoat,  a  striped  waistcoat, 
'fine'  stockings,  'fine'  shirt,  two  linen  shirts  and  two  woollen  shirts,  and  one  pair  of  leather 
breeches." 

Truth  and  uprightness  were  the  guides  of  the  life  of  Brewster 
Higley,  Sr.  His  citizenship  was  a  good  one.  He  became  the 
founder  of  a  line  of  descendants  who  have  mirrored  his  good 
qualities,  and  are  substantial  citizens  in  the  different  communities 
which  they  represent  far  and  wide  in  our  land.  Upon  the  battle- 
field and  in  various  professions,  as  well  as  in  the  citizen's  ordinary 
life,  they  do  honor  to  the  ancestral  name  they  bear. 

While  his  life  stood  upon  an  elevated  platform,  it  is  not  known 
that  he  ever  became  a  member  of  the  Church,  though  his  faith  and 
unity  drew  him  into  its  Christian  fellowship.  He  was  deeply  im- 
bued with  the  spirit  of  "love  and  reverence  toward  the  Power 

1  "  Gentlemen  of  the  i8th  century  did  not  then,  as  at  present,  appear  in  black,  dark  blue,  and  brown 
coats  ;  on  the  contrary  they  seemed  to  delight  in  every  brilliant  shade,  from  the  brightest  scarlet  to 
the  most  dazzling  cerulean  blue,  rendered  still  more  splendid  by  bindings  of  gold  and  silver  lace. 
Cloth  was  the  material  most  generally  worn.  The  body  of  the  coat  fit  tightly,  but  the  skirts  were 
very  wide  and  long  and  reached  to  the  calf  of  the  leg.  The  vest,  or  waistcoat,  was  very  long  and 
had  large,  deep  pockets.  They  were  generally  made  of  materials  in  brilliant  colors,  and  usually 
covered  with  embroidery  and  buttons.  These  latter  ornaments  attained  an  enormous  size.  Short 
trousers  reaching  only  to  the  knee  were  worn  altogether,  and  with  these  were  well-fitting  long 
stockings,  usually  in  bright  colors,  which  were  drawn  up  to  the  knees,  and  garters  fastened  by 
enormous  buckles.  Silver  buckles  for  the  purpose  were  in  vogue  for  those  who  could  afford  them. 
Broad  toed  shoes  were  in  style  which  had  immense  buckles  of  silver  and  wide  strings.  Cocked 
hats  were  worn,  and  the  shirt  fronts  were  frilled.  For  the  neck,  after  the  lace  tie,  came  in  the  stock. 

"The  costumes  of  the  ordinary  people  were  generally  of  homespun  material  and  the  tailoring 
was  done  by  the  women  of  the  household." — From  "  Book  of  Costumes  and  Annals  of  Fashion 
from  the  Earliest  Periods"  also  "  Fairholfs  Costumes." 


EN  SICK  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,   SR.  103 

which  created  the  universe,"  and  his  daily  living  rose  higher  than 
his  profession.  He  lived  to  a  green  old  age — eighty  years,  and 
saw  his  children's  grandchildren.  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  a  babe  of 
twenty  months,  sat  upon  his  knee.  Toward  the  close  of  his  life 
he  felt,  as  he  expressed  it,  "the  many  weaknesses  of  age,  and 
infirmities  of  the  body."  He  saw  that  his  work  was  done  and 
knew  that  he  was  nearing 

"  The  land  that  is  brighter  than  day." 

He  had  long  occupied  a  high  place  in  the  community,  and 
when  he  passed  "into  the  realm  of  the  realities,"  we  have  the 
reverent  assurance  that  he  became  all  that  the  highest  human 
aspirant  can  wish  to  become — an  inhabitant  of  heaven.  He  died 
November  5,  1760. 

Beside  his  open  grave  stood  the  "angel  of  sorrow."  His 
children  and  his  children's  children  laid  him  to  rest  in  the  ancient 
Simsbury  burying  ground  and  gave  their  testimony  that  in  his 
life  he  held  converse  with  the  Eternal.  His  had  been  a  life  of 
faithfulness  that  had  engraved  itself  upon  their  hearts,  and  they 
in  turn  chiseled  its  beautiful,  brief  story  upon  the  stone  which 
now  marks  the  spot  where  he  slept.  The  epitaph  is  as  follows: 

fjear  Xgetb  tlbe  JBo&g  of  out 
f)on&.  ffatber  JBreweter  1)f0leB,  Mbo 

fcieo  Hoveim  B«  5tb  1760 

TKHblcb  "CCle  bis  Cbiloren  XaiD  bere.  interred 

tbe  7tb  of  Sato  montb  in  tbe  SOtb 

l^ear  of  bis  &se. 

a  fttno  busbanfc,  tTenoer  ffatber,  unfatneo  friend, 
XiveD  to  olo  age  &  made  a  Cbristian  enD. 

Brewster  Higley,  Sr.,  had  settled  homesteads  upon  his  sons 
previous  to  his  decease,  in  their  own  right  and  title.  By  his 
will,1  written  October  27,  1760,  he  left  about  nine  hundred  acres 
of  land  to  be  yet  divided.  He  further  gave  a  special  bequest  of 
land  to  his  eldest  son  Brewster,  2d.  To  each  of  his  sons  he  gave 
£200  in  money,  and  to  his  daughters  he  gave  ^100  each.  He 
provided  for  his  aged  wife  as  follows: 

"  I  bequeathe  unto  my  loving  wife  Esther,  for  the  love  I  bear  unto  her,  one-third  part  of  my 
moveable  estate,  the  use  of  one-third  of  the  lands,  one-half  of  my  dwelling  and  barn  and  cellar — 
the  east  half." 

His  "loving  brother  Isaac,"  was  appointed  "Sole  Executor," 
and  the  witnesses  to  the  will  were  John  Owen,  John  Veits,  and 
Alexander  Cassett. 

1  Book  xviii.  p.  232,  "  Hartford  Probate  Records." 


104  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  inventory,  which  was  not  taken  until  the  next  spring, 
April  13,  1761,  contains  the  following:  Several  hundred  acres  of 
land,  a  large  quantity  of  tools,  household  goods  and  effects,  three 
Bibles  and  sundry  other  books,  two  cupping  glasses,  brass  mortar, 
hand-glass,  glass  bottles  and  vials,  money  scales,  a  quantity  of 
cooper's  tools  and  full  sets  of  carpenter's  tools — enumerated — 
implements  for  dressing  leather,  sun-dial,  beer  casks,  cider 
barrels,  button  molds,  full  set  of  pewter  table  ware,  tankard, 
cups,  etc.,  eight  chairs,  tables,  powder  horns,  full  supply  of  bed 
linen,  and  one-half  of  the  house  and  barn,  which  are  but  a  part 
of  the  articles  the  list  includes.  At  the  distribution  of  the  estate 
in  1762  the  widow  received  "moveable  property"  to  the  value  of 
^40  i2s.,  together  with  her  lands,  etc.,  and  the  sons  had  ^214 
145.  each,  with  landed  estates.  To  each  daughter  was  given 
;£ic>7  73.,  in  addition  to  their  lands. 

Mrs.  Esther  Higley  lived  fifteen  years  beyond  the  limit  which 
closed  her  husband's  life.  She  was  born  in  1683,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years.  She  married  Brewster  Higley 
when  she  was  twenty -six. 

From  the  slight  glimpse  of  her  which  can  be  obtained,  it  may 
be  concluded  that  she  was,  one  of  those  grandes-dames  of  the 
earlier  period,  who  were  "the  heart  and  soul  of  their  domestic 
life,"  and  that  her  social  eminence,  mental  force,  and  refined  bear- 
ing, with  her  notable  costumes,  gave  her  a  title  of  supremacy  in 
the  community. 

.  In  the  years  1768-69  (and  probably  during  many  other  years) 
she  occupied  Pew  i  to  the  right  of  the  pulpit,  the  chief  seat  in 
the  church.  Just  behind  her,  in  the  next  pew,  sat  her  son 
Brewster,  2d,  and  his  family.  The  pews  were  assigned  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  church  society  appointed  for  "  Ye  seating  of  ye 
meetin,"  which  produced  to  a  future  meeting  a  diagram  showing 
the  exact  location  of  each  pew,  with  the  names  of  each  proposed 
occupant.  Upon  the  presentation  of  this  report  the  seating  was 
voted  upon,  and  the  report  of  the  committee  "Ordered,  to  be 
kept  on  file  in  the  Society  Clerk's  Office."  "  These  committees," 
says  Eggleston,  "marked  with  religious  care  the  nicer  distinc- 
tions of  social  importance  in  assigning  the  seats  to  the  villagers."  ' 

Despite  her  years,  the  aged  Hester  Higley  surely  must  have 
been  a  noticeable  figure  in  the  assemblage  as  she  took  her  seat 
in  this  most  prominent  pew. 

1  Edward  Eggleston  in  "  The  Colonist  at  Home,"  The  Century,  1884-85. 


ENSIGN  BREWSTER  HI G LEY,    SR.  105 

The  family  sat  underneath  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Gideon 
Mills, — a  son-in-law  to  Brewster  Higley,  Sr.,  by  marriage  to  his 
daughter  Elizabeth, — who  occupied  the  Simsbury  pulpit  from  1744 
to  1755.  After  that  time  the  Rev.  Benajah  Roots  officiated  as 
minister  until  1772.  There  were  constant  bickering  and  an  un- 
happy state  of  affairs  in  the  church  for  many  years  during  this 
period. 

Mrs.  Esther  Higley  died  December  17,  1775. 

Her  will,  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the  descendants  residing  in 
Middlebury,  Vt.,  devises  her  property  to  her  children — including 
some  grandchildren,  the  heirs  of  Hannah  Higley  Mills,  who  was  de- 
ceased. Her  eldest  son,  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  was  her  executor. 

A  complete  list  of  the  property  contained  in  the  inventory, 
which  consists  of  ten  long  columns,  is  too  extended  for  these 
pages.  The  following  extracts  are  taken: 

"  Two  silk  crape  gowns,  Black  cloak  with  silver,  a  homespun  cambittee  gown,  a  loose  gown,  a 
Calamanco  gown  [these  were  generally  imported  in  bright  colors],  Bonnet  and  scarf.  Fan, 
white  streaked  petticoat,  blue  and  red  ditto,  Red  streaked  ditto,  blue  cloak,  black  cloak  with 
sleeves,  white  mitts,  checked  linen  apron,  best  checked  handkerchief,  next  best  do,  shoes  and 
slippers,  a  looking-glass  [an  article  seldom  found  in  the  inventories  of  those  times],  Curtain 
rings,  pewter  dishes,  '  bassons,'  cups,  small  pewter  porringer,  another  ditto,  three  salt  'sellars,' 
spoons  and  teaspoons,  two  barrels  of  '  sider,'  two  best  barrels  ditto,  two  more  ditto,  beer  barrel," 
etc.,  etc. 

The  expenses  incurred  in  her  last  sickness  and  burial,  which 
the  reader  will  naturally  compare  with  the  elaborate  furnishings 
and  bills  from  the  undertakers  of  nowadays,  were  as  follows  : 

s.     d. 

"  To  Cash  paid  for  Coffin, 7     6 

Digging  the  grave, ...30 

For  Doctor  Topping,    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  3  10 

To  Daniel  Halliday, 30    o 

For  tending  and  washing,      .         .         .     .    .         .         .  5     o " 

The  venerable  widow  was  laid  in  the  Simsbury  cemetery  beside 
her  affectionate  husband,  to  whom  she  was  a  faithful  and  devoted 
wife  for  sixty-nine  years.  A  slab  of  gray  stone  which  stands  two 
feet  high,  and  still  marks  the  spot  as  a  memorial  of  her,  bears 
this  inscription  : 

In  flBemorg  of  dfcrs.  Estber,  tbe 

wioow  of  Ensn.  JBrewster  1>i0les> 

wbo  ofeO  fcecemb.  tbe  I7tb 

1775,  in  tbe  92nD  Bear  of 

bet  age. 

The  descendants  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  continued,  chapter  xxx. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE   FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — HANNAH    HIGLEY    TRUMBULL. 

The  sire  and  mother  whom  we  hold  to-day 

In  loving  honor  watched  her  budding  youth. 
And  they  bequeathed  to  her,  we  cannot  doubt, 
Their  honest  frankness  and  their  love  of  truth. 

— REV.  PHEBE  HANAFORD. 

IT  has  been  declared  that  "the  great  rank  and  file  of  women  are 
remembered  for  their  deeds,  not  their  personalities,  and  no 
records  are  to  be  found  of  their  lives."  This  is  true  of  Hannah, 
the  third  daughter  and  sixth  child  of  Captain  John  Higley  and 
his  wife  Hannah  Drake,  to  whose  life  is  probably  attached  more 
of  interest  than  to  any  of  the  daughters  of  the  household,  since 
lustrous  characteristics  of  her  blood  and  family  are  developed  in 
her  offspring  in  consecutive  line. 

She  was  born  in  the  fair  old  town  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  rich  in 
associations  with  many  venerable  Connecticut  families  who  were 
rooted  there.  Her  birth  took  place  April  22,  1683.  On  the 
removal  of  her  parents  to  Simsbury  she  was  carried,  then  an 
infant  one  year  old,  in  the  arms  of  her  mother  to  the  beautiful 
frontier  valley  of  the  Farmington,  whose  wooded  hills  and  meadow 
lands  had  scarcely  awakened  to  civilization.  Here  her  child  and 
girlhood  days  were  spent  on  the  Woolcott  estate,  which  her  father 
had  purchased.  She  grew  up  amid  the  silence  and  solitudes  of 
tangled  forests  into  which  the  high  noon  rays  of  the  sun  scarcely 
penetrated  or  reached  the  rich  fern  beds  at  the  roots  of  the  great 
trees,  and  she  lived  through  her  earlier  years  amidst  the  frequent 
alarms  and  the  hostile  menacing  of  the  Indians. 

Her  life  was,  as  her  mother's  had  been,  one  of  unceasing  and 
unselfish  family  duties.  She  arose  with  the  sunrise,  bloomed  in 
healthy  wholesome  housework,  and  was  full  of  industrious  habits. 
Her  merry  times  were  at  homely  feasts,  spinning-wheel  parties 
and  other  country  gatherings,  and  horseback  expeditions;  for, 
says  Eggleston,  "  Joyous,  excursion-loving,  simple-minded,  were 
the  men  and  women  of  that  time,  fond  above  all  things  of  society, 
of  the  fresh  air,  and  of  excitement." 

106 


HANNAH  HIGLEY    TRUMBULL.  107 

We  have  little  knowledge  of  whether  Hannah  received  some 
educational  advantages  or  not.  However,  since  Captain  Higley 
gave  his  children  opportunities  which  were  fully  up  to  the  average, 
she  must  have  had  such  as  her  station  and  the  times  permitted; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  standard  for  the  education 
of  women  of  that  day  was  exceedingly  limited. 

We  take  Hannah  Higley  to  have  been  strong-souled  and  decisive 
in  character,  possessing  a  good  deal  of  that  excellent  quality 
called  common-sense.  She  was  yet  but  a  mere  child  of  ten  years 
when  the  home  was  desolated  by  the  death  of  her  mother. 
Neither  her  mother  nor  her  grandmother  Moore  had  closed  their 
lives  until  they  had  had  time  and  opportunity  to  tell  to  the  girl 
Hannah  that  which  one  can  easily  fancy  sank  into  her  heart — the 
story  of  the  elevated  sphere  of  public  and  religious  service  in 
which  her  Puritan  grandparents  had  spent  the  most  of  their  lives. 

From  the  time  of  her  early  childhood,  the  most  impressionable 
age,  her  father  Captain  John  Higley  had  been  a  man  of  promi- 
nence, in  well-to-do  circumstances,  and  a  leading  spirit  in  the 
town  and  colony.  She  saw  him  unusually  engrossed  in  public 
activities,  and  was  familiar  with  his  everyday  steps  in  official  and 
judicial  relations;  and  as  she  arrived  at  the  years  of  womanhood 
she  could  comprehend  something  of  his  great  executive  grasp  and 
conspicuous  force  of  character.  Captain  Higley  was,  of  course, 
surrounded  by  colleagues  who  were  intelligent,  earnest  men  of 
that  day,  with  whom  his  family  were  brought  more  or  less  into 
intercourse.  This  would  have  a  natural  effect  upon  them;  and 
Hannah,  no  doubt  by  her  sympathy  and  interest  with  her  father's 
life,  became  qualified  to  instill  into  her  own  offspring  in  after 
years  the  laudable  ambition  and  principles  which  led  them  into 
distinguished  careers  of  usefulness. 

In  the  twentieth  year  of  her  age  she  accepted  the  hand  of 
Captain  Joseph'  Trumbull,  to  whom  she  was  married  August  31, 
1704.  Captain  Trumbull  was  the  second  son  of  John  Trumbull, 
Jr.,  of  Suffield,  Conn.  He  went  from  his  native  town  to  Simsbury 
about  the  year  1703,  and  the  following  year  the  young  couple 
began  life  together.  He  was  a  young  man  possessing  energy,  but 
"  without  any  considerable  means."  *  His  grandson,  John  Trum- 
bull, says  of  him,  "he  was  a  respectable,  strong-minded,  but 
uneducated  farmer."  " 

In  less  than  a  month  after  their  marriage,  Joseph  and  Han- 

1  "  History  of  Lebanon."  *  "  History  of  My  Own  Times,"  by  John  Trumbull. 


108  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

nah  Trumbull  purchased  a  home  at  Lebanon,  Conn.,  to  which 
they  removed  and  settled.  The  town  had  now  been  organized 
but  four  years.  Their  home  was  a  half  allotment  containing 
twenty-one  acres  (forty-two  acres  was  a  "home  lot")  which  was 
bought  of  Josiah  Phelps  of  Colchester,  Conn.,  for  the  considera- 
tion of  sixty  pounds..  The  deed1  was  executed  September  21, 
1704,  and  was  acknowledged  before  Captain  John  Higley. 

Joseph  Trumbull  here  began  business  as  a  farmer  and  trader, 
and  proved  a  successful,  enterprising  merchant.  "He  became 
the  owner  of  a  ship  which  carried  his  own  cargoes,  and  was  a  man 
active  in  the  local  affairs  of  the  church  and  the  town,  and  for 
many  years  was  captain  of  the  train  band.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years." 

Captain  Joseph  Trumbull  and  Hannah  Higley  "  founded  the 
Lebanon  branch  of  the  Trumbull  family."  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  viz. :  Joseph,  Jonathan,  Mary,  Hannah,  Hannah 
again,  Abigail,  John,  and  David."* 

Their  fireside  appears  to  have  been  an  attractive  center.  With 
the  family  affection  which  habitually  marks  them,  the  Higleys 
of  Simsbury  and  the  Trumbull  household  appear  to  have  enjoyed 
a  partiality  for  each  other's  companionship.  While  he  was  yet 
a  minor,  Mrs.  Trumbull's  brother  Samuel  became  a  member  of 
her  family  and  was  probably  attending  school.  It  is  recorded 
that,  at  a  later  period,  her  niece  Elizabeth  Higley,3  the  daughter 
of  her  brother  Brewster,  "  spent  the  most  of  her  youth  and  girl- 
hood in  her  family  ";  and  in  a  few  years  her  sister  Mindwell,  and 
her  two  half  sisters,  Abigail  and  Susannah,  married — and  settled 
at  Lebanon  near  her. 

The  married  life  of  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull  was  sown  with 
many  high  joys,  mingled  with  touching  griefs.  Few  American 
women  whose  names  may  be  placed  upon  record  have  given 
motherhood  to  so  illustrious  a  progeny,  and  few  certainly  have 
lived  to  nurture  to  conspicuous  positions  two  of  its  generations. 
But  a  series  of  heavy  and  peculiar  domestic  afflictions  visited  her. 

In  the  year  1715  they  buried  their  little  Hannah  beneath  the 
sod.  On  the  23d  of  December,  1731,  their  eldest  son  Joseph 
left  home,  and  sailed  from  New  London,  Conn.,  on  the  28th  of 
the  same  month,  bound  for  London  in  a  ship  which,  with  the 

1  "  Lebanon  Land  Record,"  vol.  ii.  p.  52. 

*  See  chapter  Iviii.,  "  Descendants  of  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull." 

*  Afterward  the  grandmother  of  John  Brown  of  Harper's  Ferry  fame. 


HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.  109 

entire  cargo,  was  owned  by  the  Trumbull  family.  Two  years 
later,  June,  1733,  the  vessel,  with  all  on  board,  was  lost  at  sea. 
The  family  hoped  until  hope  died  upon  the  possibility  that  their 
son  might  have  been  rescued,  but  no  tidings  of  comfort  ever 
reached  them — the  sea  never  gave  up  its  dead. 

But  three  years  later  on,  her  second  daughter  Hannah,  who 
had  married  Joseph  Sherman  on  the  2-jth  of  February,  1735,  died 
suddenly  November  7,  1736,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years, 
leaving  an  infant  son  only  five  days  old;  and  the  following  year 
her  tender  affection  was  put  again  to  severe  trial  by  the  loss  at 
sea  of  her  younger  brother  Samuel,  who,  from  about  the  time  of 
her  own  marriage,  was  a  member  of  her  family  for  several  years. 
In  July,  1740,  she  was  destined  to  encounter  another  pathetic  grief 
by  a  stroke  of  death.  Her  youngest  child  David,  a  lad  of 
seventeen  years,  while  pursuing  his  senior  year  in  Yale  College 
with  most  promising  success,  came  home  on  a  vacation,  and  met 
his  death  by  accidental  drowning  in  a  mill-pond.  Her  sister 
Katherine  had  died  but  four  months  previous. 

The  bereavement  of  Ipsing  their  first-born  son,  Joseph  Trum- 
bull, Jr.,  in  1733,  who  was  his  father's  business  partner,  was  accom- 
panied by  other  trials  of  no  ordinary  moment.  The  financial  loss 
of  both  ship  and  cargo  proved  a  most  serious  matter  in  the  family 
fortunes,  and  the  severity  of  the  double  blow — the  loss  of  his  son 
under  such  sad  circumstances,  with  the  long  strain  of  watching 
and  waiting  which  followed,  and  the  loss  of  his  property — quite 
unfitted  Captain  Trumbull  for  further  business  activities.  The 
mental  strain  proved  too  great  for  the  power  of  his  mind  to 
endure. 

At  this  juncture  it  became  necessary  to  call  Jonathan,  now 
her  only  son,  home  from  a  projected  interesting  field  of  labor  in 
the  ministry,  upon  which  he  had  set  his  heart,  to  the  aid  and 
rescue  of  the  embarrassed  business  house.  It  would  seem  that  the 
singular  tide  of  afflictive  circumstances,  which  brought  the  mother 
and  son  into  close  relations  in  the  management  of  their  affairs, 
tended  to  strengthen  the  bond  yet  firmer  which  existed  between 
them,  and  finally  permitted  Mrs.  Trumbull  to  see  the  fruit  she 
had  planted  in  his  early  years,  which  now  fast  ripened  into  his 
distinguished  career  as  a  public  official  and  a  noted  patriot.  The 
failure  of  his  father,  in  both  heart  and  fortune,  gave  him  a  respon- 
sible place  in  the  domestic  and  business  circles.  Mrs.  Trumbull 
was  now  in  the  full  years  of  energy  and  experience,  at  middle  life. 


HO  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  is  easy  to  conclude  that  Mrs.  Trumbull's  life  interests  from 
this  time  were  bound  up  in  the  expanding  events  and  successes  of 
her  son  Jonathan,  the  future  Governor  of  Connecticut,  and  his 
family.  He  had  married  on  the  gih  of  December,  1736,  Faith 
Robinson  of  Duxbury,  Mass.,  a  girl  of  but  seventeen  years,  and 
settled  in  a  home  on  the  next  "lot  '^adjoining  his  parents.  Soon 
the  interesting  position  of  grandmother  to  his  growing  family 
became  Hannah's  sphere.  All  of  his  children  were  brought 
up  under  her  immediate  wing,  and  it  is  hardly  a  far-fetched 
fancy  to  suppose  that  she  had  some  share  in  controlling  their 
destiny. 

There  is  no  question  but  she  had  carefully  implanted  in  the 
youthful  mind  of  her  son  many  of  the  valuable  lessons  of  his  life, 
by  recounting  and  holding  up  for  imitation  incidents  in  the  ardent 
life  of  incessant  occupation  in  public  and  judicial  affairs  of  her 
clear-gritted  father,  Captain  John  Higley,  which  were  a  part  and 
parcel  of  her  own  life  interests  as  she  grew  to  womanhood.  Her 
grandfather,  Deacon  John  Moore,  had  held  a  deservedly  honorable 
position  in  Colonial  affairs  for  forty-seven  years,  and  had  much 
experience  in  legal  business.  His  repeated  terms  of  service  in 
the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  closed  only  with  his  death, 
which  took  place  but  six  years  before  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull 
was  born.  She  was  no  doubt  made  acquainted  with  traditionary 
events  which  had  happened  in  the  public  lives  of  both;  and  with 
the  heredity  of  the  distinguished  blood  of  the  Drakes  in  her 
veins  coming  down  through  many  generations,  she  was  fitted  to 
train  a  noble  man  to  stand  in  the  front  in  the  time  of  the  Colo- 
nies' greatest  need. 

The  principles  instilled  by  a  mother's  care  are  held  by  men  of 
the  highest  order  of  intellect,  and,  in  cases  not  a  few,  result  in 
honorable  and  distinguished  usefulness  in  after  life.  That  there 
was  an  unquestioned  inheritance  of  rare  abilities,  bequeathed  by 
heredity  through  Jonathan  Trumbull's  maternal  line  of  descent, 
and  which  is  notable  in  more  than  one  generation,  is  clearly 
traceable.  His  fine  constitution,  his  great  energy,  and  a 
vivid  perception,  were  strongly  marked  qualities  of  his  mother's 
family  line. 

To  aid  in  this  training,  her  husband  Captain  Joseph  Trumbull, 
feeling  keenly  himself  the  lack  of  an  education,  was  bent  upon 
bestowing  opportunities  upon  his  children  for  the  best  advan- 
tages for  instruction  which  the  country  then  afforded. 


HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.  Ill 

It  was  no  commonplace  day  in  which  Hannah  Higley  in 
amiable  patience  rocked  the  cradle  of  her  child.  The  infant 
nation  was  sorely  feeling  its  wounds.  The  keel  of  our  Govern- 
ment was  in  slow  but  sure  process  of  construction.  The  founders 
of  the  republic  were  in  course  of  training  for  after  greatness, 
not  so  much  by  expansion  and  personal  contact  with  the  great 
world,  as  by  well-grounded,  industrious  habits  and  practical 
living.  They  were  drilled  in  many  of  the  higher  branches  of 
education,  many  of  them  were  well  read  in  law,  and  they  were 
endowed  with  high  principles  which  emanated  from  mothers  who 
were  the  animating  geniuses  of  their  homes,  together  with  the 
family  altars  of  these  old-time  households. 

When  Emir  Abd-el  Kader,  the  famous  Arab  chieftain,  on  visit- 
ing England,  made  the  inquiry  of  her  Queen:  "What  is  the 
source  of  England's  greatness?"  she  simply  and  silently  pointed 
to  an  open  Bible.  When  we  ask,  "From  whence  came  the 
exalted  principles  laid  down  in  the  formation  of  our  Govern- 
ment?" we  may  in  all  sincerity  point  to  the  mothers  of  our 
Revolutionary  sires  with  this  open  Bible  upon  their  knees,  which 
they  themselves  had  been  trained  to  read  and  profoundly 
respect. 

"As  a  son,"  says  Stuart,  "her  son  Jonathan  was  ever  dutiful. 
Thoughtful  at  all  times  of  the  tender  cares  his  parents  had 
lavished  upon  his  own  infancy — of  the  watchfulness  with  which 
they  had  protected  the  careless  vigor  of  his  boyhood — and 
of  the  warm  ambition  and  free  expenditure  with  which  they 
had  conferred  upon  him  the  rich  boon  of  education — he  re- 
turned their  affectionate  offices  with  kindest  ministrations  of 
his  own — and,  like  a  gentle  spirit,  hovered  over  their  waning 
age." 

It  is  supposed  that  Hannah  Trumbull  passed  her  declining  years 
in  the  family  of  her  son  Jonathan  after  the  decease  of  her  hus- 
band Joseph  Trumbull,  which  took  place  June  16,  1755;  leaving 
her  a  widow  seventy-two  years  of  age.  And  it  may  be  said  that 
the  "  even-time"  of  her  life  was  lighter  and  brighter  than  other 
years  had  been. 

Mrs.  Trumbull  was  now  surrounded  by  an  interesting  group  of 
intelligent,  quick-minded  grandchildren,  in  whose  development 
she  could  not  have  failed  to  take  eminent  satisfaction.  The 
older  children  of  the  household  were  attending  the  celebrated 
Teasdale  Academy  located  in  Lebanon,  a  school  of  the  highest 


H2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

repute  in  New  England  and  one  which  Jonathan  Trumbull  was 
a  prime  mover  in  founding.  The  eldest  grandson,  Joseph,  was 
eighteen  at  the  time  of  his  grandfather's  death,  and  Jonathan,  Jr. 
(afterward  the  second  Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut),  was 
a  lad  of  fifteen.  David,  too,  the  third  son,  was  a  lively,  bound- 
ing boy,  and  without  doubt  on  many  an  occasion  excited  his 
grandmother's  pride,  though  at  that  date  in  the  history  of  the 
household  the  issues  of  the  future  illustrious  characters  it  con- 
tained were  yet  out  of  sight,  and  she  could  little  dream  that 
young  David  was  to  be  the  father  of  a  third  Governor  Trumbull, 
or  that  not  only  her  son,  but  a  grandson  and  a  great-grandson 
were  to  bear  the  distinguished  honors  of  filling  the  chief  execu- 
tive chair  of  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

While  the  venerable  grandmother  was  still  a  central  figure  in 
the  home,  the  two  granddaughters,  Faith  and  Mary,  were  sent  for 
finishing  touches  to  their  education  to  an  excellent  school  in 
Boston,  ''where  they  were  taught  embroidery,"  and,  says  John, 
the  younger  son  of  the  family,  in  his  autobiography,1  "Faith  had 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  drawing,  and  had  even  painted  in  oil 
two  heads  and  a  landscape.  These  wonders  were  hung  in  my 
mother's  parlor,  and  were  among  the  first  objects  that  caught 
my  infant  eye.  I  endeavored  to  imitate  them,  and  for  several 
years  the  nicely  sanded  floors  [for  carpets  were  then  unknown 
in  Lebanon]  were  constantly  scrawled  with  my  rude  attempts 
at  drawing." 

That  Hannah  Trumbull  was  a  mother  deserving  the  reverence 
and  affection  which  her  distinguished  son  gave  her  is  pleasingly 
shown  by  the  filial  love  and  marked  consideration  he  evidenced  in 
declining  in  May,  1756,  and  again  in  1758,  the  honor  of  an  appoint- 
ment by  the  Colonial  legislature,  to  go  upon  a  mission  to  the 
Government  of  Great  Britain,  giving  as  his  chief  reason  for  so 
doing,  in  his  communication  to  the  General  Assembly  :  "  I  con- 
sider the  duties  I  owe  my  aged  mother,  whose  dependence  is 
greatly  upon  me,  and  my  family." 

It  is  a  point  of  interest  to  pause  for  a  moment  and  reflect  upon 
what  an  interesting  incident  might  have  occurred,  and  how 
utterly  unforeseen  are  the  events  of  life,  had  the  grandson  of 
Captain  John  Higley — the  runaway  lad  from  England's  shores 
of  long  years  before — appeared  at  the  Court  of  Great  Britain  as 
a  representative  from  the  land  of  his  grandfather's  adoption. 

1  "  Life  of  John  Trumbull,"  p.  5. 


HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.  113 

Hannah  Higley  Trumbull  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  It  was  in 
autumn,  as  the  leaves  were  falling,  that  the 

"blissful  union  which 
Lies  beyond  the  parting  vale  " 

took  place  between  her  and  her  husband,  whom  she  outlived 
thirteen  years,  and  by  whose  side  she  was  laid  in  the  ancient 
Lebanon  cemetery. 

That  Governor  Trumbull  inscribed  his  grandfather's  record 
upon  his  mother's  tomb  is  a  testimony  of  his  marked  respect  and 
devotion  to  the  memory  of  his  maternal  progenitor. 

The  inscription  is  as  follows  : 

f>ere  are  Deposited  g«  remains  of 

tors.  Tbannab  Grumbull,  late  wife  of 

Capt.  $osepb  Grumbull,  2>au0bter  of  Jobn 

•fcigles  of  Simsburs,  Bsqc.,  wbo  came  from 

jfrimteg  in  BC  Counts  of  Surrey,  bg  flfcrs. 

fjannab  Drake  bis  first  wife.   Sbe  was  born  at 

mtnosor  220  Sprit  1683.    2>ieo  at 
Xebanon  8tb  Hov.  1768,  ageo  85  gears,  6  mo.  &  15  Dags. 

For  the  descendants  of  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull,  see  chapter  Iviii. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. JOSEPH    HIGLEY. 

"  This  world  will  never  know  in  how  many  hearts  he  has  written  his  name." 

A  SHADE  of  obscurity  covers  the  life  of  Joseph  Higley,  the 
seventh  child  in  the  family  of  Captain  John  Higley.  Indeed,  since 
no  exact  date  of  his  birth  can  be  discovered,  it  is  only  through 
the  wills  and  other  legal  documents  that  his  place  is  found  in  the 
family  group  beside  his  sister  Hannah  Trumbull,  and  that  his  life 
covered  a  period  of  about  thirty  years. 

He  was  born  about  the  year  1685,  and  died  May  3, 1715.  He  never 
married.  His  life  was  apparently  entirely  uneventful.  There  is 
reason  for  believing  that  from  his  early  youth  his  constitution 
was  never  robust,  and  his  "weak  state  of  body"  is  further  con- 
firmed by  a  declaration  to  that  effect  in  his  will. 

Boys  from  the  age  of  sixteen  and  upward  were  expected  to  con- 
form to  the  law  and  hold  in  possession  a  gun,  which  they  were  to 
have  in  continual  readiness  for  bearing  their  part  in  the  military 
defense.1  Joseph  Higley's  chief  and  almost  only  possessions 
appear  to  have  been  his  firearms  and  riding  equipments,  together 
with  his  portion  of  valuable  lands  lying  in  Turkey-Hills  in  close 
proximity  to  his  brother  Samuel's,  which  he  received  from  his 
father's  estate  ;  also,  property  from  his  mother's  estate  at 
Windsor. 

His  will,  which  is  brief,  bequeathes  all  of  his  property  to  his 
"well-beloved  brothers,  John  and  Brewster  Higley,"  whom  he 
named  his  executors. 

The  inventory  of  his  personal  effects,  taken  August  31,  1715, 
consisted  of  his  wearing  apparel,  "pistols  and  holster,  and  gun, 
bridle  reins,  etc.,  and  a  book";  ail  of  which  were  appraised  at 

£™  175. 

It  is  supposed  that  he  was  laid  in  the  ancient  burial  ground  at 
Simsbury. 

1  "  If  a  youth  did  not  have  sufficient  means  for  the  purchase  of  firearms  for  himself,  the  law  required 
him  to  '  bring  to  the  Town  Clerk  so  much  corn  or  other  merchantable  goods,'  and  a  gun  with  the 
necessary  belongings  was  furnished  him  at  the  expense  of  the  town." — Colonial  Records  of  Connec- 
ticut, 1665-77. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — SAMUEL    HIGLEY,    1ST. 

Who  are  the  nobly  great  ?    . 
They  who  have  toiled  and  studied  for  mankind, 
Aroused  the  slumbering  virtues  of  the  mind, 
Taught  us  a  thousand  blessings  to  create — 
These  are  the  nobly  great. 

— PRINCB. 

THERE  centers  about  the  life  of  Samuel  Higley,  the  fourth  son 
and  eighth  child  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah  Drake  Higley,  much 
that  is  of  provincial  importance,  the  success  of  his  achievements 
having  given  him  a  name  worthy  of  national  note. 

He  was  born  in  the  paternal  homestead  at  Simsbury,  Conn., 
about  the  year  1687;  the  precise  date  cannot  be  discovered. 
Like  his  brothers  and  sisters  he  was  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere 
of  diligence  and  perseverance. 

From  the  first  knowledge  that  is  gained  of  him  he  betrays 
unusual  talents  and  genius,  possessing  a  shrewd,  sagacious,  and 
original  mind,  which  leaned  to  investigation,  with  no  torpor  in  his 
constitution.  He  became  a  man  of  science.  No  sooner  does  he 
appear  in  one  direction  in  an  effort  to  accomplish  a  project,  than 
his  power  of  origination  immediately  leads  him  into  another  cur- 
rent of  a  different  type. 

His  opportunity  for  learning  was  much  in  advance  of  his  older 
brothers;  he  having  been  sent  to  the  best  educational  institutions 
in  the  colony,  where  he  received  a  classical  education,  and  his 
development  of  capacity  gives  evidence  that  he  made  the  best  use 
of  these  advantages.  There  is  a  credible  tradition  that  he  was 
for  two  years  a  student  of  Yale  College  very  soon  after  the 
"  Collegiate  School"  was  founded,  where  he  was  distinguished  for 
studiousness  "  with  credit  to  himself." 

From  this  time  ever  afterward  Samuel  was  "  the  scribe  "  of  the 
family,  and  was  so  designated  by  the  household.  His  style  of  pen- 
manship was  a  neat,  clear,  and  bold  hand,  that  is  very  frequently 
found  upon  the  books  embellished  with  fanciful  strokes  and 
dashes  which  do  not  fail  to  mark  the  reader's  curious  attention. 

"5 


Il6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  appears  that  soon  after  the  marriage  of  his  sister  Hannah  to 
Joseph  Trumbull,  while  he  was  yet  in  his  teens,  he  resided  in  her 
family  at  Lebanon,  Conn.  An  expense  account,  entered  into  an 
account  book  in  his  father's  hand,  is  as  follows  : 

"  Joseph  Trumbull  of  Lebanon  Dr. —     Per  Contra  C.  £    s.    d. 

by  boarding  and  cloatheing  of  Sam1  Higley  in  his  nonage  by  his 
father's  Desire  by  agreement, 500" 

How  long  he  remained  at  Lebanon  cannot  be  ascertained ;  how- 
ever, we  are  warranted  in  the  conclusion  that  it  was  during  the 
period  when  he  was  from  seventeen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  he  was  pursuing  his  studies.  As  he  was 
but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died,  the  care  of  his 
young  boyhood  may  have  fallen  largely  upon  this  sister, — 
Hannah, — resulting  in  a  warm  attachment  between  the  two; 
there  being  evidences  that  he  was  much  at  Lebanon  after  she  was 
settled  in  her  home  there,  and  that  the  future  Governor  of  Con- 
necticut— the  first  Governor  Trumbull,  in  his  early  years  was  the 
daily  companion  of  this  uncle. 

The  year  1714  found  him  a  schoolmaster.  He  continued  teach- 
ing for  three  years,  and  at  the  same  time  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  "  Physic  and  chyrurgary." 

In  the  same  year  his  father  died;  and  Samuel,  though  yet 
a  young  man,  was  chosen  to  act  with  his  eldest  brother  John 
Higley,  as  executor  of  the  estate;  his  scholarly,  acute  mental 
abilities  no  doubt  fitting  him  in  the  mind  of  his  father  to  be 
his  most  suitable  child  in  whom  to  repose,  together  with  his 
brother,  this  trust.  The  care  of  the  estate  claimed  the  attention 
of  the  two  brothers  for  several  years. 

At  a  later  date,  on  the  executors  offering  a  piece  of  land  at 
public  sale  which  had  been  owned  by  Captain  Higley,  certain 
charges  among  Samuel's  accounts  are  significant  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  not  unaccustomed  to  turning  his  natural  sagacity  to 
profitable  ends;  and  that  he  well  understood  the  exhilarating 
effects  and  jovial  good  feeling,  tending  toward  a  good  bargain, 
which  might  be  produced  by  offering  a  social  bait  to  his  neighbors 
and  friends. 

"  1723  Sept,  18.     To  my  Travail  from  Lebanon  to  Simsbury  (to  sell      s.     d. 

Said  Land)  and  my  ferriage, IO     JO 

To  2  Quarts  of  Rumm  and  a  pownd  of  Shugar  for  to  Invite  bidders 

at  Said  Vendue,     . 49" 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  117 

"  Then  whisky  made  by  honest  men 
Was  drank  by  men  upright." 

Another  entry  shows  that,  during  the  year  1716,  he  suffered 
with  an  illness  which  must  have  been  of  considerable  duration. 
To  his  brother-in-law,  Nathaniel  Bancroft,  he  paid  ^3  los.  for 
"  keeping  me  when  sik  by  agreement. "  He  made  purchase  the 
same  year  of  a  "  mar  and  colt"  at  a  cost  of  ^6  ios.,  probably 
for  use  in  his  medical  practice. 

From  1714  to  1717  he  was  preparing  himself,  under  the  tutorage 
of  Drs.  Thomas  Hooker  and  Samuel  Mather  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
to  enter  the  medical  profession. 

The  standard  of  medical  education  during  the  times  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Higley,  and  the  method  and  opportunities  for  gaining 
medical  and  surgical  knowledge,  were  practically  another  matter 
from  the  system  of  to-day.  From  a  scientific  standpoint  the 
ignorance  of  the  profession,  as  compared  with  its  present  high 
attainment,  was  lamentable.  The  progressive  days  of  antagonistic 
''schools"  of  medicine  and  organized  medical  societies  had  not 
yet  come.  Professional  training  was  obtained  privately  ;  the 
student  entering  the  office  of  a  prominent  practicing  physician, 
under  whose  direction  and  instruction  he  "  read,"  or  studied. 

The  young  would-be  doctor  was,  however,  required  to  give 
himself  to  diligent  application  in  study  and  to  the  studious  inves- 
tigation of  disease  such  as  he  could  gain  from  the  limited  medical 
works  which  were  put  into  his  hands.1  When  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced, he  accompanied  his  medical  tutor  upon  his  "rounds"  in 
his  professional  visits  for  one  or  two  years.  He  was  then  con- 
sidered ready  to  enter  the  ranks  of  recognized  practitioners  ;  and 
now  might  apply  for  a  license.8 

The  medical  tutors  of  Samuel  Higley  were  residents  of  Hartford, 
and  were  experienced  men,  standing  foremost  in  their  profes- 
sion. Dr.  Thomas  Hooker  was  a  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  the  founder  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  of  eminent  New  Eng- 
land fame,  and  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Hooker  of  Farmington. 
He  was  "approved  and  allowed  to  goe  on  in  the  practice  of  phis- 

1  A  practical  knowledge  of  anatomy  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain.  It  was  not  until  sixty- 
seven  years  after  this  period  that  "  the  State  of  Massachusetts  passed  an  Act  regarding  anatomy, 
which  was  the  first  legislative  Act  in  this  country  that  is  known,  providing  that  human  bodies 
which  had  been  executed  or  killed  in  duel  might  be  given  up  to  surgeons  for  dissection." 

a  "  The  average  fee  for  a  country  physician  was  one  shilling  for  a  less  distance  than  two  miles,  i.  e. 
thirteen  and  one  half  cents,  and  an  additional  shilling  for  every  additional  mile."    The  physician 
compounded  and  prepared  his  medicines  with  his  own  hands. 
9 


Il8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

sick   by  the  Court  held,    Oct  1684,"  and  had  now  been  in   the 
practice  of  his  profession  thirty-three  years. 

Dr.  Samuel  Mather  was  scarcely  less  noted,  being  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Mather  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  a  minister  of  distin- 
guished prominence,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  Yale  University. 
He  had  had  a  high  medical  reputation  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
is  found  visiting  patients  at  Windsor  in  1705,  his  professional  cir- 
cuit extending  over  many  miles  of  country  in  Hartford  County. 

The  Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge,  then  of  Hartford,  who  was 
another  of  the  brood  of  noted  ministers  of  the  times,  and  also 
one  of  the  founders  of  Yale,  was  a  faithful  friend  of  the  Hig- 
leys,  of  long  standing,  and  interested  himself  in  Samuel's 
studies.1 

Enjoying  as  Samuel  Higley  did  the  close  friendship  and  com- 
panionship of  these  leading  theologians  and  scientific  men  of  the 
colony,  they  brought,  no  doubt,  a  very  perceptible  influence  upon 
his  social  tastes  as  well  as  his  professional  life.  That  he  was  a 
student  whose  individual  merit  was  valued  is  shown  by  the  excel- 
lent recommendations  given  him  by  these  men  of  first  consequence 
in  the  colony. 

The  winter  of  1716-17  was  spent  at  Woodbridge,  N.  J.,  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  he 
made  application  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  for  a 
license. 

"HARTFORD  CONN.,  May  20,  1717. 
"To  the  Honourable  ye  Generall  Assembly  ;  &c. 

"  Samuel  Higley  of  Simsbury  Humbly  sheweth,  That  by  good 
Providence  I  have  had  more  than  common  Education  ;  and  being 
employed  Three  years  in  Keeping  school,  did  Improve  all  Opor- 
tunities  in  the  Study  of  Physick  and  Chyrurgary,  since  which  for 
Two  Years  past  have  studyed  and  practiced  said  Arts  under  the 
care  and  Instruction  of  Doctor  Thomas  Hooker  and  Doctor 
Samuel  Mather  who  have  pleased  to  Recommend  me,  as  one 
qualified  for  that  service,  and  advise  that  I  apply  my  Self  to  this 
Hond  Cort  for  a  Lycence. 

"  I  do  therefore  Humbly  Pray  Youl'd  Please  to  give  your  Apro- 
bation  and  Allowance  by  Granting  a  Lycence  that  I  may  Practis 
S'd  Arts  Orderly  ;  which  may  be  to  the  Comfort  and  Welfare  of 

1  "  To  the  ministers  in  these  days  were  submitted  all  matters  that  required  legal  and  learned 
ability." 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  119 

ye  Generation  which  I  am  Obliged  to  Serve,  as  well  as  to  my  own 
profit  and  advantage,  and  your  Petitioner  shall  ever  Pray,  &c. 

"SAMUHlGLEY." 

"The  above  Petition  allowed  in  the  Upper  House. 
"  Test,  HEZ.  WYLLYS  Secretary. 
"  In  the  lower  House  past. 

"  I  WADSWORTH  Clerk."  * 

From  the  original  papers  to  which  are  appended  the  original 
Autographs  : 

"Considering  ye  great  want  of  learned  and  faithful  physicians 
amongst  us,  and  knowing  Mr.  Sam11  Higley's  abilities  and  ye  prog- 
ress he  hath  made  in  ye  Theory  and  practice  in  ye  Art  of  physic 
and  Chyrurgary,  we  ye  Subscribers  do  hereby  recommend  him  to 
ye  Generall  Assembly  now  sitting  as  one  qualified  for  a  Licen- 
tiate. "THOMAS  HOOKER)  Meda 

"May  nth,  1717.  "SAM1  MATHER  )  Practitioners  " 

"This  may  certify  that  upon  good  information  I  have  been 
asured  that  Mr.  Samuel  Higley  practiced  physic  ye  last  winter  at 
Woodbridge  in  ye  Jerseys  with  good  success  and  acceptance. 

"May  2Qth,  1717.  "T.  WOODBRIDGE." 

From  "  Colonial  Records  of  Connecticut,"  1725  : a 

"  Samuel  Higley  of  Simsbury  having  produced  to  this  Assembly 
authentick  testimonials  of  the  progress  he  hath  made  in  the  theory 
and  practice  of  chyrurgary  and  physic  :  Whereupon  this  Assembly 
do  grant  licence  to  said  Samuel  Higley  to  practice  both." 

Although,  like  many  other  men  of  his  day,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley 
had  engaged  in  educational  interests  and  pursued  scientific  inves- 
tigation with  eager  energy  ;  although  he  held  considerable  wealth 
as  a  landowner  and  was  now  engaged  in  medical  practice,  never- 
theless he  had  meanwhile  found  time  to  learn  a  trade,  and  be- 
came a  practical  blacksmith. 

As  has  been  already  stated  the  trades  and  professions  were 
curiously  mingled  in  those  times.  It  has  been  remarked  that 
"assorted  vocations  were  then  as  common  as  assorted  wares." 

1  From  the  original  copy  of  "Appointments  by  the  General  Assembly  Courts,  1669-1724,"  in  the 
Connecticut  State  Library  ;  kindly  furnished  by  C.  J.  Hoadly.  State  Librarian. 
»  Page  15. 


120 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 


At  this  early  period  the  fees  received  by  surgeons  and  medical 
men  being  very  meager,  it  was  frequently  the  case  that  they 
sought  additional  vocations  for  increasing  their  annual  income. 

It  was  at  the  forge  that  Dr.  Higley  afterward  developed  his 
genius  and  attained  his  widest  celebrity.  His  lamp  now  began 
to  shine  with  a  good  deal  of  brilliancy  in  the  Colony. 

The  following  is  the  record  of  his  marriage,  which  took  place 
at  Westfield,  Mass. : 

"Sept  19  1719 — Mr.  Samuel  Higley  and  Abigail  Beman  had  their  names  with 
their  intentions  of  marriage  were  given  to  me  and  entered  in  order  to  publication  on 
the  day  above  stated." 

He  appears  soon  after  this  date  to  have  established  a  home  of 
his  own  at  Simsbury.  In  his  home,  as  well  as  in  other  colonial 
homes  of  that  day,  quantities  of  pork  and  rye  were  consumed. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  charges  in  account  with  his 
father's  estate  : 


£ 

s. 

d. 

"  Samuel  Higley  Dr.  to  Estate. 

g 

7 

to 

8 

10 

o  M 

His  house,  which  is  marked  with  perfect  clearness  on  a  map 
made  about  1728-29,  is  found  situated  at  the  "vineyard  notch," 
on  the  rocky  ridge  of  the  Talcott  range,  a  chain  of  fine  mountain- 
ous hills  rising  from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea  level.  It  overlooked  for  many  miles,  toward  different  points 
of  the  compass,  a  grand  stretch  of  the  green-robed  valleys  of  the 
beautiful  Connecticut  and  Farmington  rivers,  and  stood  con- 
spicuous from  almost  every  outlook  in  the  valley.  The  beauty 
of  its  location  could  scarcely  be  surpassed.  Nature  gave,  in 
exquisite  touches  of  landscape,  a  charming  scene  from  his  door- 
way, from  whence  he  could  proudly  view  all  of  the  neighboring 
localities. 

In  one  direction  a  fine  picture  is  presented  to  the  eye  in  the 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  1 21 

ragged  ledges  rising,  height  above  height,  thinly  clad  in  pines  and 
cedars;  while,  by  taking  a  few  steps  from  his  house,  he  could  com- 
mand a  view  of  his  copper-mining  lands,  between  which  and  his 
home  lay  a  marsh  and  meadow,  now  covered  with  brambles  and 
the  home  of  frogs. 

Whittier  wrote,  after  visiting  the  scene  in  1830,  just  one  hun- 
dred years  afterward  : 

"  Beautiful  Mount  !  with  thy  waving  wood 
And  thy  old,  gray  rocks,  like  ruins  rude 
And  hoary  and  mossy  in  masses  piled, 
Where  the  heart  had  thrilled  and  the  dark  eye  smiled. 
I  love  to  gaze  from  thy  towered  brow 
On  the  gloom  and  grandeur  and  beauty  below, 
When  the  wind  is  rocking  thy  dwarfish  pines, 
And  thy  ruffled  lake  in  the  sunlight  shines — 
W'here  the  beautiful  valleys  look  glad  afar, 
Like  the  fairy  land  of  some  holy  star 
By  Fancy  seen — where  the  soul  goes  forth, 
With  an  unchanged  wing  from  the  cold,  dull  earth  ; 
And  the  mists  from  its  vision  pass  away 
Like  the  shade  of  night  from  the  glance  of  day  ! 
'Tis  gladness  all — like  a  dream  of  love, 
With  a  smiling  forehead  beaming  above, 
And  a  beautiful  hand  on  the  temples  pressing 
As  softly  and  sweet  as  an  angel's  blessing; 
And  a  tone  breathed  low  in  the  dreaming  ear, 
Like  the  chastened  music  which  spirits  hear. 

"  Beautiful  Mount  ! — I  may  look  no  more 
On  thy  ancient  rocks,  and  thy  lake's  green  shore — 
Yet  the  spirit's  pencil  has  traced  thy  chart 
Of  wildness  and  joy  on  the  human  heart — 
And  though  my  step  may  be  far  from  where 
Thy  pine-tops  shake  in  the  stirring  air, 
Yet  oft  will  that  chart  before  me  pass 
Like  a  shadowed  dream  in  a  mystic  glass  ; 
And  thy  form  and  features,  as  now  thou  art, 
Live  on  in  the  secret  depths  of  the  heart." 

— J.  G.  W. 

A  few  stones  which  mark  the  foundation,  a  family  group  of 
venerable  apple  trees,  and  a  spring  choked  with  fallen  leaves  and 
rubbish  from  the  native  forest  trees  which  surround  it,  still  mark 
the  spot  which  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  called  home. 

The  road  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  by  which  the  dwell- 
ing was  reached,  long  since  became  almost  untraceable. 


122  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  is  easy  to  trace  in  Samuel  Higley's  nature  a  certain  amount  of 
enthusiasm;  he  was  undoubtedly  possessed  of  an  ardent  tempera- 
ment. The  birth  of  his  first  child,  Jonathan,  occurred  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1721.  The  date  and  time  of  entry  upon  the  public  records 
of  Simsbury  would  indicate  that  he  sped  his  way  with  great 
alacrity  to  announce  and  record  *  the  happy  event,  the  record  hav- 
ing been  made  in  his  own  clear,  bold  handwriting  in  the  brief 
space  of  one  hour  after  the  birth,  though  his  home  was  more  than 
five  miles  distant. 

Annie,  his  first  daughter,  was  .born  September  4,  1726,  "at 
break  of  day."  His  third  and  last  daughter  is  simply  recorded 
thus  : 

"Abigail,  daughter  of  Samuel  Higley  and  Abigail  his  wife  was 
born  June  22d  1733."  a 

In  town  affairs  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  appears  to  have  entered 
with  readiness,  though  his  activities  in  this  connection  are  not 
found  to  equal  those  of  his  brothers  John  and  Brewster.  His 
name,  however,  appears  in  honorable  appointments  upon  town 
committees  for  various  services.  But  it  is  found  written  in  no 
church-roll ;  there  is  not  a  scrap  in  his  history  upon  this  point.3 
In  one  instance,  recorded  December  21,  1728,  he  and  Timothy 
Phelps  served  from  Turkey-Hills  to  "  lay  the  circumstances  of  the 
Town  before  a  committee  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly 
concerning  the  location  of  a  meeting  house."  * 

The  scientific  bent  of  his  mind  turned  him  to  experimenting, 
and  finally  to  discovering  a  process  for  the  manufacture  of  steel, 
which  he  claimed,  in  his  petition  to  the  General  Assembly  for  a 
license,  was  the  first  effort  in  America,  and  which  made  him  some 
fame.  Meeting  with  encouraging  success  he  enlisted  the  interest 
of  a  partner,  Joseph  Dewey  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  and  in  1727 
applied  for  a  patent.  Proof  was  produced  that  he  had  made  steel 
from  the  iron  found  in  Turkey-Hills,  which,  by  experienced 
judges,  was  pronounced  a  good  article.  His  scheme  and  labor 
proved  successful.  The  petition  was  granted  May,  1728,  and  a 
patent  secured  according  the  privilege  of  manufacturing  steel 
for  a  term  of  ten  years. 

1  Book  iii.  "  Simsbury  Records,"  p.  261.  a  Book  iii.  "  Simsbury  Records,"  p.  327. 

8  There  are  slight  evidences  that  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the  Church  of  England. 
*  Book  iii.  Town  Acts,  p.  44. 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  123 

How  long  he  continued  in  the  enterprise  is  uncertain.  There 
is  no  indication  that  the  undertaking  failed,  but  Dr.  Samuel  Hig- 
ley's  death  occurred  before  the  lease  expired.  The  patent  ap- 
pears to  have  been  held  until  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  no 
other  application  being  granted  for  twelve  years,  when  the 
General  Court  then  granted  a  license  for  the  same  object  to 
Thomas  Fitch,  George  Wyllys,  and  Robert  Walker,  for  a  term  of 
fifteen  years. 

The  colonists  were  at  this  time  greatly  hampered  in  their 
efforts  at  manufacturing.  There  was  little  incentive — beyond 
their  actual  needs — to  push  the  industries.  As  the  country  en- 
larged, and  lucrative  trade  and  manufacturing  interests  increased, 
the  English  Government  was  casting  jealous  eyes  at  every  move- 
ment that  men  of  affairs  on  American  soil  were  making  to  supply 
the  colonists'  necessities.  From  merchants  and  manufacturers  in 
England  who  consulted  their  selfish  interests  came  constant  com- 
plaints to  the  Crown,  and  Parliament  had  passed  oppressive  and 
stringent  laws  of  trade.  England  was  already  declaring  "that 
the  erecting  of  manufactories  in  the  colonies,  tended  to  lessen 
their  dependence  upon  Great  Britain,"  *  and  was  laying  a  heavy 
hand  upon  the  western  colonies  through  these  restraining  laws. 
It  finally  came  to  pass,  a  few  years  later,  that  the  manufacture  of 
iron  and  steel  was  entirely  prohibited,  and  "slitting  mills,  forges 
and  furnaces  in  the  colonies  were  declared  by  the  home  Govern- 
ment common  nuisances."  '  Thus  she  unwittingly  was  maturing 
the  sprouting  seed  which,  in  after  years,  developed  open  rupture 
and  revolution. 

As  has  been  stated,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  was  a  considerable  land- 
holder, for  those  times.  From  his  father's  estate  he  received  his 
full  share.  This  laid  toward  Turkey-Hills.  That  which  he 
received  by  inheritance  from  his  mother  he  sold  to  his  sister 
Sarah.  His  acres  were  further  added  to  by  legacy  from  his 
brother  Jonathan  at  his  death;  and  at  the  general  distribution  of 
common  and  undivided  lands  made  at  a  town  meeting  held  January 
2,  1723,  he  was  one  among  other  Higleys,  together  with  a  large 
number  of  individuals  who  received  grants.  "These  grants 
were  apportioned,  it  is  believed,  by  the  respective  amounts  of 
the  grantees'  lists  of  estates,  and  contained  quantities  varying 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  forty  acres  each."  * 

1  Pitkin's  "  Political  and  Civil  History  of  the  United  States,"  p.  101. 
3  Phelps,  "  History  of  Simsbury." 


124  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

But  his  most  valuable  ownership  was  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-three  acres,  which  he  purchased  July  29,  1728.  The 
deed  was  given  by  William  Dement  of  Enfield,  Mass.  This  tract 
lay  adjoining  lands  which  Dr.  Higley  already  owned.  For  three 
different  adjoining  tracts  located  "on  and  neat  unto  ye  east 
mountain  toward  that  part  of  ye  town  called  Turkey  Hills,"  he 
paid  "  ye  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  currant  New  England 
money."  *  The  first  "parcell"  described  in  the  deed  was  marsh 
or  meadow  land  with  "ten  acres  of  upland  originally  granted  to 
Mr.  Simon  Wolcott  by  the  town  meeting,  Aug.  2ist  1671,  and 
laid  out  Jan.  ist  1674,  which  contains  by  estimate  forty  acres."2 
Upon  this  tract  was  situated  the  Higley  copper-mine. 

The  second  piece  of  land  was  at  "the  westwardly  end  of  a 
lot  granted  to  Capt.  John  Higley,  containing  thirteen  acres." 
Upon  this  was  located  his  dwelling  upon  the  mountain. 

The  next  tract  lying  between  the  above-named  "parcells" 
extended  for  "a  mile  in  length  and  forty-five  rods  in  width, 
bounded  northerly  by  ye  road  that  crosses  ye  mountain."  Here 
he  built,  a  few  years  later — between  1730-34 — another  dwelling 
house,  to  which  he  appears  to  have  removed. 

The  ruin  of  this  house  is  still  standing  [1892],  though  it  is  on 
the  verge  of  falling  to  the  ground  and  is  uninhabitable.  It 
stands  in  close  proximity  to  the  well-known  Higley  copper-mine  ; 
a  mine  that  has  associated  the  family  name  with  a  good  degree  of 
distinction  during  the  last  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  years.  It 
seems  quite  clear  that  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  was  occupying  this 
new  dwelling  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  That  he  was  its 
builder  is  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  massive  iron  door-latches  and 
hinges  hammered  out  by  hand,  the  nails  with  which  the  building 
is  constructed,  every  one  of  which  were  patiently  wrought  out 
on  the  blacksmith's  forge,  and  the  wrought-iron  crane  in  the 
huge  chimney  fireplace  all  give  unmistakable  signs  that  they 
were  the  handicraft  of  its  old-time  builder  and  owner.  It  is  a 
fair  colonial  relic  of  the  houses  of  its  day.  It  is  entered  by  the 
traditional  south  door,  a  flowing  spring  is  close  by,  and  the  old 
well,  with  the  remains  of  the  old-time  well-sweep,  is  still  here, 
and  from  the  brim  of 

"The  old  oaken,  iron-bound,  moss-covered  bucket," 
the  ancient  miner  used  to  drink  no  doubt  many  a  refreshing  quaff. 

1  Book  v.  "  Simsbury  Record,"  p.  3-55.     The  original  boundaries  are  described  upon  Record. 
s  Book  i.  "  Simsbury  Records,"  p.  128. 


SAMUEL   HIGLEY,    1ST.  125 

THE    HIGLEY    COPPER-MINE. 

The  location  of  the  Higley  copper-mine  at  the  time  when  it 
was  owned  by  Dr.  Samuel  Higley,  and  during  the  fifty  succeed- 
ing years,  was  in  the  township  of  Simsbury,  Conn.  A  subdivision 
of  the  township  in  1786  included  the  mine  in  that  part  called 
Granby  till  the  year  1858,  when  a  subsequent  subdivision  was 
made  which  places  it  at  the  present  date  in  East  Granby. 

It  was  property  held  quite  separate  from  the  famous  New- 
gate prison  and  copper-mines,  from  which  it  was  separated  a 
distance  of  one  and  a  half  mile  to  the  south. 

Whether  this  mine  had  been  worked  before  Dr.  Higley  became 
the  owner  of  the  lands  cannot  be  ascertained.  It  was  success- 
fully worked  about  forty-seven  years  during  that  century,  from 
the  time  that  Dr.  Higley  operated  it.  Large  heaps  of  ore  and 
bits  of  copper  can  now  be  found  on  the  spot  ;  probably  the 
remains  of  operations  which  were  begun  and  abandoned  after  a 
brief  period  about  1831. 

There  are  two  shafts  which  go  down  through  trap  rocks, 
with  which  this  and  the  adjacent  mountainous  hills  abound,  and 
one  of  these,  though  choked  with  the  debris  and  rubbish  which 
have  been  collecting  for  the  last  sixty  years,  is  still  twenty  feet 
deep. 

The  mine  contains  valuable  deposits  of  mineral,1  "-some 
masses,"  it  is  said,  "producing  as  much  as  thirty  to  forty  per 
cent,  of  copper.  The  average  product  was  from  ten  to  twelve 
per  cent.  Professor  Silliman  of  Yale  University,  who  made  the 
latest  survey  of  these  mines  on  Copper-Hill  [about  1870],  says  : 
'  the  ore  is  of  the  most  valuable  description.' ' 

There  is  a  traditional  story  afloat,  which  was  told  to  the  writer 
by  an  elderly  gentleman  living  in  the  vicinity,  who  used  to  hear 
his  aged  father  and  the  old  men  of  the  neighborhood  say  that 
in  some  spots  the  deposit  of  copper  in  the  mine  was  so  rich  and 
of  such  fineness  that  Higley  was  in  the  habit  of  entering  his  mine 
with  a  pick,  obtaining  a  lump  of  almost  pure  metal,  and  making 
a  coin,  with  which  he  would,  in  his  liking  for  convivial  enjoyment, 
make  himself  doubly  welcome  over  the  social  mug  at  the  nearest 
tavern. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  mining  interests  the  ore  was  sent 
to  England  and  smelted  there,  no  furnaces  being  permitted  in 

'"History  of  Newgate  of  Connecticut." 


126  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  colonies.1  To  ship  the  ore  to  England  they  were  forced  to 
transport  it  in  wagons  over  the  steep,  mountainous  hills,  and 
rough  roads  newly  made  through  the  wilds  of  the  forests,  to  a 
shipping  point  on  the  Connecticut  River,  where  it  became  the  cargo 
of  sailing  vessels,  which  were  many  weeks  in  crossing  the  ocean. 
The  energy  and  courage  of  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  did  not  fail  be- 
cause of  the  difficulties  in  the  way.  He  owned  and  continued 
to  operate  the  mine  until  his  death.  The  property  has  always 
been  known  and  described  in  the  deeds  until  about  1870,  as  "the 
Higley-mine"  and  "mining-lands." 

THE    HIGLEY  COPPER. 

Meanwhile  the  remarkable  genius  and  inventive  faculties  of  our 
physician-blacksmith  were  in  practical  play  upon  another  enter- 
prise, which  stamps  his  name  in  the  very  early  history  of  the 
numismatic  annals  of  our  country.  He  had  no  "learned  black- 
smith "  preceding  him,  whose  life  might  have  been  an  incentive 
to  learning  and  genius;  his  new  enterprise  was  due  solely  to  his 
natural  originality  and  excellent  ability.  "Elihu  Burrett  and 
Robert  Collyer,"  said  Beecher,  "  of  whom  blacksmiths  love  to 
speak,  had  not  yet  been  born  nor  lived  to  hammer  out  their  learn- 
ing at  night  by  the  forge."  Like  Franklin,  whose  scientific  ideas 
were  always  practical,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  applied  his  "wit  and 
wisdom  "  to  practical  account.  He  suggested  a  way  to  meet  a 
deficient  circulation  of  currency  by  turning  pure  copper  into  a 
money  metal,  and  was  the  designer  and  manufacturer,  so  far  as  is 
known,  of  the  first  copper  coinage  of  the  country.2 

Just  when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  the  "  Higley  Coppers  " 3 

1  "At  one  period  the  restrictions  of  the  English  Government  were  disregarded,  and  a  mill  for 
crushing  the  ore  which  the  different  mines  on  Copper-hill  yielded  and  for  smelting  it  were  clandes- 
tinely worked  some  miles  away.  Remains  of  these  old  furnaces  were  to  be  seen  for  nearly  a 
century  afterwards.  Necessity,  however,  forced  the  abandonment  of  the  effort." — Phelps1 
History. 

The  Higley-mine  was  worked  in  1831  under  the  superintendency  of  Richard  Bacon.  "Owing 
to  difficulties,"  says  Phelps,  "  in  the  process  of  smelting  and  refining  the  ore,  and  the  pecuniary 
embarrassment  of  the  times,  the  works  were  discontinued."  For  the  last  half  century  copper  can 
be  procured  at  cheaper  rates  from  Lake  Superior  and  other  points. 

a  During  the  proprietary  government  of  North  Carolina  a  medal  was  in  existence  which  may 
have  had  a  moneyed  value  as  a  coin.  "  In  the  year  1694  a  copper  piece  was  struck,  it  is  said  by 
Rollers,  a  celebrated  medalist  of  that  day,  for  circulation  in  Carolina.  It  bears  the  figure  of  an 
elephant  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  the  inscription,  '  God  preserve  Carolina  and  the  Lords 
Proprietors,  1694.' "  It  is  noticed  in  English  publications  and  in  Frank  Leslie's  Family 
Magazine. 

8  To  designate  this  coin  as  the  Granby  Copper  is  entirely  erroneous  ;  the  name  "  Granby  "  not 
then  being  known  in  that  section  of  Simsbury.  The  town  Granby  was  not  established  till  1786, 
fifty  years  after  the  Higley  coppers  were  manufactured. 


THE    HIGLEY  COPPER. 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    \ST.  127 

which  were  made  from  the  ore  in  his  own  mine,  is  impossible  to 
ascertain.  It  was  undoubtedly  between  the  year  1729  and  the 
first  half  of  the  year  1737.  The  oldest  specimens  preserved, 
which  bear  date,  were  coined  in  1737.  There  were  five  different 
issues  of  three  similar  devices,  three  of  which  bear  no  date  and 
were  probably  made  prior  to  that  year.  They  are  described  in 
the  "Visitor's  Guide  and  History  of  the  U.  S.  Mint,"1  at  Phila- 
delphia, as  follows: 

"  Their  Obverses  are  similar: — A  deer  standing:  below  him  a 
hand,  a  star,  and  III;  around  him  is  the  legend  inclosed  in  two 
circles —  Value  me  as  you  please. 

"The  Reverse  of  one  variety  has  three  hammers  crowned,  and 
the  legend — /  am  Good  Copper,  a  hand,  some  dots  fancifully 
arranged,  and  1737. 

"  The  third  variety  has  a  broad-axe  and  the  legend — /  cut  my 
way  through.  A  very  few  also  bear  date  1739." 

This  limited  coinage  was  precisely  like  the  coin  that  Dr.  Samuel 
Higley  produced  in  1737. 

Phelps,  in  his  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  states  that  "the  coin  is 
said  to  have  passed  for  two  and  sixpence  [42  cents],  in  paper  cur- 
rency it  is  presumed." 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  Dr.  Higley's  brother,  John 
Higley,  together  with  the  Rev.  Timothy  Woodbridge  and  William 
Cradock,8  made  the  issue  of  1739,  after  his  death. 

"The  trade  of  blacksmith, "says  Dickeson,  "  ever  since  Vulcan 
was  engaged  in  forging  thunderbolts,  has  given  the  world  some 
very  remarkable  men,  and  it  affords  great  pleasure  at  this  time  to 
be  able  to  contribute  toward  immortalizing  one  of  the  craft,  who 
not  only  devised,  but  manufactured  a  currency.  Dr.  Higley  the 
author  of  these  coppers  has  certainly  left  evidence  of  having  been 
an  artist  as  well  as  a  financier;  for  the  creatures  of  his  genius  and 

1  P.  65,  published  by  A.  M.  Smith,  1885. 

a  Cradock  was  probably  a  son  or  near  relative  of  William  Cradock  of  County  Durham,  England, 
who  issued  a  farthing  token  bearing  date  1666.  On  the  face  of  his  coin  is  a  device,  shield  of  arms, 
and  inscription,  "  William  Cradock  "  :  reverse,  "  1666  W.  C.  E."  Robert  Cradock  of  New  Fish 
Street,  London,  issued  a  farthing  token  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  writer  is  inclined  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  an  ancestral  connection  between  an 
Edward  Highley  of  Baldock,  Hertfordshire,  England,  and  Captain  John  Higley  who  came  to 
America,  the  spelling  of  the  name  having  become  perverted.  As  the  Higleys  of  England  have  not 
been  traced  beyond  Jonathan  of  Frimley,  Surrey,  the  question  remains  unsettled.  Edward 
Highley  issued  a  little  "  token  "  in  the  seventeenth  century  :  Obverse  side  in  center,  "  E.  S.  H." 
Reverse,  "In  Boldeck  1652." 


128  THE  H1GLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

skill  were,  for  the  times,  well  executed,  and  they  also  became  a 
currency." ' 

During  Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  day  "no  public  laws  had  been 
made  by  Connecticut  to  authorize  coinage  of  money,  or  to  specify 
its  value.  Specie  was  very  scarce  in  the  country,  and  the  coinage, 
at  this  embryo  mint  was  regarded  with  great  favor  by  residents 
in  the  vicinity.  The  foreign  trade  of  the  country,  which  was 
chiefly  confined  to  England,  was  principally  controlled  by  her; 
the  balance  of  trade  was  continually  against  us,  which  prevented 
the  importation  of  specie.  The  war  in  France  in  1745  turned  the 
tide  somewhat  in  our  favor,  and  considerable  quantities  of  the 
Higley  Copper  were  circulated  in  England  in  payment  of  war 
expenses."  a 

Though  the  coinage  of  the  Higley  copper  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  authorized  by  the  colony,  it  passed  as  a  medium  of 
exchange  into  a  considerable  circulation,  and  we  are  led  to  infer 
that  it  was  finally  recognized  by  the  colonial  authorities,  since 
they  certainly  took  no  action  toward  its  suppression,  though 
"  the  coinage  was  without  sanction  of  law." 

Without  question  this  financial  venture  proved  an  undertaking 
profitable  to  our  ancient  coiner,  and  useful  to  the  community, 
since  soon  after  his  death  there  were  leading  and  noted  citizens 
of  the  colony  who  made  effort  to  continue  a  copper  coinage,  and 
to  whom,  in  all  probability,  the  monetary  problem  was  suggested 
by  the  success  of  the  Higley  copper. 

In  October,  1739,  the  last  year  in  which  a  limited  issue  of  the 
Higley  coin  was  manufactured,  John  Read,  an  eminent  lawyer  of 
Hartford,  and  brother-in-law  of  Governor  Joseph  Talcott,  made 
application  to  the  General  Assembly  for  aid  to  secure  the  right 
of  coinage  from  the  Royal  Government;  and  also  addressed  a 
personal  letter  to  the  Governor  on  coinage  and  currency,  in  which 
he  urges  what  he  judges  to  be  of  great  importance  to  Connecti- 
cut, namely:  "to  procure  the  King's  patent  for  the  coinage  of 
copper  money  from  the  metal  produced  from  the  native  ores  of 
the  State."3 

He  offers  to  proceed  with  the  manufacture  of  the  same  at  his 
own  personal  expense  and  "such  as  I  shall  join  with  me,  if  any 

1  "  American  Numismatical  Manual,"  by  M.  W.  Dickeson,  M.  D.,  p.  80. 

8  Phelps'  "  History  of  Newgate  of  Connecticut,"  p.  21. 

*  This  petition,  dating  October  15,  1739,  and  the  original  letter  written  by  Read  referring 
thereto,  is  preserved  in  the  Connecticut  Archives  at  Hartford.  Through  the  kindness  of  C. 
J.  Hoadly,  Slate  Librarian,  the  writer  has  examined  the  documents. 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  129 

body  do  join  with  me,"  and  to  bear  the  entire  losses  as  well  as  to 
receive  the  entire  profits  accruing  from  the  enterprise. 

Crosby  says,  "There  is  no  doubt  but  John  Higley1  was  con- 
nected with  Read  in  this  attempt  to  secure  the  right  of  coinage, 
and  was  one  of  those  to  whom  Read  referred  as  '  Such  as  I  shall 
associate  with  me.'  "  a 

In  Mr.  Read's  effort  to  induce  the  General  Assembly  to  con- 
sider his  petition,  he  intimates  that  Timothy  Woodbridge  of 
Simsbury,  the  early  and  close  friend  of  Dr.  Samuel  Higley,  as 
well  as  "  Cradock,"  was  associated  in  some  way  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  proposed  undertaking. 

It  is,  nevertheless,  evident  that  Governor  Talcott  and  the 
Assembly  deemed  it  unwise  to  apply  to  the  Crown  for  a  patent, 
expecting  that  no  favors  would  be  granted. 

Specimens  of  the  Higley  copper  coin  have  become  very  rare. 
There  are  some  to  be  found  in  the  United  States  Mint  at  Phila- 
delphia, from  which  the  engraving  presented  was  photographed; 
and  in  the  collection  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  at 
Hartford,  together  with  a  few  in  private  cabinets  in  the  country. 
Among  the  owners  of  one  of  these  valuable  relics  is  Albert 
C.  Bates,  Esq.,  of  East  Granby,  Conn.,  one  of  Captain  John 
Higley's  descendants. 

For  more  than  threescore  years  Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  only 
grandson,  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  preserved  with  strictest  care 
specimens  which  finally  descended  to  his  great-grandson  Thomp- 
son Higley,  Sr.,  of  Windsor,  O.,  who  held  them  among  his 
choice  treasures  to  a  period  later  than  the  year  1860.  Two  of 
these  coins  were  associated  with  singular  but  sacred  memories  as 
having  been  placed  upon  the  eyes  of  Dr.  Samuel's  great-grand- 
daughter, Rachel  Higley  of  Granby,  after  her  death,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  keeping  them  closed.  It  was  a  custom  in  those  times  to 
use  coins  thus. 

Crosby  states  in  his  "  Early  Coins  of  America"9  that  "these 
coppers,  owing  to  the  fine  quality  of  the  metal  of  which  they  were 
composed,  were  much  in  favor  as  an  alloy  for  gold,  and  it  is  prob- 
ably due  in  part  to  this  cause  that  they  are  now  so  extremely 
rare.  We  are  informed  by  an  old  goldsmith,  aged  about  seventy- 
five  years,  that,  during  his  apprenticeship,  his  master  excused 

1  Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  eldest  brother. 

'  "  The  Early  Coins  of  America,"  by  Sylvester  S.  Crosby. 


13°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

himself  for  not  having  finished  a  string  of  gold  beads  at  the  time 
appointed,  as  he  was  unable  to  find  a  Higley  copper  with  which  to 
alloy  the  gold;  thus  indicating  that  they  were  not  easily  obtained 
seventy  years  ago. 

"  We  have  heard  it  related  of  Higley  that,  being  a  frequent  visit- 
ant to  the  tavern,  where  at  that  time  liquors  were  a  common  and 
unprohibited  article  of  traffic,  he  was  accustomed  to  pay  his 
'  scot '  in  his  own  coin,  and  the  coffers  of  the  dram-seller  soon 
became  overburdened  with  this  kind  of  cash,  of  the  type  which 
proclaims  its  own  value  to  be  equal  to  what  was  then  the  price  of 
a  'potation' — three  pence. 

"When  complaint  was  made  to  Higley,  upon  his  next  application 
for  entertainment,  which  was  after  a  somewhat  longer  absence 
than  was  usual  with  him,  he  presented  coppers  bearing  the  words, 
'Value  me  as  you  please,'  '  I  am  good  copper.' 

"Whether  the  change  of  base  facilitated  the  financial  designs 
of  the  ancient  coiner,  or  not,  we  have  never  been  informed  : 
Sure  we  are,  however,  that  should  he  be  aware  of  the  immense 
appreciation  in  the  value  of  his  coppers  since  that  day,  it  would 
amply  reward  him  for  the  insulting  conduct  of  the  innkeeper. 

"  We  cannot  vouch  for  the  truth  of  this  '  legend,'  but  we  believe 
those  first  issued  bore  the  words,  '  The  value  of  three-pence,' ' 
and,  whatever  the  cause,  subsequent  issues  more  modestly  re- 
quested the  public  to  value  them  according  to  their  own  ideas  of 
propriety,  although  they  did  not  refrain  from  afterwards  pro- 
claiming their  own  merit." 

Of  the.  rare  specimens  now  extant  few  are  found  perfect,  having 
been  stamped  upon  unalloyed  copper.  They  are  valued  at 
present  (1894)  by  numismatists  at  forty-five  to  seventy-five  dol- 
lars each. 

During  the  years  1859-60  a  spicy  lawsuit  took  place  between 
two  citizens  of  Suffield,  Conn.,  Chauncy  Eno  Viets,  and  George 
Williston,  concerning  one  of  these  coins,  the  suit  being  entered 
"for  the  recovery  of  a  Higley  copper." 

In  tearing  down  an  old  house  in  the  village  a  Higley  copper 
was  discovered,  which  came  into  the  possession  of  George  Willis- 
ton,  as  he  claimed,  by  purchase  from  Mr.  Viets.  Viets,  however, 
claimed  that  it  was  only  a  neighborly  loan  to  Williston,  that  he 

1  The  writer  does  not  agree  with  Mr.  Crosby — we  find  no  evidence  that  the  copper  was  ever 
marked  with  a  moneyed  value. 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,   1ST.  131 

might  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  showing  the  rare  specimen  to  some 
friends. 

In  course  of  time  Mr.  Viets  sought  legal  action  to  get  posses- 
sion of  his  treasure.  The  case  came  before  Esquire  Thomas 
Cushman,  justice  of  the  peace.  "  Squire  "  Cushman  decided  that 
Williston  should  retain  the  copper,  paying  Mr.  Viets  the  value  at 
which  the  coins  were  then  held — fifty  dollars — and  costs  of  court. 
The  money  was  forthcoming,  and  Williston  gloried  in  the  triumph 
of  an  ownership  of  the  valuable  memento  of  the  past. 

The  energies  of  Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  life  to  its  close  were  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  special  calling, — that  of  the  practice  of  med- 
icine,— in  which  it  is  shown  by  the  record  that  he  continued, 
together  with  his  interests  in  connection  with  his  copper-mine, 
and  the  manufacture  of  the  Higley  copper. 

The  circumstances  of  his  death  are  not  made  clear  in  the  dim 
mist  of  the  long  past  except  through  tradition,  which,  however, 
is  fully  sustained  by  a  few  lines  penned  in  rhyme  by  his  grandson 
Jonathan  Higley,  3d.  His  son  Jonathan  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  decease  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  grandson 
Jonathan,  3d,  would,  therefore,  have  ample  opportunity  to  gather 
correct  and  reliable  knowledge  of  his  grandfather's  death. 

Through  this  source,  and  through  different  channels  in  the 
family,  this  tradition  comes — that  Dr.  Higley  sailed  for  England 
in  a  ship  laden  with  his  own  copper  ore,  which  was  lost  at  sea, — 
that  he  reached  a  "silent  haven"  not  expected  when  he  bade 
adieu  to  these  shores, — the  voyage  ending  where  it  was  not 
expected  to  end — 

"  Through  the  evening  gate 
That  shuts  the  golden  west." 

The  sad  event  took  place  about  May,  1737.  There  is  a  pathetic 
interest  in  the  remarkable  coincidence  that  his  only  son  also 
met  his  death  by  drowning  at  precisely  the  same  age  that  his 
father  met  his — fifty  years. 

Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  will,  which  was  executed  on  the  30th  of 
January,  1734,  names  his  "loving  wife  Abigail  Higley"  the 
executrix  of  his  estate.  The  record  of  the  Court l  concerning 
it  is  as  follows: 

"  June  7th  1737 — The  LAST  WILL  &  TRSTAMKNT  OF  SAMUKL  HIGLEY  late  of  Symsbury 
Deed,  was  now  Exhibited  in  Court  by  Abigail  Higley  Widow  &  Rellict  of  Sd.  Deed.  (Executrix 
Named  in  Sd.  Will)  who  accepted  the  Trust  thereof  in  Court,  Sd.  Will  being  proved  is  by  this 

1 "  Hartford  County  Probate  Records,"  vol.  xiii. 


132  THE  HIGLEY S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Court  approved  Likewise  the  Sd.  Executrix  Exhibited  nn  Inventory  of  the  Estate  of  the  Sd.  Deed 
upon  oath  in  Manner  accostomed  which  Inventory  &  will  is  accepted  in  Court  &  ordered  to  be 
Recorded  and  kept  upon  file. 

"  I  Samuel  Higley  of  Symsbury  in  the  County  of  Hartford  &  State  of  Connecticut  in  New  Eng- 
land being  of  perfect  health  mind  &  memory  yet  knowing  it  is  appointed  for  all  men  once  to  Die, 
I  do  therefore  make  &  ordain  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament  Recommending  my  Soul  at  Death  to 
God  that  Gave  it,  and  my  Body  to  a  Decent  buriall  hoping  to  See  a  Glorious  Resurrection  by  Gods 
power  and  the  Worldly  Goods  &  Estate  which  I  am  blest  with  in  this  Life,  I  thus  Do  give  Bequeath 
and  Dispose  of  it,  after  my  just  Debts  &  Dues  are  paid 

"  Imprimis  I  give  &  Bequeath  to  my  Loving  Wife  Abigail  Higley  all  my  moveable  Estate  to  her 
Dispose  forever  (Excepting  my  Books  my  Chymical  Tools  &  white  faced  heifer  which  I  Shall  give 
to  my  Children)  I  also  give  her  the  Improvement  of  all  my  lands  and  mines  if  she  Continueth  my 
Widow  until  my  Son  Jonathan  Comes  to  the  age  of  Twenty-one,  and  to  have  the  Improvement  of 
one  half  until  my  Daughter  Ann  Comes  to  the  age  of  Sixteen  and  from  that  time  to  have  the  Im- 

Erovement  of  one  Third  of  three  quarters,  and  that  quarter  that  Abigail  may  Challange,  until 
aid  Abigail  comes  to  the  age  of  Sixteen,  from  thence  to  have  the  Improvement  of  the  one  third 
part  of  my  whole  Estate  During  her  Natural  Life,  but  in  Case  she  marrieth,  I  also  give  her 
full  power  So  long  as  She  remaineth  my  Widow  to  Sell  any  of  my  Lands  or  rights  or  Titles  To 
lands  Excepting  my  marsh  and  Ten  acres  adjoining  to  support  herself  &  family  of  my  Children 
and  to  pay  Debts — Item  I  give  unto  my  Son  Jonathan  Higley  half  my  Books,  and  all  my 
Chymicall  Tools,  I  also  give  him  the  one  half  of  my  marsh  and  the  one  half  of  the  Ten  Acres 
adjoining  on  the  Westward  Side,  with  the  one  half  of  all  the  mines  thereon  Contained,  to 
him  &  his  heirs  &  assigns  forever — And  provided  he  will  pay  to  his  two  Sisters  Ann 
Higley  &  Abigail  Higley  two  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  to  Each  ;  That  Is  To  Say  fifty 
pound's  money  to  Each  of  them  When  they  or  either  of  them  arrive  to  the  age  of  Sixteen  &  one 
hundred  pounds  to  each,  at  the  age  of  Eighteen,  and  one  hundred  pounds  money  to  Each  at  the 
age  of  Twenty  one.  that  then  the  whole  Shall  be  his  or  if  he  fulfill  this  order  To  one  then  her  part  of 
Said  premises  Shall  be  his  own— But  in  Case  he  doth  not  pay  them  at  the  time  above-said, 
that  then  my  Said  Daughters,  Ann  Higley  <£  Abigail  Higley  may  Enter  in  at  the  age  of  Sixteen — 
yet  Notwithstanding  if  the  Said  Jonathan  Will  at  the  age  of  Twenty  one  years  of  my  Daughters  pay 
the  whole  Sum  of  Two  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  with  Lawfull  Interest  besides  theire  Improvements 
that  then  the  primises  Shall  be  his.  I  also  give  my  Sd.  Son  Jonathan  Higley  one  half  part  of 
all  my  other  Lands  Rights  titles  and  Interest  that  I  now  have  or  may  have  to  him  his  heirs  & 
assigns  forever — Item  I  give  and  Bequeath  to  my  Daughter  Ann  Higley  the  one  quarter  part 
of  my  marsh  &  Ten  acres  of  upland  adjoining,  and  one  Quarter  of  all  the  mines  therein  Contained 
Excepting  her  Brother  pay  her  two  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  in  Money  at  the  Times  Above  Men- 
tioned Viz  fifty  pounds  at  or  when  She  Comes  to  the  age  of  Sixteen  Years,  and  one  hundred  pounds 
money  when  She  is  of  the  age  of  Eighteen  and  one  hundred  pounds  in  money  when  she  is  of  the 
age  of  twenty  one  years,  or  the  whole  two  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  being  paid  by  Sd.  Jonathan  with 
Lawfull  Interest,  when  &  So  Soon  as  the  Sd.  Ann  Comes  to  the  age  of  Twenty  one,  she  having 
free  Liberty  to  Enter  &  Improve  at  16  years  of  age,  until  he  Doth  pay  but  in  Case  he  Doth  not 
pay  at  the  Time  or  times  &  manner  above  Sd.  then  the  Sd.  Ann  Shall  have&  hold  Said  fourth  part 
to  her  &  her  heirs  for  Ever,  but  when  ever  she  Inclineth  to  sell,  to  Give  her  Sd.  Brother  the 
Refusall  thereof,  I  also  Give  her  one  fourth  part  of  my  Books,  &  one  fourth  part  of  my  other 
Lands  Rights  &  Interests  and  also  a  cow  or  heifer — being  brown  with  a  white  face — Item  I  also 
give  &  bequeath  to  my  Daughter  Abigail  Higley  in  Like  manner  as  to  her  Sister  Ann,  Two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  in  money  to  be  paid  by  her  brother  Jonathan  in  the  Like  manner  as  above  said 
Viz  fifty  pounds  money  when  She  is  Sixteen  years  alike,  one  hundred  pounds  money  at  or  when 
She  is  Eighteen  years  of  age,  and  one  hundred  pounds  when  She  is  twenty  one  years  of  age  and 
on  neglect  of  payment  as  above  or  with  Lawfull  Interest  at  the  last  time  mentioned,  then  She  Shall 
&  may  Enter  into  the  Marsh  &  ten  acres  of  upland  &  mines  therein  and  use  &  Improve  the  fourth 
part  thereof  and  after  she  hath  arrived  unto  the  years  of  Twenty  one,  and  the  payment  Last  men- 
tioned not  made  then  she  Shall  hold  the  Said  premises  to  her  &  her  heirs  for  Ever  ;  but  if  She  Sell 
to  Give  her  Brother  the  Refusall — I  also  give  her  the  fourth  part  of  all  my  other  Lands  Rights  & 
Titles,  with  the  fourth  part  of  my  Books  and  a  Chest  of  Drawers  worth  five  pounds— And  I  do 
hereby  make  ordain  Constitute  and  appoint  my  loving  Wife  Abigail  Higley  to  be  my  Executrix  to 
this  my  last  Will  &  Testament  fully  Impowenng  her  to  Sell  any  of  my  lands  Except  the  marsh  & 
Ten  acres  of  upland  adjoining,  for  to  pay  Debts  or  Support  herself  and  my  Children  so  long  as  she 
Doth  Continue  my  Widow,  but  not  after — In  Witness  where  of  I  have  hereunto  Set  my  hand  and 
fixed  my  seal  this  Thirtieth  Day  of  January  one  Thousand  Seven  hundred  &  thirty  three  four, 
signed  sealed  published  pronounced  &  Declared  by  Said  Samuel  Higley  to  be  his  last  will  and 
Testament, 

"  In  presence  of  us 

"  SAMUEL  GRISWOLD  /  ~~>— •  , 

"ELIZABETH  GRISWOLD,  her  mark  X  "SAMUEL  HIGLEY  "     -j  SEAL.  > 

"  ELIZABETH  GRISWOLD,  junr.  '  — < — - 

"  Jan.  soth  1733/4." 

An  Inventory  of  the  Estate  of  Doctor  Samuel  Higley  Deceased  Taken  by  us  Subscribers  being 
under  oath  as  follows  £ 

One  Gun  Sword  &  powder  horn,     .  .  .  .  .  .          3       10      o 

Spoon  mould,  155  ;.  Smoothing  Iron,  35  ;  Gauge,  2S  ;  fine  plain  Irons,  6s;  Ginter  Stock 

&  Iron,  3,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .190 

handsaw,  55  ;  Gimblets,  8d  ;  ads,  IDS  ;  3  Chisels,  45  ;    2  Creasing  Irons,  is.      .  .108 

Cart-band,  2-6 ;  betle   rings,   is  ;  a  pair  of  nipers,  j^d  ;   i   Trowel,  IDS  ;    Chimney 

Chain,  35,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  o       17      9 

a  pair  Tongs,  45  ;    frying  pan,  35 ;   Sythe   &  Tackling,  IDS  ;   old  pot,  6s  ;  broken 

pot,  35,       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .160 

quart  cups,  45  ;  bulg  quart  pot,  6s  ;  pint  bason,  8d  ;   quart  bason,  35  ;   old  puter  is-3d,        o      15      9 


SAMUEL  HIGLEY,    1ST.  133 

puter  platter,  75  ;   brass  kittle,   125  ;   Earthern  pot,   2S-6d  ;   Earthern  platter,  as  ; 

hour  glass,  i8d      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .140 

3  Small  bottles,  i8d ;  Cups,  as ;   Stone  Jug,  i8d  ;   2  white  viols,  25  ;    12  viols,  45  ;  2 

chairs,  55,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .0160 

8  Square  Glasses  &  Case  ilb,  jos  ;  Testament,  2S  ;   psalm  book  &  psalter,  35  ;    three 

glass  Stils  ilb  ;  i  bible  ilb,  IDS  .  .  •  .  .  .456 

quart  glass,    10 ;  Boneridg  Book  35  ;    Eaten  Book,  25  :   prayer  book,  is  ;   2  small 

book,  is,  .  .  .  .    _    _   .  .  .  .  .  .080 

vise    book,   2S ;    prayer  book,  is  ;    Great    Dictionary,   3~o-6d  ;   Sermon  book,    i8d  ; 
Pharmocopia  batema,    i7S-6d  ;    family   Dictionary,    IDS  ;     Waldon's    Book,    is ; 
Polegraffy  book,  55  ;    i  Letter  Book,  ips  ;   morphews  Book,  35  ;  Anonmies  Book, 
35  ;   Sacuties  Book,  6s  ;  Book  of  principles,  zs,          .  .  .  .  .626 

English    Dictionary,   8s  ;  Billery    precepts,    33 ;    Concordance,   ilb  ;  accidents,   33  ; 
Peter  Loo  Book,  55  ;  Great  Lain  Book,  los ;  two  Sermon  book,  is  ;  2  German 
Book,  i8d ;  8  Small  books,  i6s,  .  .  .  .  .  .  -376 

Great  wheel  45  ;    Little,   2S  ;   meat  barrel,   45 ;    one  barrel,  33  ;  3  bowls,  4s-6d  ;  i 

small  bowl,  is,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        o      16      6 

6  Trenchers,  is  ;  wooden  mortar,  35  ;  wooden  Bottle,  25 ;  i  bell,  75  ;  Gallon  bottle, 

35  :   paile,  is  ;   bellows,  61b  ;   Quadren,  25  ;  Scales  and  weights,  155,  .  .         7       14      o 

2  Rasars,   25 ;  two  ounces  borax,  135  ;  Chest  box  &  key,  los  ;  one  box,  55  ;   Little 

box,  is,      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  i       ii      o 

Portemantle,    IDS  ;  great  beadstead,  6s  ;  blankets,  ilb,  8s  ;  three  other  blankets,  2lb 

155,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        4      19      o 

feather  bed  boalster  &  pillows,  4lb  ;  small  bed,  ilb;  three  sheets,  ilb  135  ;  Mat,  IDS; 
Corned  Cestuk,  i8d  ;  old  Iron,  45  ;   Small  Saw,  i8d  ;  Saw  frame,  2S-6d  ;   bit  of 
Steel,  6d  ;  compass,  75  ;  piece  of  brass,  is,         .  .  .  .  .  .806 

meal  sieve,  2S  ;   two  Cows,  islb  ;   i  Calf,  one  Sow,  a  horse,  4lb  ;  one  Swine,  ilb  55  ;  4 

Swine.  2lb  55  ;  3  Spoons,  2S  ;  4  knives  &  forks,  2S  ;   Saddle  &  furniture,  2lb  ;       .         q       14      o 
house  and  Ten  acres  upland  &  30  acres  marsh  all  .....     105        o      o 

14  acres  Land  Turkey  hills,  42  Ib  ;  20  acres  Land  at  the  old  house,  30  Ib,        .  72        o      o 

a  piece  of  land  on  the  mountain  by  mitchels  land,  .  .  .  .  .       15        o      o 

40  acres  pine  plain,  2olb  ;   10  acres  Swamp  land,  15  Ib,  .  .  .  35        o      o 

Dated  at  Symsbury  June  4th  1737 

"  JAIRUS  CASE, 

"  SAMUEL  GRISWOLD, 

"  JOSHUA  HOLCOMB." 

Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  widow,  Abigail  Higley,  proceeded  to 
settle  his  estate,  in  connection  with  which  frequent  transactions 
are  upon  record  after  the  date  when  her  son  came  of  age. 

On  the  Qth  of  April,  1743,  conveyance  was  made  to  Captain 
Joseph  Higley  of  thirty-nine  acres  of  land  which  Samuel  had  re- 
ceived at  the  distribution  of  his  father,  Captain  John  Higley's, 
estate.  This  land  is  described  as  lying  "  to  the  westward  of 
Brewster  Higley  ad's  dwelling-house,  upon  a  brook  called 
Simon's." 

The  final  distribution  of  the  estate  was  entered  as  follows1: 

"June  22,  1745  :  The  Distribution  of  the  Estate  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Higley,  late  of  Simsbury,  deed,  was  brought  into  Court  and  ap- 
proved." 

Abigail  Higley  outlived  her  husband  nine  years.  Her  death  is 
thus  announced : 

"Abigail  Higley,  widow  of  Samuel  Higley,  Departed  this  life,  August  5,  1746." 

The  children  of  Samuel  and  Abigail  Higley  all  survived  their 
parents,  and  lived  in  Simsbury. 

1  "  Hartford  County  Probate  Records,"  book  xiv.  p.  60. 
10 


134  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Jonathan,  the  eldest  and  only  son,  married  Mary  Thompson,  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson,  who  was  the  minister 
of  old  Simsbury  parish. 

Annie,  the  second  child,  married,  but  the  name  of  her  husband 
is  not  known. 

Abigail,  Jr.,  the  youngest  child,  while  yet  in  her  teens  married 
Samuel  Smith  of  Simsbury.  Her  name  becoming  merged  into 
the  great  "Smith  family"  of  this  country,  all  trace  of  her  de- 
scendants is  lost.  Samuel  and  Abigail  Higley  Smith  sold  to  Cap- 
tain Joseph  Higley,  October  24,  1752,  lands  "received  from  our 
honored  father,  Samuel  Higley." 

The  descendants  of  Dr.  Samuel  Higley  continued,  chapter  Ix. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE    FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — MINDWELL  HIGLEY  TISDALE  FITCH. 

Oh,  Time 

Works  miracles.     In  one  short  hour  many  thousands 
Of  grains  of  sand  run  out. 

— SCHILLER. 

MINDWELL,  the  ninth  child  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah  Drake 
Higley,  first  drew  her  breath  in  the  home  of  her  father — the 
"  Wolcott  mansion,"  at  Simsbury.  The  exact  year  of  her  birth  is 
doubtful,  the  record  having  been  lost.  It  was,  however,  about 
1689.  She  was  given  the  name  of  her  aunt  Mindwell  Drake,  who 
was  born  the  day  after  the  wedding  of  her  sister — Mindwell's 
mother — to  Captain  John  Higley. 

She  married,  September  2,  1714,  Jonathan  Hutchinson,  the  week 
following  her  father's  decease  and  burial.  His  father  was  of  a 
numerous  and  prominent  family  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  the  members 
of  which  were  among  the  original  founders  of  the  town.  Mind- 
well's  married  life  was  cut  short  by  the  early  death  of  her  hus- 
band three  years  after  their  union,  September  10,  1717.  They 
had  two  daughters  :  Hannah,  born  May  23,  1715,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  ten  years,  May  26,  1725  ;  and  a  babe — born  September  13, 
1717,  three  days  after  Mr.  Hutchinson's  decease — who  bore  her 
own  name.  The  infant  lived  but  one  month. 

It  was  during  the  widowhood  of  Mindwell  Higley  Hutchinson 
that  the  final  settlement  of  her  father's  estate  took  place.  Re- 
ceipts and  papers  in  reference  to  her  share  are  still  extant,  bear- 
ing her  signature.  She  remained  a  widow  until  the  ad  of 
February,  1727,  when  she  married  James  Tisdale  of  Lebanon, 
who,  it  is  supposed,  was  a  widower.  There  are  no  children  of 
this  marriage  recorded.  In  three  brief  months  she  buried  her 
second  husband,  whose  death  took  place  May  2,  1727. 

>35 


I36  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  quaint  inscription  upon  his  tombstone  in  the  old  Lebanon 
cemetery  reads  thus  : 

1bere  Iges  tbe  JBoog  of 
/for  Sanies  Gisoale  of  Lebanon 
£be  busbano  of  /fora  /fotnowell 
Gis&ale.   f)e  ogeO  /Bbag  3  1727 

aaeD  48  gears, 
fjere  Iges  our  faitbful  Xovetng  ff rienfc 

B  fjusbano  &  a  ffatber  fdno 
"CClbo  batb  restno  himself  to  <3oo 
Bno  left  bis  wife  &  babes  bebino. 

On  theiyth  of  September,  1729,  she  became  the  wife  of  Captain 
Nathaniel  Fitch,  a  gentleman  of  prominent  position,  and  the  fifth 
of  the  seven  sons  of  the  eminent  Rev.  James  Fitch,  the  first 
minister  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  by  his  second  wife,  Priscilla  Mason, 
daughter  of  Major  John  Mason.  The  Fitches  were  leaders  in 
founding  the  commonwealth,  and  were  a  highly  influential  family. 

Captain  Nathaniel  Fitch  received  a  commission  as  captain  of 
the  military  in  1719,  and  was  deputy  to  the  General  Assembly 
for  Lebanon,  May,  1720.  He  was  commissioned  captain  of  the 
"South  Company,"  May,  1726.  Captain  Fitch  was  born  1680, 
and  was  a  widower,  with  several  children,  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage to  Mindwell  Higley.  Their  home  was  on  a  farm  near  the 
town  of  Lebanon. 

They  had  three  children,  viz. : 

Jabez,  born  October  4,  1730,  and  died  November  14,  1736. 

Ezekiel,  born  March  n,  1732; 

Isaac,  born  May  20,  1734. 

The  date  of  Mindwell's  decease  has  not  been  found. 

Her  husband,  Captain  Fitch,  died  May  4,  1759,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years.  He  was  interred  in  the  Lebanon  cemetery, 
near  the  grave  of  his  father,  the  Rev.  James  Fitch.  A  tombstone 
marks  his  resting  place. 

Mindwell  Higley  Tisdale  Fitch's  descendants  have  not  been  traced  for  these  pages. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FAMILY. — SARAH    HIGLEY    LOOMIS. 

There  was  only  one  thing  dearer  to  the  New  Englander  than  his  township — his  home. — E. 
G.  SCOTT. 

THE  tenth  child  of  Captain  John  Higley,  a  daughter  Sarah, 
was  born  at  Simsbury  during  the  time  when  the  family  fortune 
was  at  its  height,  and  her  father  had  attained  much  celebrity  in 
public  life.  Her  mother  was  his  second  wife  Sarah  Strong,  the 
granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Wareham.  Sarah  was  the  first 
child  by  her  father's  second  marriage. 

The  date  of  her  birth  may  be  fixed  almost  to  a  certainty  in  1697, 
although  the  precise  time  is  unknown. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1723,  she  married  Jonathan  Loomis 
of  Windsor,  Conn.,  to  which  town  her  mother  returned  with  her 
family  in  a  few  years  after  the  father's  death.  Jonathan  Loomis 
was  born  February  i,  1694.  His  father,  Jonathan  Loomis,  Sr., 
was  a  grandson  of  Joseph  Loomis,  who  settled  in  Windsor  in 
1639,  coming  to  America  from  Braintree,  Essex,  England,  in  the 
ship  Susan  and  Ellen,  1638.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  most  of  the 
numerous  family  bearing  the  name  in  this  country. 

Jonathan  and  Sarah  Higley  Loomis  resided  at  Windsor.  They 
had  seven  children,  viz. : 

Sarah,  born  July  23,  1724,  and  died  December  n,  1733. 

Jonathan,  born  November  14,  1725,  who  died  when  near  five 
years  of  age. 

George,  born  November  22,  1727. 

Keziah,  born  June  18,  1729. 

Margaret,  born  March  15,  1730. 

Wait,  born  August  14,  1732. 

Jonathan,  born  June  16,  1734. 

Their  son  George,  a  promising  young  man,  was  graduated  from 
Yale  College  in  1750;  but  death  claimed  him  the  following  year, 
1751,  leaving  his  parents  bereft  of  sons,  and,  as  far  as  is  known, 
with  but  two  living  children,  both  daughters.  Keziah,  the  elder 
of  the  two,  married  her  cousin  Joseph  Loomis  of  Windsor,  and 


138  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

became  the  mother  of  six  children.  One  of  her  sons,  Jonathan, 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

Margaret,  the  second  daughter,  married  John  Warner,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1754.* 

It  is  supposed  that  the  two  youngest  children,  Wait  and 
Jonathan,  died  in  childhood. 

Previous  to  her  marriage  Sarah  Higley  purchased  of  her 
brothers,  John,  Brewster,  and  Samuel,  and  her  sister-in-law  Ann 
Higley,  the  wife  of  her  late  brother  Jonathan,  lands  in  Windsor, 
"lying  at  a  place  called  Clay  Bridge,"  which  was  a  part  of  the  estate 
that  they  received  by  inheritance  from  their  mother,  Hannah 
Drake;  the  consideration  being  "the  sum  of  ^30  in  money." 
The  deed  was  given  August  31,  1722. 

And  later  on,  about  the  time  of  her  marriage,  she,  with  her 
sisters  Katherine,  Mindwell,  and  Abigail,  sold  to  John  Higley,  Jr., 
her  eldest  brother,  her  share  in  the  lands  at  Simsbury  inherited 
from  her  father's  estate. 

Jonathan  Loomis  and  "  Sary  "  repeatedly  had  their  income  in- 
creased by  "bills  of  credit"  from  the  personal  estate  of  Captain 
Higley,  which  were  charged  by  the  executors  to  their  account, 
and  moneys  were  paid  to  them  in  different  amounts  from  time  to 
time,  for  which  their  receipts  are  shown. 

It  would  appear  that  each  of  Captain  Higley's  daughters 
received  special  articles,  as  mementoes  of  the  old  home,  set  apart 
from  the  household  goods.  " Sary "  received  an  "iron  kittoll," 
which  may  have  been  made  from  the  bog  ore  found  a  few  miles 
away  in  Turkey-Hills,  and  "two  porringers  and  saucers,"  one  of 
them  being  "  pewtar."  The  most  valuable  table-ware  in  the  New 
England  homes  of  that  day  was  of  this  metal,  and  was  imported. 

The  inventory  of  her  mother's  estate — Mrs.  Sarah  Higley's — 
was  presented  in  Court  jointly  by  "Jonathan  and  Sarah  Loomis, 
December  1739." 

The  dates  of  their  deaths  are  unknown,  and  their  graves  cannot 
be  discovered  ; 

"  For  the  grassy  hillocks  are  leveled  again, 

And  the  keenest  eye  might  search  in  vain 
'Mong  briars  and  ferns,  and  paths  of  sheep, 
For  the  spot  where  the  loving  couple  sleep." 

The  reader  is  referred  to  the  "  Loomis  Genealogies  "  for  descendants. 
1  "  Loomis  Genealogies." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — NATHANIEL   HIGLEY. 

Faith  in  God,  faith  in  man,  faith  in  work ;  this  is  the  short  formula  in  which  we  may  sum  up  the 
teaching  of  the  founders  of  New  England  ;  a  creed  ample  enough  for  this  life  and  the  next. — 
JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL. 

THE  life  of  Nathaniel  Higley  is  a  quiet  one  for  the  chronicler. 
He  was  the  eleventh  child  in  the  large  family  of  Captain  John 
Higley,  whose  second  wife,  Sarah  Strong,  was  his  mother.  He 
was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  possessed  of  considerable  ability  and  a 
comfortable  property. 

Nathaniel's  birth  took  place  at  Simsbury  close  on  to  the 
departure  of  the  century,  November  12,  1699.  He  was  a  boy  of 
fifteen  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  On  the  eighth  of  the 
following  February  (1715)  he  went  into  the  Probate  Court  and 
made  choice  of  his  uncle  Samuel  Strong  to  be  his  guardian. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  his  marriage  was  placed  upon  record  as 
follows  : 

"Nathaniel  Higley  of  Simsbury  and  Abigail  filler  of  Windsor  were  maried  the 
twenty-ninth  day  of  march,  1720." 

The  young  pair  were  second  cousins,  both  of  them  being  the 
great-grandchildren  of  Elder  John  Strong  of  Northampton,  Mass. 
Nathaniel's  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side  was  Return  Strong, 
and  Abigail's  maternal  grandmother  was  Experience  Strong,1  his 
sister. 

Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Higley  settled  upon  lands  which  Nathaniel 
owned  in  the  northern  part  of  Simsbury,  now  North  Granby, 

1  Lieutenant  Walter  Fyler  (sometimes  spelled  "  Filer ")  the  paternal  great-grandfather  of 
Abigail  Filer  Higley,  came  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  with  the  Rev.  John  Wareham,  1636,  from  Dorchester, 
Mass.  His  house  was  within  the  Palisadoes.  He  was  Deputy  to  the  General  Assembly  in  1647. 
He  died  1683.  In  his  will  he  gave  the  use  of  his  estate  to  his  widow  Jane  during  her  natural  life, 
"  Also  one  hundred  pounds  in  cash  to  bestow  upon  another  husband,  or  reserve  it  to  herself  to 
bestow  upon  whom  she  may  please."  His  son  Zerubbabel  married  Experience  Strong,  May  27, 
1669,  and  lived  for  a  time  at  Stone  River  (Suffield),  but  afterward  returned  to  Windsor.  While 
he  was  a  resident  of  Suffield  his  son  Samuel,  the  father  of  Abigail  Filer  Higley,  was  born.  Samuel 
was  a  fanner  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  where  he  died  September  13,  1710.  His  wife,  Abigail,  died  1709. 
Their  daughter,  Abigail  Filer  Higley,  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Higley,  was  born  February  6,  1703. 

There  are  a  number  of  the  Higleys  now  living  whose  ancestry  is  traced  in  direct  line  to  their 
maternal  ancestress  Abigail  Filer. 


140  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

where  they  lived  long  and  useful  lives,  and  where  they  brought 
up  a  family. 

He  purchased  in  1726  from  his  younger  brother  Josiah  a 
parcel  of  land  adjoining  his  own  "house  lot,"  which  lay  to  the 
west  of  that  owned  by  his  brothers  John  and  Brewster.  His 
home  estate  comprised  ninety  acres  with  "ten  acres  on  ye 
plain  ";  and  together  with  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  settlement 
he  received,  January  2,  1723,  a  share  at  the  distribution  of 
common  lands  made  by  the  town.  He  is  named  among  the 
heirs  who  received  from  the  executors  an  inheritance  from 
Captain  Higley's  estate,  together  with  small  household  articles 
"  set  out  to  him,"  among  which  was  "  a  pair  of  stilyards." 

Nathaniel  Higley  was  by  profession  a  surveyor.  The  office  of 
town  surveyor  was  one  of  considerable  importance,  the  principal 
duties  being  "  the  measuring  of  land  and  getting  out  of  town  lots 
to  men."  In  town  affairs  he  was  intrusted  with  prominent  ap- 
pointments, and  appears  among  the  solid  men  of  his  generation, 
of  well-balanced  mind,  displaying  sound  judgment.  His  name 
is  found  upon  various  committees  of  the  Northwest  Ecclesiastical 
Society;  and  the  indications  are  that  he  was  more  actively  asso- 
ciated with  religious  matters  than  were  the  elder  children  of 
Captain  Higley.  For  the  year  1742  his  church  rates,  "for  de- 
fraying the  charges  of  the  society,"  amounted  to  £4  i6s.  4d. 
His  children  of  whom  we  have  trace  were  nearly  all  religious 
professors. 

During  the  years  of  his  greatest  church  activities  the  practice 
of  the  admission  of  members  to  the  church  on  the  "  Half-way 
Covenant,"  so-called,  was  customary,  which  was  frequently  fol- 
lowed after  lapse  of  time  "  by  ye  owning  of  ye  covenant."  These 
half-way  covenanters  "were  not  permitted  to  come  to  the  table 
of  holy  communion. " 

It  was  in  June,  1753,  that  the  following  action  was  taken  by  the 
church  of  which  Nathaniel  by  this  time  appears  to  have  been  one 
of  the  chief  props  : 

"  Voted  that  Dr.  Watts  version  of  the  Psalms  shall  be  sung  in  our  public  assem- 
blies once  a  day  upon  ye  Sabboth." 

This  was  an  advanced  step  toward  liberality  in  church  affairs. 
Heretofore  the  singing,  for  the  period  of  a  century,  had 
been  from  a  quaint  "little  metrical  volume,"  known  as  "The 
New  England  version  of  the  Psalms,"  or  the  "Bay  Psalm-Book," 


NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  141 

the  first  edition  of  which  was  printed  about  1640.  A  later  version 
appeared  in  1650. 

"  The  necessity  of  the  heavenly  Ordinance  of  singing  Scripture 
Psalms  in  the  churches  of  God,"  was  fully  recognized. 

The  singing  was  accomplished  by  "  lining"  these  psalms,  which 
was  alternately  reading  one  or  two  lines  by  the  minister,  then 
the  congregation  singing  them,  followed  by  two  more  lines,  etc. 
Few  possessed  hymn-books.  Someone  stood  appointed  to  "set 
the  tunes,"  which  were  invariably  long-drawn  and  heavy.  The 
psalm  sung  was  usually  very  long,  and  the  people  stood  while 
singing,  as  well  as  during  prayer.1 

Among  other  town  officers  appointed  each  year  was  an  "In- 
spector of  Leather."  To  this  service  Nathaniel  Higley  was 
repeatedly  elected;  he  served  as  grand  juror,  was  appointed 
appraiser,  surveyor  of  highways,  fence  viewer,  rate  collector, 
and  often  served  as  tything-man.  Of  the  latter  office,  which 
long  ago  ceased  in  the  churches  of  New  England,  a  few  words 
here  will  be  of  interest. 

The  tything-man  was  a  town  officer,  who  was  annually  elected 
and  officially  sworn  into  office  to  enforce  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath.  He  required  to  be  filled  with  zeal  and  vigilance,  and 
was  a  man  who  inspired  a  degree  of  fear  and  awe.  He  was  to 
see  to  it  that  "no  person  should  be  recreating  or  unnecessarily 
walking  or  loitering  on  the  Lord's  day."  His  duties  required 
him  to  look  after  the  absentees  from  church  service,  and  to  col- 
lect the  fine  of  ten  shillings  imposed  upon  those  who,  "being 
able-bodied  and  not  otherwise  necessarily  prevented,  should  for 
the  space  of  one  month  "  fail  to  appear  in  the  Sunday  congrega- 
tion.2 

But  his  most  conspicuous  duty  lay  in  preserving  the  sanctity 
of  divine  service.  Provided  with  a  long  pole,  and  a  whip-stock 
and  lash  in  hand,  he  stationed  himself  every  Sunday  in  the  rear 
of  the  audience  near  the  door,  and  with  vigilant  eye  and  dignified 

1  "At  family  prayers  it  was  the  costom  to  rise  to  theirfeet  and  stand  instead  of  kneeling."  The 
reason  given  for  taking  this  posture  was,  "  their  exceeding  fear  of  any  costom  that  might  be  con- 
strued as  tainting  of  Popery." 

*"As  the  President — [George  Washington],  on  his  return  to  New  York  from  his  late  tour 
through  Connecticut,  having  missed  his  way  on  Saturday,  was  obliged  to  ride  a  few  miles  on 
Sunday  morning  in  order  to  gain  the  town  at  which  he  had  previously  proposed  to  have  attended 
divine  service.  Before  he  arrived,  however,  he  was  met  by  a  Tything-man,  who  commanding  him 
to  stop,  demanded  the  occasion  of  his  riding  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  President  had  informed  him 
of  every  circumstance,  and  promised  to  go  no  further  than  the  town  intended,  that  the  Tything- 
man  would  permit  him  to  proceed  on  his  journey." — From  an  old  newspaper  of  the  times: 
"  Olden  Time  Series." 


142  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

gravity  he  performed  his  calling  with  no  partisan  favor.  The 
giddy  youth  who  happened  to  whisper  to  his  chum,  or  who  un- 
fortunately was  unable  to  repress  his  overflowing  spirits,  com- 
mitting the  grave,  sin  of  a  smothered  snicker,  was  approached 
from  behind  and  sharply  rapped  upon  the  head  with  the  pole, 
which  was  aimed  with  great  precision  and  directness. 

Mrs.  Stowe  pictures  this  official  as  "  a  man  who  on  week  days, 
though  he  might  be  a  rather  jolly,  secular  individual,  on  Sunday 
was  a  man  whose  eyes  were  supposed  to  be  as  a  flame  of  fire  to 
search  out  boys  that  played  in  meeting,  and  bring  them  to  awful 
retribution."  * 

In  an  old  law  book  which  once  belonged  to  Nathaniel's 
nephew,  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,  was  found  in  manu- 
script at  the  end  of  the  volume,  "  Reports  of  Brother  Jonathan's 
adjudications  of  small  cases  which  he  tried  as  Justice  of  the 
peace."  Among  these  was  one  where  His  Majesty's  ty thing-man 
entered  a  complaint  against  Jona  and  Susan  Smith  for  a  "prof- 
anation of  the  Sabbath  ";  namely,  "that  on  the  —  day  of  —  dur- 
ing Divine  Service  on  the  Lord's  Day,  they  did  smile."  The  cul- 
prits were  adjudged  to  be  guilty  of  the  offence,  and  severally 
fined  "five  shillings  and  cost."" 

Eight  children  are  found  upon  record  as  having  been  born  to 
Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Filer  Higley;  yet  it  is  probable  there  were 
others.  They  were  as  follows:  Abigail,  born  November  i,  1723, 
married  Josiah  Holcombe,  November  8,  1742.  Mary,  born  1724, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  four  years.  She  never 

married.  Theopolis,  born  March  29,  1726;  married  Rhoda 

Solomon,  born  Januarys,  1728;  married  Lydia  Holcombe.  Dudley, 

born  1730;  married  Eunice .  Samuel,  born  about  1734;  not 

known  whether  he  married.  Daniel,  the  exact  date  of  whose 

birth  is  not  known,  married  Ruth  ;  and  Mindwell,  born 

about  1738,  who  married,  March  3,  1768,  Seth  Higley,  the  son  of 
her  first  cousin  Brewster  Higley,  2d.* 

Their  children  all  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  their  home  (the 
part  of  Simsbury  now  known  as  North  Granby),  and,  except 
Solomon,  here  remained  until  after  their  father's  decease,  and  till 
about  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  when  most  of  those 
who  were  then  living  emigrated  to  Vermont. 

1  "  Old  Town  Folks,"  by  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  p.  43. 
a  "  Olden  Time  Series,"  Henry  M.  Brooks. 

3  It  is  confidently  supposed  that  Noah  and  Nehemiah  Higley  were  also  sons  of  Nathaniel.     See 
chapter  Ixvi. 


NATHANIEL   HIGLEY.  143 

Nathaniel  Higley  died  of  cancer  in  September,  1773. 

His  son  Daniel  Higley  was  named  as  executor  of  his  estate. 

His  will,1  which  was  signed  on  the  i3th  of  February,  1773, 
devises  that  after  his  just  debts  are  paid  his  wife  Abigail  shall 
have  one  third  part  of  all  his  lands,  plowing,  mowing,  woods, 
and  pasturing,  with  all  the  household  goods,  during  her  natural 
life.  To  his  daughter  Mary  and  son  Daniel  he  gives  all*  of  his 
'Mean  and  freehold  estate,"  to  be  divided  equally  between  them. 
To  his  son  Solomon  he  gives  five  pounds  of  lawful  money,  and  to 
his  daughters,  Abigail  the  wife  of  Josiah  Holcombe,  and  Mind- 
well  the  wife  of  Seth  Higley,  the  sum  of  three  pounds  each.  To 
the  heirs  of  Dudley  Higley,  his  son,  he  gave  the  sum  of  ten  shil- 
lings, to  be  paid  eighteen  months  after  death.  One  of  his  sons 
— Samuel — to  whom  moneys  were  paid  at  the  distribution  of  the 
estate,  is  not  named  in  his  will.  The  inventory  of  his  personal 
estate,  taken  September  23,  1773,  contains  articles  of  clothing; 
among  which  were  a  "Great  Coat,"  valued  at  75.,  a  "  Strait  Bodied 
coat,"  i8s.,  "A  Green  Jaccoat,"  45.,  "2  pair  of  Linen  Breeches, 
is.  6d."  It  comprises  also  numerous  household  effects,  sheep, 
cattle,  and  other  belongings  of  a  well-managed  farm,  amounting 
in  all  to  ^"198  175.  od.*  It  cannot  be  clearly  understood  why  he 
gave  the  most  of  his  property  to  his  son  Daniel  and  daughter 
Mary,  almost  disinheriting  his  surviving  children  and  other  heirs. 
His  burial  place  is  not  known. 

Although  Nathaniel  Higley's  name  is  not  found  associated  with 
any  conspicuous  measure  in  the  colony,  when  he  passed  away 
from  life's  day  of  ceaseless  industry,  which  he  had  devoted  to  use- 
ful purposes,  the  event  marked  the  close  of  a  well-rounded  career. 
He  had  walked  in  a  straight  road,  rendering  acceptable  service  to 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  respected  by  all  who 
knew  how  to  respect  integrity,  trustworthiness,  and  a  sound 
character.  Such  an  existence  does  not  fail  to  excite  a  glow  oi 
admiration.  "  He  fought  the  good  fight,  he  kept  the  faith." 

The  descendants  of  Nathaniel  Higley  -will  be  found  in  chapter  Ixvi. 

1  "Simsbury  Probate  Records,"  p.  141. 
4  Book  i.  p.  no,  "Simsbury  Records." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

/ 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — JOSIAH    AND   JOSHUA    HIGLEY. 

We  honor  and  we  love  them — our  ancestry  of  old, 

Whose  virtues  rare  the  brighter  wear,  like  the  face  of  virgin  gold. 

— GEORGE  CANNING  HILL. 

THE  twelfth  interesting  advent  of  babyhood  in  the  household  of 
the  Higleys  at  Simsbury  was  on  a  summer  morning  late  in  the 
season,  when  twins  were  announced.  They  were  thus  recorded  : 

"JosiAH  HIGLEY,  the  son  of  Captain  John  Higley,  was  borne  the  eighth  day  of 
September,  and  Baptized  the  fourteenth  day  of  September,  seventeen  hundred  and 
one.  Borne  to  him  by  his  wife  Sarah." 

"JOSHUA  HIGLEY,  the  son  of  Captain  John  Higley,  was  borne  the  eighth  day  of 
September,  one  Thousand  seven  hundred  and  one,  which  his  wife  Sarah,  the 
Daughter  of  Return  Strong,  bare  to  him." 

The  last  named  child  "  dyed  "  an  infant  of  seven  months, 
April  2,  1702,  and  was  interred  in  the  churchyard  at  the  settle- 
ment at  "  Scotland" — now  Bloomfield,  Conn.  Josiah  lived  to  the 
meridian  of  life. 

It  has  been  declared  that  "  men  of  great  integrity  who  have  no 
thought  of  pushing  into  any  ambitious  sphere,  but  only  of  doing 
with  all  their  might  the  work  which  their  hands  find  to  do,  are  the 
salt  of  society,  the  strength  of  a  nation,  and  it  is  not  well  that 
such  should  be  forgot." 

The  sentiment  is  fitting  to  Josiah  Higley,  as  far  as  we  can  dis- 
cover the  tenor  and  bearings  of  his  life.  The  sphere  in  which  he 
was  known  extended  little  beyond  the  region  of  Windsor  and 
Simsbury.  He  appears  to  have  held  an  honorable  position,  and 
served  upon  important  town  committees,  though  there  is  no 
indication  that  he  was  a  leader  in  public  affairs.  The  narrative  of 
his  life  is  virtually  that  of  a  good  citizen,  a  worthy  son  of  a 
worthy  father. 

The  decease  of  Captain  John  Higley  having  taken  place  when 
this  son  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  was  deprived  of 


JOSIAH  HIGLEY,    1ST.  145 

paternal  care.  At  fourteen  he  was  taken  into  court,  where  he 
chose  Thomas  Moore  of  Windsor  for  his  guardian. 

On  the  day  before  New  Year's,  December  31,  1724,  when  he  was 
twenty-three,  he  married  Dinah  Gillett,  of  a  family  of  excellent 
standing  and  among  the  first  grantees  of  land  in  that  part  of  Sims- 
bury.  The  young  couple  settled  in  the  parish  of  Turkey-Hills, 
then  a  part  of  the  town  of  Simsbury — now  East  Granby, 
Conn. — where  "  Josias  "  owned  lands.  There  were  not  at  this 
time  sixty  families  living  in  that  vicinity.  Here  their  children, 
and  many  of  their  grandchildren,  were  born  and  brought  up. 

In  town  appointments  Josiah  Higley  repeatedly  served  the 
local  interests  in  a  variety  of  matters,  among  which  was  the  "Sur- 
veying of  Highways." 

An  ecclesiastical  parish  was  granted  by  the  General  Assembly 
in  October,  1736,  which  was  organized  and  petitioned  for  "  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Turkey-Hills,  Salmon  Brook,  The  Falls,  and  the 
Higleys."  l  For  two  years,  however,  the  petitioners  could  not 
agree  upon  a  spot  for  the  location  of  the  meeting  house.  In 
1738  a  committee  from  the  General  Assembly  was  appointed  to 
take  the  matter  in  hand  and  "  Affix  a  place  in  the  Society  to  set 
the  meeting  house  upon."  Upon  the  parish  records  Josiah 
Higley's  name  is  frequently  found  in  relation  to  the  performance 
of  various  duties  in  this  connection,  which  shows  him  to  have 
been  one  of  the  founders  of  this  parish.8 

In  1745  he  was  made  a  member  of  an  important  committee  set 
apart  to  manage  and  lay  out  the  common  and  undivided  lands 
which  had  been  granted  by  the  town  some  years  previous,  and  to 
attend,  in  behalf  of  the  inhabitants,  to  the  leasing  of  lands  on 
Copper-Hill. 

Josiah,  among  other  sons  and  some  of  the  sons-in-law  of  Cap- 
tain John  Higley  who  were  commissioned  officers,  was  possessed 
of  a  military  spirit  and  was  familiar  with  military  tactics,  holding 
the  rank  of  sergeant  in  the  Connecticut  militia. 

Sergeant  Josiah  Higley  and  Dinah  Gillett  were  the  parents  of 
six  children  who  are  found  upon  record — viz. :  Josiah,  2d,  born 
"Nov.  ye  6,  1725";  Rebecca,  born  May  22,  1727;  Susannah,  born 
May  6,  1730;  Dinah,  born  January  i,  1731;  Nathan,  born  August 
i,  1736;  and  Elijah,  born  about  1738. 

These  became  the  ancestors  of  many  descendants  who  are  now 

1  Supposed  to  refer  to  the  residents  of  Higley-Town. 
9  This  parish  is  now  known  as  the  North  Society. 


146  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

living  and  who  are  much  respected  citizens  in  different  parts  of 
this  country. 

His  death  occurred  within  a  few  months  of  entering  his 
fiftieth  year.  His  wife  survived  him,  but  it  is  not  known  how 
many  years.  She  was  yet  living  in  the  year  1754. 

In  his  will  he  bequeathed  to  her  —  "  my  wife  Dinah  —  the  use  of 
one  third  of  my  lands,  during  her  life."  After  setting  apart, 
according  to  the  old  English  custom,  a  special  portion  for  his 
eldest  son,  "all  of  the  remainder  of  the  estate,  both  personal  and 
movable,"  was  divided  in  equal  shares  between  his  six  children. 
He  appointed  his  "beloved  wife  Dinah"  and  his  son  Josiah, 
Jr.,  his  executors. 

The  inventory  of  the  estate  indicates  that  he  was  living  in 
moderate  surroundings  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  When  his 
death  took  place  he  resided  upon  a  plot  of  ten  acres  of  land 
located  about  two  miles  south  of  Turkey-Hills  Centre,  which  is 
described  as  "  lying  north  of  the  highway  that  goes  from  Hatchet- 
hill  to  Windsor,  together  with  six  acres  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
the  mountain." 

He  was  interred  in  the  ancient  burial  ground  at  Turkey-Hills, 
(now  East  Granby).  The  inscription  upon  his  tombstone,  which 
is  still  standing,  is  as  follows  : 

Sergeant 


mag  31  1751 

ageD  50. 

For  descendants  of  Josiah  Higley  see  chapter  Ixix. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   FIRST    AMERICAN   FAMILY. — ABIGAIL   HIGLEY    THORP. 

The  wold  an'  young  do  slowly  come, 
An'  teake  in  stillness  each  his  pleace. 

— FROM  "  TREASURY  OF  SACRKD  SONG." 

BUT  a  short  sketch  of  Abigail,  the  fourteenth  child  of  the  large 
family  of  Captain  John  Higley,  can  be  given;  there  being  yet  dis- 
covered but  the  briefest  record  of  her  life.  Her  story  must  there- 
fore remain  in  the  unwritten  annals  of  the  family. 

She  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  November  4,  1703.  When 
she  was  twelve  years  of  age,  her  mother  Sarah  (Strong)  Higley 
was  appointed  her  guardian. 

The  influences  which  surrounded  her  were  the  same  as  those  of 
the  other  children  of  the  household,  and  of  other  women  of  that 
day.  The  sameness  of  their  unobtrusive,  quiet,  and  limited 
spheres,  as  they  pass  in  procession  before  us,  furnishes  little  mate- 
rial for  the  biographer;  they  were,  however,  among  the  mothers 
and  grandmothers  of  the  "thought,  conscience,  and  moral  influ- 
ence "  which  went  out  of  the  simple,  rural,  colonial  homes  of 
New  England,  and  which  gave  life  and  being  to  the  future  nation. 
They  were  solicitous  and  careful  to  lay  the  elements  of  true 
character  in  their  children,  and  taught  deep-rooted  principles, 
instilling  into  their  minds  a  reverence  for  truth  and  honor.  Their 
lives,  though  inconspicuous,  told  upon  the  depth  of  the  character 
of  their  sons  and  their  sons'  sons. 

Abigail  Higley  was  married  previous  to  her  twentieth  year  to 
Peter  Thorp,  and  lived  at  Lebanon,  Conn.,  in  the  parish  known 
as  Goshen.  Her  husband  appears  to  have  been  many  years  her 
senior,  and  to  have  been  a  widower  with  children  scarcely  younger 
in  years  than  his  wife.  On  the  organization  of  the  Goshen  Con- 
gregational Church  by  thirty-two  persons,  in  1729,  his  name 
appears  as  one  of  the  number.  Abigail  Thorp  was  admitted  to 
its  membership  in  1730.  Peter  Thorp  died  September  i,  1734. 

In  his  will  he  provided  for  his  wife  Abigail  and  their  children; 
viz.,  James,  Ruth.  Sarah,  Peter,  Aaron,  Abigail,  and  Hannah. 


148  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  some  of  these  children  were  by  his  first 
marriage. 

Abigail,  Jr.,  married  Joseph  Gay;  and  Hannah,  whose  death 
occurred  before  her  father's,  married  John  Foster. 

Abigail  Higley  Thorp  is  mentioned  in  the  settlement  of  her 
father's  estate.  Her  autograph  is  preserved  among  the  receipts 
in  the  executor's  accounts  given  January  10,  1724,  at  which  date 
it  appears  that  she  had  gone  from  Lebanon  to  Simsbury  to  trans- 
act business  for  herself  and  her  two  sisters,  Mindwell  and 
Susannah,  who  also  resided  there.  This  autograph  is  the  only 
relic  of  her  which  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  present  genera- 
tion. At  the  final  distribution  of  her  mother's  estate,  money  was 
ordered  to  be  paid  to  Abigail's  heirs,  "  their  Mother's  part." 

Her  death  took  place  at  Goshen,  July,  1742,  in  the  fortieth  year 
of  her  age. 

The  descendants  of  Abigail  Higley  Thorp  have  not  been  traced. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — SUSANNAH   HIGLEY    BLACKMAN. 

"  There  is  not  a  human  life  that  is  now  potent  for  good,  which  is  not  shaped  and  swayed  in 
large  measure  by  the  influence  of  lives  which  have  passed  from  earth." 

SUSANNAH  HIGLEY'S  life,  like  that  of  her  next  older  sister,  has 
lain  for  nearly  two  centuries  under  almost  total  eclipse.  Few 
records  of  her  are  extant.  Even  the  stage  and  scenes  of  her 
married  life  are  somewhat  obscure. 

Her  birth  took  place  in  1705,  at  Simsbury,  and  she  was  the 
fifteenth  child  of  her  father,  Captain  John  Higley. 

On  the  zd  of  January,  1724,  she  married  Elisha  Blackman  of 
Lebanon,  Conn.,  to  which  town  she  removed,  and  here  they 
reared  a  family. 

The  daily  duties  of  these  old-time  women  consisted  in  machine- 
like  service  of  the  household,  and  might  be  summarized  as  the 
bearing  of  children,  nursing  and  guiding  their  large  families, 
attending  to  the  plain  cookery,  hetchilling  the  flax  and  tow,  card- 
ing the  wool  from  the  fleeces  of  their  own  sheep,  and  spinning 
and  dyeing  with  their  own  hands  the  cloth  which  they  fashioned 
into  garments  for  the  family.  The  indispensable  spinning  wheel 
was  a  household  article  which  is  named  in  almost  every  inventory 
of  the  times. 

The  wife  and  mother  was  cook,  housekeeper,  and  nurse.  She 
attended  to  everything  herself,  and  was  unaccustomed  to  frittering 
away  her  time,  or  running  after  petty  vanities.  She  cooked  in 
iron  pots,  which  were  hung  from  the  crane  in  the  huge  fireplace, 
and  her  baking  was  done  in  the  "big  oven  "built  either  adjoining 
the  fireplace,  or  a  little  way  from  the  house  out  of  doors.  The 
hot  ashes  and  burning  coals  formed  a  bed  for  roasting  potatoes 
and  green  corn,  and  the  Indian  corn  and  rye  were  made  into 
meal  for  Johnny  cake  and  the  rye  loaf. 

An  endless  variety  of  duties  of  necessity  were  laid  upon  the 
matrons  of  these  households  in  way  of  drying  fruits  and  vege- 
tables, which  were  hung  from  the  ceiling,  for  it  was  before  the 
days  of  canned  goods;  gathering  and  drying  herbs  for  domestic 

IT  *« 


150  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

remedies  in  case  of  illness  and  emergencies;  extracting  lye  from 
the  wood-ashes  and  making  all  the  soap;  preparing  the  hominy 
for  the  table  by  a  slow  process,  and  manufacturing  the  starch. 
They  made  sausages,  tried  lard,  made  butter  and  cheese. 

The  children  were  early  put  to  work.  All  were  trained  to  lives 
of  industry.  The  older  ones  soon  came  to  the  help  of  the  mother 
and  lightened  her  burdens.  The  boys  built  fires,  did  chores, 
worked  in  the  "truck  patch,"  and  were  made  to  busy  themselves 
in  useful  occupations.  The  few  methods  they  had  for  getting  fun 
consisted  in  going  swimming,  trapping  small  game,  "coon  "  hunt- 
ing, fishing,  gathering  nuts  from  the  forests,  and  out-of-doors 
sports.  The  daughters  took  their  turn  at  the  spinning  wheel, 
the  loom,  the  churn,  and  the  wash-tub,  and  in  all  the  domestic 
labor  of  the  household.  There  were  no  servant-girls  employed. 
There  were  no  toys  for  the  young  children,  no  juvenile  books, 
and  no  Christmas  pastimes  were  observed.1  It  was  before  the 
days  of  Sunday-schools. 

The  open  fire,  with  its  blazing  back-log,  and  the  candlewood, 
chiefly  furnished  the  evening  light.  This  candlewood  was  split 
from  the  pitch  pine  that  grew  on  the  hills.  The  timepieces  were 
the  sundial  in  the  dooryard,  and  the  "noon  mark  "  in  the  window. 
They  had  no  clocks.  "  Early  candlelight "  noted  the  time  for 
neighborhood  gatherings,  which  were  frequent  and  hearty.  The 
hospitality  of  the  homes  was  cordial  and  freely  offered  ;  the  latch- 
string  on  the  door  was  out  to  the  passer-by. 

The  mother  was  the  inspiration  of  her  home,  making  it  the 
abode  of  peace,  filling  it  with  the  home-spirit  which  makes  the 
hearthstone  the  center  of  sweet  recollections  in  after-life,  and  she 
was  beloved  and  remembered  for  her  own  sake.  Her  aspiration 
was  not  to  gain  prominence  for  herself,  but  her  ambitions  were 
fixed  upon  her  husband,  whom  she  reverenced. 

Progress,  as  related  to  woman's  development,  had  moved 
slowly  for  the  last  half  century,  if,  indeed,  it  had  moved  at  all. 
They  lived  under  the  English  conception  of  woman's  position, 
and  her  relations  to  her  husband  and  her  home. 

The  inferior  education  given  to  daughters,  as  compared  with 
the  sons,  is  in  this  day  of  advantages  for  the  superior  education 
of  women,  and  the  higher  cultivation  of  her  faculties,  a  surprise, 
and  unhappily  reflects  great  discredit  upon  our  forefathers. 

1  The  Puritan  Pailiament  ordered,  December  24,  1652,  "  That  no  observation  shall  be  had  of 
the  five-and-twentieth  day  of  December,  commonly  called  Christmas  day  ;  nor  any  solemnity  used 
or  exercised  in  churches  upon  that  day  in  respect  thereof." 


SUSANNAH  HIGLEY  BLACKMAN.  151 

It  was  not  customary  in  those  days  even  to  give  the  women  a 
special  individuality  by  recognition  of  their  own  given  names. 
They  were  known  in  the  neighborhood,  and  recorded  on  the 
church-rolls,  as  "Deacon  Smith's  wife,"  the  "Widder  Brown," 
"Goodwife  Jones";  and  at  death  the  widow  was  carefully  placed 
upon  record  as  "The  Relique"  of  Mr.  So-and-So — or,  in  plain 
literal  terms,  the  remains,  or  all  that  was  left  of  "  Zerubbabel 
Grace." 

"Woman's  sphere,"  and  the  "advancement  of  women,"  were 
questions  not  yet  discussed,  nor  had  these  subjects  even  dawned 
upon  the  minds  of  these  faithful  and  unchronicled  daughters  of 
toil.  But,  withal,  they  were  heroic  and  thoughtful,  and  there 
was  much  of  intellectual  acuteness  and  strength  in  their  characters. 
They  visited  from  neighbor  to  neighbor  during  the  week,  discuss- 
ing the  Sunday  sermon  and  high  theological  points,  forming  their 
own  opinions  and  speaking  their  own  minds,  with  an  intelligence 
that  would  eclipse  many  a  dame  of  these  latter  days. 

While  they  were  not  assertive  women,  and  valued  and  leaned 
upon  the  protection  of  man,  they  had  a  certain  independence  in 
the  transaction  of  business  matters  which  seems  to  singularly 
ill  accord  with  the  constant  signs  of  the  meek  spirit  of  subjection 
that  they  maintained  in  other  usages  of  their  lives.  This  is 
specially  manifested  in  the  numerous  land  transactions  in  which 
a  great  many  women  engaged,  and  which  is  one  of  the  notable 
features  of  the  records  concerning  the  Higley  women  of  the  first 
generation. 

Susannah  Higley  received,  at  the  final  division  of  her  father's 
estate,  her  share  of  the  lands.  The  ancient  and  historical  account 
books  show  her  to  have  received  in  different  small  payments  an 
additional  ten  pounds  in  money,  the  last  of  which  appears  to  have 
been  conveyed  to  her  by  her  sister  Abigail,  who  gave  a  receipt 
for  the  same.  Her  souvenirs  from  the  old  homestead  were  "a 
pewter  tankard  and  a  glass  bottol." 

Four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  are  upon  record 
as  having  been  born  to  Elisha  Blackman  and  Susannah  Higley. 
Joseph,  the  eldest,  whose  birth  took  place  November  26,  1724, 
married in  1758.  He  was  the  father  of  three  children,  viz. : 

Mary,  born  February  19,  1759  ;  Susannah,  born  January  3,  1761  ;  and  Lurany, 
born  June  21,  1763. 

Elisha,   the  second   son,    was  born  September  19,    1727,  and 


15  2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

married  Lucy  Smith,  a  widow,   March  22,  1753.     They  had  chil- 
dren as  follows  : 

Lucy,  born  September  7,  1755  ;  Levina,  born  September  7,  1757  ;  Elisha,  born 
April  4,  1760  ;  Ichabod,  born  March  24,  1762  ;  Eleazar,  born  May  31,  1765. 

Jonathan,  the  third  son  of  Elisha  and  Susannah  Higley  Black- 
man,  born  May  12,  1729,  married  Sarah  Comstock  November  7, 


One  daughter,  Susannah,  was  the  issue  of  this  marriage.  She  was  born  July  25, 
1752. 

Susannah,  their  fourth  and  last  child,  was  named  for  her 
mother,  and  was  born  August  12,  1733.  We  find  no  allusion  to 
her  afterwards. 

Susannah  Higley  Blackman  was  yet  living  March,  1748,  when 
the  final  settlement  of  her  mother's  estate  (Mrs.  Sarah  Strong 
Higley)  took  place.  It  is  not  known  when  her  days  ended. 

The  descendants  of  Susannah  Higley  Blackman  have  not  been  further  traced. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    FIRST    AMERICAN    FAMILY. — ENSIGN    ISAAC    HIGLEY. 

Slow  from  the  plow  the  woods  withdrew, 
Slowly  each  year  the  corn-lands  grew  ; 
Nor  fire,  nor  frost,  nor  foe  could  kill 
The  Saxon  energy  of  will. 

And  never  in  the  hamlet's  bound 
Was  lack  of  sturdy  manhood  found  ; 
And  never  failed  the  kindred  good 
Of  brave  and  helpful  womanhood. 

— WHITTIER. 

THE  child  that  was  born  to  Captain  John  Higley  and  his  wife, 
Sarah,  on  the  2oth  of  July,  1707,  was  baptized  on  the  i4th  of 
the  September  following,  and  given  the  name  Isaac.  He  was 
the  sixteenth  and  youngest  child  of  the  numerous  household. 

Isaac  Higley  began  life  in  the  midst  of  great  emotions  in  the 
community.  Just  preceding  his  birth  it  became  known  that  the 
lurking  Indians  were  planning  an  attack  upon  the  settlement,  and 
the  Council  of  War  at  Hartford  had  ordered  that  fortifications 
should  be  provided  by  the  inhabitants,  "with  all  possible  speed — 
a  sufficient  number  of  well  fortified  houses  for  the  saftie  of  them- 
selves and  families."  There  was  for  a  time  something  like  a 
reign  of  terror.  It  is  an  old  saying  that  "  Desperite  game  need 
an  able  gamester,"  so  his  father,  Captain  John  Higley,  was 
brought  into  vigilant  action  in  these  measures  for  defense,  and 
was  standing  equipped  with  his  military  forces  ready  for  the 
"  wager  of  battle." 

From  the  capacious  memories  of  the  older  members  of  the 
family,  Isaac,  no  doubt,  had  his  head  filled,  in  the  subsequent 
years  of  his  childhood  and  youth,  with  household  stories  of  Indian 
encounters  and  scenes  of  tragedy  which  occurred  about  the  time 
that  he  was  born.  ' 

His  father  dying  when  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age,  the 
responsibility  of  his  training  fell  chiefly  upon  the  mother.  The 
court  appointed  Thomas  Moore  of  Windsor  his  guardian. 

The  boy  grew   to  manhood  amid  the    charming  scenes   and 

1   See  story  of  the  capture  of  Daniel  Hayes,  page  70. 


154  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

beautiful  range  of  Connecticut  hills  and  rivers  of  Simsbury  and 
Windsor.  As  long  as  he  lived  he  bore  the  respect  of  the  com- 
munities in  which  he  resided,  and  was  held  in  an  especially  affec- 
tionate regard  by  those  brothers  who  were  the  sons  of  another 
mother.  While  yet  in  his  teens  his  widowed  mother  removed  to 
Windsor,  and  Isaac  appears  to  have  removed  with  her.  Like 
several  members  of  his  family  he  devoted  himself  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  bore  worthy  repute  as  a  husbandman. 

The  wild  and  uncultivated  country,  after  the  Indians  had  ceased 
their  hostilities  (about  1724),  began  in  his  day  to  show  signs  of 
advance  and  improvement,  and  fruitful  fields  were  now  to  be 
seen.  A  bridge  was  built  across  the  Farmington  River  in  1734, 
the  inhabitants  having  for  more  than  a  century  depended  upon 
ferries  of  the  simplest  construction,  which  were  licensed  and 
regularly  established  at  different  points;  two-wheeled  vehicles 
began  to  appear :  and  carpets  were  sometimes  seen  upon  the 
floors.  The  people  lived  plainly,  and,  compared  with  these  days, 
their  comforts  were  few.  Wolves  and  wild  animals  were  still  so 
numerous  that  they  had  great  difficulty  in  protecting  their  sheep. 
Deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  rattlesnakes  abounded  in  the  thick  sur- 
rounding forests. 

Planting  apple  orchards  was  an  enterprise  which  was  entered 
into  by  most  of  the  landowners,  and  plenty  of  cider  was  kept  on 
hand,  and  using  it  to  excess  was  a  common  indulgence.  Their 
tables  were  supplied  by  products  from  their  tilled  fields;  the  sheep 
and  swine  which  they  raised  furnishing  their  meats,  together  with 
the  wild  game,  which  was  everywhere  plentiful.  Until  the 
streams  were  damaged  by  mill-dams  the  beautiful  rivers  and 
brooks  abounded  in  shad  and  salmon,  and  the  fisherman's  interests 
were  a  means  of  employment  and  profit. 

In  the  social  status  of  the  community,  the  range  of  human 
level  was  still  divided  into  families  which  held  class-eminency  and 
those  of  the  humbler  landowners.  The  recognition  of  an  "  upper 
class  "  held  almost  as  strong  a  grip  upon  the  communities  as  it 
had  fifty  years  before. 

Among  the  younger  set  there  was  much  jollification  and  demoral- 
izing merry-making,  which  would  in  these  times  be  scarcely  admis- 
sible in  polite  society;  and  which,  in  many  cases,  led  into  great 
familiarity  between  the  sexes,  with  perplexing  consequences. 
Whitefield,  when  preaching  in  the  different  towns  through  this 
section  of  the  country,  found  occasion  to  speak  forcibly  against 


ISAAC  HIGLEY.  155 

"  Mixed  dancing,  and  the  frolicking  of  males  and  females 
together,"  which  practice,  he  afterward  declared,  "was  very 
common." 

Saturday  evening  was  in  those  good  old  times  spent,  as  has 
been  the  custom  in  so  many  New  England  homes  for  more  than 
two  centuries  to  this  day,  in  preparation  for  the  Sabbath.1  Every- 
thing like  levity  was  solemnly  hushed.  All  work  of  the  house- 
hold and  ordinary  occupations  were  stopped,  as  far  as  practicable, 
until  Monday  morning. 

The  minister  continued  to  occupy  a  very  dignified  position. 
Although  these  spiritual  heroes,  with  their  worthy  church  officials, 
still  frowned  upon  the  doings  of  any  individual  who  deviated  from 
serious  thought  and  grave,  funeral-like  demeanor  on  the  Sabbath' 
day,  and  subjected  the  members  of  their  flocks  to  the  strictest 
letter  of  the  laws  which  had  been  framed  by  the  first  Puritan 
emigrants,  yet  it  is  a  simple  historical  fact  that  they  failed  in 
imbuing  their  followers  with  the  practice  of  the  spirit  of  peace, 
and  that  "charity  which  suffereth  long  and  is  kind"  was  often 
wanting  in  the  different  settlements.  Bitter  controversies  and 
neighborhood  broils  kindled  into  high  flame  over  points  at  issue 
which  were  constantly  arising,  and  in  which  a  grievous  lack  of  the 
oil.  of  brotherly  kindness  and  the  Christian  law  of  love  and 
forbearance  was  manifested.  The  lion  and  the  lamb  utterly 
refused  to  lie  down  together;  antagonistic  spirits  holding  stub- 
bornly to  their  individual  preferences."  If  the  Higleys,  whose 
names,  including  that  of  Isaac,  by  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
are  found  in  much  activity  upon  the  church  records,  joined  to 
a  great  extent  in  these  broils  and  were  at  swords'  points  on  puri- 
tanical or  other  issues,  time  and  their  graves  have  concealed  it — 
well  it  is  that  the  silence  is  perfect. 

From  Isaac,  the  youngest  son  in  the  first  American  Higley 
family,  a  clew  is  obtained,  and  the  only  one,  except  a  strongly 
marked  heredity  which  runs  throughout  all  the  lines  of  descend- 

1  "  Under  the  Colonial  government  it  was  for  some  time  made  a  question  of  -when  the  Sabbath 
should  be  considered  as  commencing ;  but  in  1645  it  became  the  custom  to  regard  the  evening  of 
the  last  day  of  the  week  as  the  beginning  of  the  Sabbath.  Several  clergyman,  however,  con- 
sidered Saturday  afternoon  as  the  commencement  of  holy  time." — "  Olden  Time  Series,"  H.  M- 
Brooks. 

a  "  But  they  were  glorious  men — men  whose  arms  were  iron  and  whose  nerves  were  steel 
They  were  men  who  fought  and  struggled  not  for  glory,  nor  for  ambition,  but  for  conscience  and 
for  principle.  They  did  not  always  bow  courteously  before  they  used  their  sword,  they  did  not 
say  '  by  your  leave '  before  they  ran  their  bayonet  through  the  heart.  They  were  brave  and  true 
men,  and  the  world  is  immeasurably  better  and  nobler  for  t'.ieir  having  lived  in  it." — Lyman  Abbott, 
D.D. 


156  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ants,  of  the  stature  of  the  early  Higleys.  Between  Isaac  and 
his  brother  Nathaniel,  and  descendants  who  are  now  living,  there 
is  a  link  with  the  long  past,  binding  the  present  generation  to 
their  day.  Naomi  Higley,  the  granddaughter  of  Brewster 
Higley,  ist,  who  married  her  cousin  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  lived 
to  the  year  1850,  residing  with  her  grandchildren  in  Meigs  Co., 
Ohio.  They  often  heard  her  talk  of  these  two  grand-uncles  of 
hers.  She  retained  a  clear  recollection  of  them,  having  been 
a  girl  of  fourteen  when  Nathaniel  died  in  1773.  Isaac  was  a  fre- 
quent visitor  at  her  father's  house — Captain  Joseph  Higley's.  He 
was  of  princely  physique,  finely  proportioned  and  commanding 
in  appearance,  walked  erect,  and  was  active.  He  stood  six  feet 
and  five  inches  in  height,  and  his  hands  and  feet  were  of  notice- 
able size  and  proportions.  Naomi  Higley  described  him  as  "so 
tall  that  he  was  forced  to  stoop  to  enter  her  father's  door." 
The  low-ceiled  houses  seemed  to  cage  him.  She  related  that 
one  day,  when  at  her  father's  house,  he  arose  to  leave  the  room. 
"Where  are  you  going,  Uncle  Isaac?"  his  nephew  inquired. 
"Oh,  just  out  of  doors  to  stretch  myself— that's  all,"  was  his 
reply.  He  is  said  to  have  been  somewhat  eccentric  and  original 
in  expression,  and  was  always  found  to  be  fully  conversant  upon 
all  topics  of  his  times.  He  was  very  fond  of  children. 

Isaac  Higley's  wife,  who  was  Sarah  Porter  of  Windsor,  whom 
he  married  February  13,  1735,  bore  him  two  daughters,  the  only 
children  he  ever  had — Sarah,  born  November  23,  1735,  who 
never  married,  and  Susannah,  born  December  8,  1742.  The 
minister,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Roberts,  entered  this  record: 

"Jan.  ye  3,  1741/2, 1  baptized  a  child  for  Isaac  Higley  and  her  name  is  Susannah." 

There  is  no  allusion  anywhere  made  to  this  child  afterward. 

Early  in  1732  Isaac  Higley  began  trading  and  securing  lands 
in  Torrington,  Conn.  The  first  settlers  of  this  town  were  almost 
altogether  from  Windsor.  His  name  is  mentioned  in  this  con- 
nection with  other  citizens  of  Windsor  as  early  as  September  10, 
1733.  In  January  of  that  year  he  purchased  an  additional  lot 
of  land  from  Jonathan  Barber,  and  again  in  August,  1738,  from 
Aaron  Barber.  In  1739  purchases  of  more  land  were  made  from 
his  brother-in-law  Jonathan  Trumbull  of  Lebanon,  who  appears 
to  have  been  the  owner  of  lands  at  Torrington. 

It  was  about  this  date  (1739)  that  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Torrington,  being  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  and 


ISAAC  HIGLEY.  157 

where  he  became  a  man  of  considerable  note.  There  were  but 
nine  families  within  the  limits  of  the  town  at  its  beginning.  He 
was  at  once  associated  with  those  who  took  early  measures  to 
establish  church  privileges,  memorializing  the  General  Assembly 
in  October  of  the  same  year,  asking  to  be  "organized  into  an 
Ecclesiastical  Society,  and  that  taxes  might  be  imposed  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel  ministry."  A  church  was  founded  of  which, 
in  1741,  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Roberts  was  ordained  the  first  minis- 
ter. In  October,  1747,  Isaac  Higley  served  on  a  committee  of 
three  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  to  build  a  meeting 
house.  They  erected  the  first  church  building  in  the  town, 
which  was  ordered  to  be  "a  frame  structure  of  the  dimensions 
of  thirty  foot  square  and  eighteen  foot  between  joints."  The 
meeting  houses  of  Colonial  times  were  not  warmed;  there  were 
no  stoves  in  those  days.  "  It  was  considered  that  a  comfortable 
degree  of  heat  while  at  public  worship  did  not  contribute  to  the 
profitable  hearing  of  the  gospel.  The  first  stove  known  to  have 
been  introduced  into  a  house  of  worship  was  in  Massachusetts 
in  1773,"  thirty  years  later  than  this  period,  and  "  was  considered 
an  indication  of  extravagance  and  degeneracy."  ' 

In  1745  a  small  school  was  opened  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  at 
Torrington.  These  early  schools  on  the  outskirts  were  generally 
kept  by  school-dames.  There  was,  by  this  time,  a  growing 
degeneracy  in  the  standard  of  the  schools  in  the  colony,  many 
betraying  an  unwillingness  to  support  them;  yet  some  effort  was 
still  made  to  store  the  minds  of  the  young  with  useful  knowledge. 
The  old-time  New  England  schoolmaster  governed  his  pupils 
"by  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  the  rod!"  He  was  a  practical 
advocate  of  corporal  punishment.  "School  opened,"  states  a 
writer  of  those  times,  "  when  the  birch  rod  was  laid  across  the 
master's  desk."  A  sharp  thrashing  scene  Was  no  uncommon 
event  in  the  daily  school  exercises.  It  has  been  stated  that 
"shingles  and  old  slippers  had  much  to  do  with  the  proud 
civilization  of  the  past."  During  the  year  1748  a  division  was 
made  between  the  east  and  the  west  side  of  the  town — Torrington 
and  Torringford.  Isaac  Higley  appears  on  the  west  side  in  Tor- 
rington, where  his  estate  lay  "on  the  hill  adjoining  Joseph 
Allyn's  place."  The  population  had  now  increased,  by  1756,  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty. 

His  wife,  Sarah  Porter,  died  on  the  ipth  of  July,  1753,  and  on  the 
24th  of  February,  1757,  he  married  Sarah  Loomis. 

1 "  Old  Time  Series,"  by  H.  M.  Brooks. 


158  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Isaac  was  the  third  son  of  Captain  John  Higley  who  bore  the 
honor  of  being  commissioned  by  the  General  Assembly  ensign 
of  the  military  company  of  the  town  to  which  he  belonged.  The 
Act  was  passed  October,  1757. 

It  is  a  matter  worthy  of  especial  notice  that  his  brother  Brew- 
ster  Higley,  ist,  who  had  sons  the  same  age  as  Isaac,  and  was  the 
largest  property  holder  in  the  family,  selected  him  to  settle  his 
estate.  "I  make,"  says  Brewster  in  the  document,  "my  loving 
brother  Isaac  my  sole  executor,"  etc. ;  evincing  the  worthy  trust 
which  might  be  reposed  in  him,  as  well  as  the  affectionate  regard 
in  which  he  was  held  by  Captain  Higley's  older  children.  It  is 
not  known  just  how  long  Isaac  survived  his  brother. 

The  tradition  from  the  venerable  grandparents  is  that  he  met 
his  death  by  accidental  drowning  while  crossing  the  river  on  the 
ice  in  the  winter  of  177-,  with  a  wagon  loaded  with  wood  ;  the 
wagon  breaking  through.  In  his  effort  to  save  his  horses,  he  him- 
self went  under  the  ice.  His  body  was  never  recovered.  With 
the  early  spring  thaw  the  following  season  came  a  great  freshet, 
which  swept  it  away  in  the  flood. 

The  date  of  the  decease  of  his  second  wife  and  that  of  his 
unmarried  daughter  is  not  known.  His  widow  held  the  farm 
until  the  soth  of  January,  1800,  on  which  date  she  gave  a  deed 
of  conveyance  to  Oliver  Allyn.  This  closed  the  family  history. 
There  were  no  descendants. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

DESCENDANTS    OF    KATHERINE     HIGLEY     NOBLE. 

Continued  from  chapter  xvii.  p.  96. 

David  Noble,  Katherine,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Consider  the  years  of  many  generations. — DEUTERONOMY,   xxxii.  7. 

OF  Katherine  Higley  Noble's  children,  a  son  and  daughter  sur- 
vived her,  Lydia  and  David. 

LYDIA  NOBLE,  the  eldest  child  of  James  Noble  and  Katherine 
Higley,  born  December  7,  1704,  married  April  30,  1734,  Stephen 
Kelsey  of  Killingwarth,  Conn.  They  took  up  their  residence  at 
Westfidd,  Mass.  He  died  December  n,  1753.  She  died  April 
18,  1768.  They  had  seven  children,  viz.:  Stephen,  Gershom, 
James,  Mindwell,  Stephen  (zd),  Lydia,  Stephen  (3^). 

DAVID  NOBLE,  Sr.,  the  third  child  of  James  and  Katherine  Hig- 
ley Noble,  was  born  March  3,  1709,  and  married  Abigail  Loomis, 
daughter  of  Philip  and  Hannah  Loomis  of  Simsbury. 

He  was  a  man  of  prominent  usefulness.  In  the  year  1732  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Hebron,  Conn.  Here  he  had  much 
to  do  with  founding  the  ecclesiastical  society  called  Gilead,  which 
was  organized  in  1748,  his  name  being  frequently  noted  in  its 
first  meeting,  which  was  held  in  June  of  that  year.  It  was  then, 

"Voted,  that  Mr.  Thomas  Post  and  Mr.  David  Noble  shall  tune  the  Psalms  for  us 
on  the  dayes  of  divine  worship." 

This  appointment  betrays  David  Noble's  share  in  the  heredi- 
tary musical  turn  which  runs  through  the  Higley  family  from  its 
very  early  history  to  this  day. 

He  was  also  appointed  on  a  committee  to  obtain  land  "  to  set 
our  meeting-house  on."  He  was  subsequently  chosen  moderator 
of  the  society's  meetings,  and  again  in  1750  he  served  upon  a  com- 
mittee to  " treat  with  a  minister."  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two,  February  18,  1761.  A  monument  stands  to  his  memory  in 
the  Gilead  cemetery. 

The  wife  of  David  Noble,  Sr.,  Abigail  Loomis,  lived  to  the 
ripe  old  age  of  ninety-two.  They  had  twelve  children.1 

1  See  names,  dates,  etc.,  of  this  family  and  its  descendants,  "  Noble  Genealogies." 


160  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

DAVID  NOBLE,  JR.,  their  eldest  son,  was  born  at  Westfield, 
Mass.,  and  removed  to  Hebron,  Conn.,  with  his  parents.  From 
his  early  boyhood  the  light  and  presence  of  his  grandmother, 
Katherine  Higley  Noble,  shone  in  his  father's  household,  of  which 
she  was  counted  one.  Without  doubt  she  often  enriched  it  with 
bright  stories  drawn  from  her  own  recollections  of  her  father's, 
Captain  John  Higley,  achievements  and  military  experiences  in 
the  border  days  during  the  hostile  warfare  with  the  Indians. 
The  influence  she  cast  upon  young  David's  after-conduct  in  life 
could  not  have  been  inconsiderable.  The  patriotic  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  which  has  proved  a  strong  characteristic  in  many  of 
Captain  John  Higley's  descendants  was  nobly  manifested  in  him. 

David  Noble,  Jr.,  was  one  of  the  true  heroes  of  the  Revolu- 
tion; his  name  and  deeds  are  deserving  of  perpetual  recognition 
in  the  annals  of  our  country.  His  career  ranks  next  to  that  of 
his  cousin,  Jonathan  Trumbull,  as  among  the  most  interesting  in 
the  record  of  the  Higley  family.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
limit  of  these  pages  forbids  more  than  a  modest  memorial  of  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  liberty. 

When  the  "first  mutterings  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution" 
began,  he  volunteered  his  services  without  wavering,  leaving 
at  home  a  wife  and  a  family  of  children. 

The  time  of  his  enlistment  and  duration  of  his  absence  is  not 

i 

recorded.  He  left  home  the  second  time,  April  22,  1775,  march- 
ing with  his  comrades  to  Cambridge  in  the  rank  of  captain,  under 
the  watchword  " LIBERTY  OR  DEATH." 

The  exact  time  of  his  return  to  his  home  is  not  known,  but  he 
appears  to  have  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  in 
which  he  bore  a  part  in  the  defense  of  Fort  No.  3,  a  work  of  his 
own  regiment. 

Neither  the  battles  of  Concord  and  Bunker  Hill  nor  the  priva- 
tions and  hardships  of  the  service  diminished  Captain  Noble's 
zeal.  Realizing  that  recruiting  was  proceeding  but  slowly,  that 
there  was  need  of  disciplined  men,  and  that  the  supply  of  arms 
was  scanty,  by  his  earnest  individual  effort  he  raised  a  company 
of  volunteers  in  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  was  commis- 
sioned its  captain,  and  marched  as  far  as  Springfield,  drilling  his 
soldiers  with  thoroughness  through  the  winter.  "  For  the  supply 
of  his  Company  he  purchased,  with  his  (nun  funds,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  stands  of  Arms,  new;  clothed  them  with  regimentals — 
their  breeches  being  made  of  buckskin,  and  their  coats  of  blue, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  KATHERINE  HIGLEY  NOBLE.        161 

turned  up  with  white.  To  meet  these  costs,  Captain  Noble  sold 
two  farms  in  Stephenson,  N.  Y.,  and  one  or  two  farms  at  Pitts- 
field,  Mass.  On  being  paid  in  gold  for  the  land  at  Stephenson,  he 
went  to  Philadelphia  and  purchased  the  deer  skins,  or  leather,  and 
at  the  same  time  hired  a  breeches-maker,  and  '  the  breeches  '  says 
his  son,  'were  all  manufactured  at  our  house.'  " 

On  the  3ist  of  December,  1775,  he  marched  his  soldiers  from 
Pittsfield  to  Boston.  While  at  Cambridge  he  sent  for  all  the 
goods  that  would  answer  for  soldiers'  clothing,  both  linen  and 
woolens,  that  remained  in  his  dry  goods  store  at  home.  These 
were  promptly  forwarded  to  him.  "  We  had  harvested  at  home 
that  summer,"  writes  his  son, "thirty  acres  of  wheat,  which  was 
made  into  flour  and  sent  to  my  father  at  Cambridge,  all  except 
what  our  family  really  needed." 

After  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British  in  March,  1776, 
Captain  Noble  and  his  company  proceeded  to  Canada  for  the  pur- 
pose of  joining  Arnold.  The  defeat  of  the  latter  at  Quebec  com- 
pelled him  to  join  in  a  hasty  retreat,  retiring  to  Crown  Point, 
N.  Y.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  provisions  and  the  almost  insur- 
mountable difficulties  in  obtaining  them,  the  sufferings  and  pri- 
vations were  extreme. 

While  worn  down  by  fatigue,  and  suffering  from  the  effects  of 
unwholesome  food,  Captain  Noble  was  attacked,  while  at  Isle 
Aux  Noix,  with  the  smallpox,  which  was  then  ravaging  the 
soldiers.  He  was  removed  to  Crown  Point,  and  there,  in  less  than 
two  months,  this  self-sacrificing  patriot,  "  noble  by  nature  as  well 
as  by  name,"  passed  to  his  reward.  Captain  Noble  sacrificed  his 
entire  property,  as  well  as  his  life,  to  the  cause  of  American 
Independence." 

"  Our  joyful  hosts  to-day 
Their  grateful  tribute  pay — 

Happy  and  free, 
After  our  toils  and  fears, 
After  our  blood  and  tears, 
Strong  with  our  hundred  years — 

Oh,  Lord,  to  thee  !  "  l 

1  This  stanza  was  added  to  the  hymn  "  America,"  and  sung  at  the  Centennial  of  Washington's 
inauguration  in  New  York  City. — ED. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

BREWSTER    HIGLEY,    2D. 

Continued  front  chapter  xviii.  p.  100. 

Brewster  Higley,  ad,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

By  Professor  Edwin  Hall  Higley 

The  strength  of  a  country  will  be  found  in  the  personal  character  and  individual  conscience 
that  exist  within  its  borders. — THOMAS  F.  BAYARD. 

BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  2d,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Brewster  Higley, 
ist,  and  the  grandson  of  Captain  John  Higley.  He  was  born 
December  12,  1709,  in  the  old  homestead  at  Simsbury,  Conn. 
When  twenty-five  years  old  he  married  Esther  Holcombe,  daughter 
of  John  Holcombe,  and  his  wife  Anne  (daughter  of  John  Petti- 
bone).  The  date  of  this  marriage,  as  recorded  in  the  Simsbury 
Record  Book,  was  March  13,  1734.  His  father  bought  for  him 
some  land  from  his  (Brewster,  ist's,)  half-brother  Nathaniel,  and 
on  this  land  the  old  colonial  house  here  illustrated  was  built,  where 
he  took  his  bride.  In  this  house  all  his  children  were  born,  and 
the  family  dwelt  here  until  after  the  death  of  his  father,  Brewster, 
ist,  in  1760.  Their  children,  whose  births  are  entered  in  the 
Simsbury  Record  Book,  were  as  follows  : 

Brewster  (3d),  born  March  3,  1734/5  ;  Hannah,  born  March  n, 
x736/7  ;  Joel,  born  January  i,  1739  ;  Esther,  born  September  19, 
1743;  Seth,  born  October  29,  1746;  Huldah,  born  February  i, 
1749,  Enoch,  born  August  25,  1754. 

Owing  to  the  distribution  and  division  of  property  among  the 
increasing  kindred,  Brewster,  2d,  seems  to  have  begun  life  with  a 
more  limited  worldly  estate  than  his  father  possessed.  He  was  a 
man  of  ardent  temperament,  great  industry,  and  fidelity.  He  in- 
herited much  of  his  father's  skill  in  medical  and  surgical  practice, 
and  was  often  called  upon  as  an  expert  in  extracting  teeth  and 
setting  fractured  bones;  and  he  gained  so  much  reputation  in  such 
matters  that  "he  was  recognized  by  the  best  surgeons  in  Hart- 
ford County  to  be  a  safe  and  prudent  operator  in  such  cases." 
Thus  wrote  his  grandson,  Erastus  Higley. 

An  event  of  great  importance  in  his  personal  life  was  his  re- 

163 


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DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY^D.  163 

ligious  conversion,  which  occurred  in  1740,  during  the  visit  to  this 
country  of  the  famous  preacher  and  revivalist,  George  Whitefield. 
Whitefield  preached  in  New  England  during  September  and  Octo- 
ber, 1740.  About  the  middle  of  October  he  came  to  Northhamp- 
ton,  where  the  great  influence  of  Jonathan  Edwards  was  still  felt. 
From  thence  he  proceeded  toward  New  York,  preaching  to  great 
throngs  wherever  he  stopped.  He  preached  at  all  the  principal 
towns  on  his  route,  including  Windsor,  Hartford,  and  New  Haven, 
Conn.  At  this  time  Brewster  Higley  heard  him,  and  became 
ardent  and  zealous  in  his  religious  faith  and  practice.  According 
to  one  account,  "he  accompanied  Whitefield  from  Simsbury  to 
Boston."  But  as  Whitefield  came  to  Boston,  via  Rhode  Island,  by 
ship  from  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  visited  Connecticut  on  the  way  to 
New  York,  as  above  stated,  it  is  probable  that  Brewster  Higley 
either  first  heard  him  in  Boston,  and  accompanied  him  from  Boston 
to  Simsbury,  or  made  the  visit  to  Boston  in  connection  with  some 
later  religious  gathering.  The  religious  interest  continued  to  be 
felt  very  deeply  throughout  New  England  for  several  years  after 
Whitefield 's  visit,  and  great  revivals  of  religion  prevailed,  especially 
in  Connecticut,  in  the  years  1740,  1741,  and  1742.  Among  the 
ministers  who  are  mentioned  as  "  most  zealous  and  laborious  in 
the  cause,  who  took  most  pains  and  spent  the  most  property  in 
the  service,"  were  Rev.  Jedediah  Mills,  brother-in-law  to  Elizabeth 
Higley  Mills.  Mr.  Whitefield  arrived  in  Boston  again  in  the 
autumn  of  1744,  and  again  advanced  through  Connecticut  to  New 
York,  "preaching  twice  a  day,  generally  to  thousands."  It  may 
have  been  then  that  Brewster  Higley  accompanied  him.  From 
this  time  he  was  always  active  and  prominent  in  religious 
matters.  He  became  a  deacon  in  the  church,  an  office  which  has 
been  held  continuously  by  some  one  of  his  descendants  down  to 
the  fifth  generation.  The  distinct  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
religion  which  he  manifested  at  this  time  marks  a  new  epoch  in 
the  history  of  the  family. 

The  records  of  the  Simsbury  religious  society  show  his  con- 
nection with  the  work  and  welfare  of  the  church  throughout  all  his 
remaining  years.  In  1753  and  1754  a  disagreement  arose  between 
a  majority  of  the  society  and  their  pastor,  Rev.  Gideon  Mills,  who 
had  married  Brewster  Higley's  sister  Elizabeth.  The  list  of 
names  of  those  who  voted  against  the  continuance  of  Mr.  Mills 
as  pastor  contains  that  of  "Brewster  Higley  Jun.,"  who  thus 
took  sides  against  his  sister's  husband.  The  precise  grounds  of 


164  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

his  action  in  this  matter  are  not  known,  but  the  incident  may  be 
taken  as  evidence  that  he  subordinated  his  personal  feelings  and 
interests  to  his  convictions  of  right  and  duty. 

At  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  Benajah  Roots,  June  27,  1757 
(successor  to  Rev.  Gideon  Mills),  among  those  nominated  to 
"keep  houses  of  entertainment"  was  "  Sergt.  Brewster  Higley 
Junr."  In  1768,  in  a  report  upon  the  "Seating  of  ye  Meeting," 
when  Mrs.  Esther  Higley,  widow  of  Brewster,  ist,  was  assigned 
to  pew  i.,  the  place  of  chief  distinction,  her  son  "  Ensn-  Brewster 
Higley"  was  seated  directly  behind  her.  From  1760  to  1764 
Ensign  Brewster  Higley  was  chosen  one  of  the  prudential  com- 
mittee of  the  society.  He  was  moderator  of  the  society's 
meeting  in  1763.  In  1777  he  was  one  of  a  committee  to  "treat 
with  Mr.  Samuel  Stebbins  and  invite  him  in  the  name  and  behalf 
of  said  society  to  preach  the  gospel  with  us  for  the  future  as 
a  probationer,  in  order  to  settle  with  us  in  the  Gospel  Ministry." 
In  1778,  at  a  meeting  in  November,  Ensign  Brewster  Higley 
with  others  (named)  were  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with 
the  minister,  "Mr.  Samuel  Stebbins,  how  to  compute  the  present 
currency  of  the  country,  or  Continental  Bills,  with  the  agree- 
ment made  with  him  at  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  the  ministry 
of  this  Society." 

Among  the  questions  which  greatly  agitated  the  churches  of 
New  England  at  this  time  was  the  condition  of  psalmody,  or 
church  music.  For  more  than  a  century  after  the  coming  of  the 
Mayflower,  the  only  music  known  in  public  worship  consisted  of 
the  few  psalm  tunes  brought  over  by  the  first  settlers.  These 
tunes  were  sung  by  rote,  that  is,  without  musical  notation,  and 
from  memory.  Consequently  in  the  lapse  of  years  great  varia- 
tions in  the  method  of  singing  developed  themselves  in  different 
places,  and  often  the  singing  had  degenerated  into  a  formless 
droning  which  was  distressing  and  intolerable  to  those  of  intelli- 
gence and  musical  feeling.  Efforts  at  reform  were  made  by 
some  of  the  ministers  and  others  who  recognized  the  extent  of 
this  evil.  But,  in  combating  the  evil,  the  reformers  were  often 
led  to  the  other  extreme,  and  introduced  music  of  a  flippant  and 
artificial  character,  which  contrasted  too  strongly  with  the 
solemn,  though  untuneful,  strains  of  the  older  tradition.  Thus 
two  parties  were  formed  who  became  bitter  antagonists,  the  one 
sticking  for  rote,  the  other  for  note,  and  the  irrepressible  conflict 
between  the  new  and  the  old,  the  conservative  and  the  radical, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,1D.  165 

raged  in  every  town  over  this  issue.  Probably  the  solemn 
religious  earnestness  of  Brewster  Higley  moved  him  to  take  the 
conservative  side.  Very  likely  the  opposing -party  was  often 
filled  with  a  zeal  without  knowledge.  The  society  Records 
report  the  following  interesting  incident,  showing  Brewster 
Higley's  position  on  this  question:  "1773.  April. — Voted  to 
sing  on  the  Lord's  days  in  the  afternoon  according  to  the  rules 
taught  in  the  Singing  Schools  in  this  and  the  neighboring 
counties."  Soon  after  this  a  teacher  of  music  was  employed. 
After  practising  some  time  he  appeared  with  his  scholars  in 
church  on  a  Sunday,  and  the  minister  having  announced  the 
psalm,  the  choir,  under  the  instructor's  lead,  started  with  a 
tune  much  more  lively  than  the  congregation  were  accustomed 
to  hear.  Upon  which  one  of  the  Deacons,  Brewster  Higley,  took 
his  hat  and  left  the  house,  exclaiming  as  he  passed  down  the 
aisle,  "Popery!  Popery!" 

His  interest  was  not  entirely  taken  up,  however,  by  church 
matters.  Shortly  after  1760  (when  his  father  died)  he  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  of  Captain  John  Higley,  where  he  took  care 
of  his  widowed  mother  until  her  death,  December  7,  1775.  Here 
he  lived  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  carried  on  a  saw-mill,  and 
a  cider-mill  and  distillery,  which  stood  near  the  original  site  of 
the  barn  on  Captain  John's  farm.  Judged  by  more  recent  stan- 
dards, this  latter  industry  seems  inconsistent  with  the  religious 
convictions  which  he  professed.  But  at  that  time  the  drinking 
habits  of  the  New  England  settlers  were  strongly  developed,  and 
the  religious  propriety  of  the  traffic  in  stimulating  beverages 
was  unquestioned.  "Drinking,"  says  Edward  Eggleston,  "was 
universal.  The  birth  of  a  child,  the  taking  of  a  piece  of  land, 
the  induction  of  a  new  minister,  an  election  of  officers,  the 
assembling  of  a  court,  weddings,  funerals,  auctions,  arrivals 
and  departures,  and  even  religious  meetings  in  private  houses, 
were  occasions  for  drinking."  Deacon  Brewster's  liquor  was 
evidently  popular  in  the  community,  and  that  it  was  largely  con- 
sumed among  his  own  kin  is  shown  by  the  entries  in  his  old 
account  book.  Under  date  of  September  20th,  1775,  is  the 
following  "true  account  Concerning  Creditors  bringing  Cider 
to  the  Still": 


12 


i66 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


G. 

Qt. 

Pts. 

Brewster  Higley  

Wid  Esther  Higley  

Wid  Esther  Higley               

Seth  H  igley  

6 

These  entries  occur  among  the  names  of  other  neighbors,  and 
show  not  only  the  bibulous  tastes,  but  the  numerical  growth  of 
the  kindred.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  section  of  Simsbury 
where  Brewster  and  others  resided  was  regularly  known  as 
Higlty-town,  and  so  recorded  on  the  map. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1774,  Brewster's  wife,  Esther,  died,  aged 
fifty-nine  years.  She  was  married  when  nineteen  years  old,  and 
had  been  his  wife  for  forty  years. 

In  the  following  year,  Brewster  Higley  married  the  widow 
Mindwell  Bull  of  Hartford,  the  date  of  the  marriage  being 
January  5,  1775.  She  was  the  mother  of  Amos  Bull,  a  noted 
singing-master  and  composer  of  tunes.  A  minute  marriage- 
settlement,  signed  and  sealed  by  Brewster  Higley  and  Mindwell 
Bull,  is  contained  in  the  Simsbury  Town  Records.  In  it  is  the 
agreement  that  in  consideration  of  property  to  the  value  of  five 
pounds  which  the  widow  was  to  bring  into  Brewster's  family 
"for  the  benefit  of  said  family,"  she  should  receive  back  the 
the  value  of  the  same,  in  case  she  survived  her  husband,  and  that 
"all  the  Dower  she  shall  have  right  or  claim  to  out  of  the  sd 
Brewster's  estate  shall  be  the  use  of  the  lower  North  Room  in 
the  house  he  now  lives  in  and  four  '  pound '  in  money  annually,  so 
long  as  the  said  Mindwell  remains  the  widow  of  the  aforesaid 
Brewster  and  for  no  longer  a  term  of  time." 

Brewster  Higley,  2d,  like  his  father  and  his  grandfather,  was  in 
the  military  service  of  the  State.  An  entry  in  the  Connecticut 
Colonial  Records  reads:  "March  1758. — This  Assembly  do 
establish  Mr.  Brewster  Higley  to  be  Ensign  of  the  First  Com- 
pany of  the  Train  Band  in  the  Town  of  Simsbury."  The  designa- 
tion "Mr."  in  this  appointment  is  evidence  that  he  was  then 
esteemed  a  person  of  social  importance,  which  is  further  wit- 
nessed by  the  address,  "Brewster  Higley,  Gentleman"  contained 
in  his  commission  during  the  Revolutionary  period,  signed  by  his 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY^D.  167 

cousin  Governor  Trumbull,  September  25,  1777.'  His  son  Brew- 
ster,  3d,  was  also  commissioned  in  the  army,  and  served  at  Sara- 
toga and  elsewhere  during  a  large  part  of  the  same  year. 

On  December  21,  1761,  he  was  chosen  leather  sealer  of  the 
town,  and  was  re-elected  every  year  until  1772. 

In  1777  "  Brewster  Higley  2d"  was  chosen  one  of  a  "Com- 
mittee to  take  care  of  schooling  and  'sit'  up  schools  in  the 
several  Districts  for  the  year  ensuing."  Brewster,  2d,  often 
expressed  regret  that  he  had  not  received  a  better  education  in 
his  youth.  This  regret  was  uttered  in  connection  with  his  desire 
to  engage  more  fully  in  public  religious  effort.  His  handwriting 
is  less  fine  and  clear  than  that  of  his  son,  but  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  he  was  especially  lacking  in  culture  for  that  time. 
His  expressed  regret  is  rather  a  proof  of  his  appreciation  of 
learning  than  an  evidence  of  his  lack  of  it. 

Under  the  will  of  his  mother,  the  Widow  Esther  Higley,  "her 
son  Ensign  Brewster  Higley  "  was  appointed  the  executor  of  her 
estate. 

Brewster  Higley,  2d,  died  March  21,  1794,  aged  eighty-four 
years,  three  months,  and  nine  days.  His  will  was  received  and 
accepted  by  the  court,  March  31,  1794.  The  will  was  written  June 
21,  1793,  and  disposed  of  property  inventoried  at  ^946  145.  2d. 
In  the  list  are  the  following  articles,  which  show  him  to  have 
taken  pains  to  attire  himself  as  became  a  person  of  consequence: 

Best  great  coat,  valued  at  £\  145.  :  coats,  black  and  brown  ;  vest  and  breeches, 
black,  brown,  and  gray  ;  worsted  stockings,  blue  and  gray  ;  best  linen  shirts  ; 
"three  checked  shirts  ;  wool  shirts  ;  another  linen  shirt  ;  shoes  and  old  boots  ;  black 

1  Jonathan   Trumbull,  Esquire,  Captain-General  and  Commander  in  Chief,  of  the  State  of 

Connecticut  in  A  merica  : 
To  BRKWSTER  HIGLEY,  2ND,  Gentleman. 


estab- 


or  other  your  superior  Officers,  according  to  the  Rules  and  Discipline  of  War,  ordained  and  estab 
lished  by  the  Laws  of  the  State  aforesaid,  pursuant  to  the  Trust  reposed  in  you. 

Given  under  my  Hand  and   Seal,   At  Arms,    at   Lebanon   the  25   Day   of  September,  Ann 
Domini  1777. 


1777. 

By  his  Excellency's  Command 

JONTH.  TRUMBULL. 


JAMES  WADSWORTH  Clerk 


1 68  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

handkerchief  ;  silver  shoe  buckles,  silver  knee  buckles,  valued  at  8s.  each  ;  5^ 
yards  of  mixed  colored  cloth  ;  7^  yards  of  wool  shirting,  valued  at  155.  ;  one 
Bible  ;  Watt's  Hymns  ;  spelling  book,  etc.,  etc. 

Lieutenant  Joel  Higley  and  Enoch  Higley  are  recorded  by  the 
Court  of  Probate  as  executors  of  the  estate..  The  will  begins  with 
a  sort  of  declaration  of  his  faith  as  follows  : 

"  Being  advanced  in  years  and  in  the  84th  year  of  my  age,  and  calling  to  mind 
the  mortality  of  my  body  and  that  it  is  appointed  for  all  men  to  die  and  after 
death  to  come  to  judgement.  .  . 

"  First  of  all  I  recommend  my  soul  into  the  hands  of  God  who  gave  it,  and  my 
body  to  the  Earth  to  be  buried  in  a  decent  and  Christian  manner,  nothing  doubting 
but  I  shall  receive  the  same  again  by  the  mighty  power  of  God.  .  ." 

He  then  bequeaths  to 

"  My  loving  wife  Mindwell,  a  garden  plot  of  half  an  acre  of  plow  lands  in  the 
most  convenient  place  near  my  dwelling,  also,  a  third  part  of  my  cellar  with  liberty 
to  pass  to  and  from  the  same,  and  the  well,  for  her  use  and  benefit,  with  liberty  of 
cutting  fire-wood  enough  to  support  a  fire  for  her  own  benefit,  and  liberty  to  pas- 
ture one  cow  on  the  farme,  and  liberty  to  cut  two  loads  of  hay  in  my  meadow  an- 
nually during  her  natural  life,  with  what  I  gave  her  by  a  marriage  settlement  as  by 
a  written  agreement  may  appear  is  to  be  in  full  of  her  Dowery  in  my  estate.  Also 
liberty  to  put  her  hay  in  my  North  barn  and  stable  for  a  cow  in  winter." 

He  then  makes  bequests  of  lands  to  his  sons,  giving  location 
and  boundaries,  and  also  gives  bequests  to  his  daughters. 

For  the  descendants  of  Breiaster  Higley,  2d,  see  the  following  pages . 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

ENSIGN    BREWSTER    HIGLEY,    30. 

Brewster  Higley,  3d,  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
By  Emma  L.  Higley  of  Middlebury,  Vt. 

To  belong  to  a  family  which  has  earned  well-deserved  respect :  to  be  able  to  look  back  upon 
forefathers  who  have  lived  well  and  bravely  :  this  is  indeed  a  birthright  worth  having.  An  inheri- 
tance of  money  may  or  may  not  be  a  desirable  thing,  an  inheritance  of  character,  an  ancestry  of 
generous,  true-hearted  men  who  did  justly,  loved  mercy,  and  walked  humbly  with  their  God,  this 
is  a  thing  that  kings  might  covet.— EDNA  LYALL. 

BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  3d,  the  first  Higley  of  Castleton,  Vt,  was 
born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  on  the  i4th  of  March,  1735.  He  was 
the  eldest  child  of  Deacon  Brewster  Higley,  2d  (page  162). 

Little  of  -his  boyhood  and  youth  is  known.  The  composition 
and  well-formed  handwriting  give  evidence  of  an  early  educa- 
tional training.  His  good  father  so  lamented  his  own  limited 
education  that  he  was  doubtless  prompted  by  his  own  deficiencies 
to  give  his  sons  better  advantages. 

In  the  days  when  young  men  were  modest  and  kept  in  the 
background  unless  possessed  of  unusual  ability,  we  find  Brewster, 
3d,  appointed  to  the  offices  of  constable  and  collector  of 
rates  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  I  have  in  my  possession  the 
rate  book  of  Simsbury  first  Society,  Salmon-Brook,  Turkey-Hills, 
and  Wintonbury,  besides  cider-mill,  saw-mill,  and  farm  account 
books,  which  give  evidence  of  Brewster,  3d's,  early  aptitude  in 
business  affairs.  These  are  duly  registered  with  the  minutest 
accuracy,  and  some  racy  observations  and  aspirations  are  sand- 
wiched among  the  dry  figures. 

He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  the  fact  of  which  is  set 
forth  in  the  Town  Records  of  Simsbury,  thus: 

"  Aprill  7,  A.  D.  1757.  Brewster  Higley  the  3d,  son  of  Brewster  Higley  the  2d, 
and  Esther  Owen,  Daughter  of  John  Owen  and  Esther  his  wife,  were  Joined  in 
marriage  by  John  Humphery  Esqr.  Their  grandfather's  name  is  Brewster  Higley 
and  Grandmother's  name  is  Esther.  Their  father's  name  is  Brewster  Higley 
and  mother's  name  is  Esther,  so  that  there  are  three  generations  from  Grand- 
father and  Grandmother  down  to  Grandson  and  grand-daughter,  all  of  one  name 

i6q 


1 7°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

for  male,  and  one  name  for  female — Three  generations  are  now  living.     May  the 
Divine  blessing  rest  on  them  and  theirs  to  the  latest  posterity." ' 

The  father  of  the  bride,  Deacon  John  Owen,  was  at  that  time 
the  town  clerk,  and  made  the  record. 

They  settled  at  Simsbury,  where  they  resided  for  twenty-two 
years,  then  removed  to  Castleton,  Vt. 

Is  it  in  answer  to  the  above  benediction  that  the  Castleton 
branch  of  Higleys  counts  fifty  members  on  the  Castleton  church 
roll,  a  dozen  of  whom  entered  the  ministry,  three  were  mis- 
sionaries, and  eight  were  among  its  twenty-three  deacons  ? 

I  must  call  special  attention  to  these  deacons,  four  generations 
in  unbroken  succession  having  served  the  church  from  Brewster 
Higley,  3d,  elected  in  1793,  down  to  this  present  year  (1890),  when 
its  senior  and  junior  deacons  now  serving  are  his  great-grandsons, 
grandsons  of  the  grandson  of  Deacon  John  Owen  and  Deacon 
Brewster  Higley,  2d,  of  the  Simsbury  church. 

Captain  John  Higley's  account  book  finally  fell  in  succession 
to  his  great-grandson  Brewster,  3d,  and  it  was  in  blank  leaves  left 
unused  in  this  book  that  he  kept  his  muster  roll  under  various 
dates.  He  served  as  clerk  of  the  town  military  or  train-band, 
and  carefully  preserved  in  another  book  is  his  commission  as 
ensign,  dated  September  25,  1777,  bearing  the  signature  of  his 
kinsman,  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull.8  Among  his  papers  is 
also  found  a  record  of  service  in  the  campaign  that  compelled 
Burgoyne's  surrender  in  1777. 

He  may  have  been  one  of  the  fifty  Connecticut  men  who  joined 
the  military  company  of  his  town  under  Captain  Noah  Phelps  of 
Simsbury,  and  came  with  the  expedition  led  by  Colonel  Benedict 
Arnold  to  Castleton,  where  soon  after  a  council  of  war  was  held 
on  the  village  green,  which  resulted  in  the  successful  attack  upon 
Ticonderoga  -the  following  day  under  command  of  the  indomni- 
table  Colonel  Ethan  Allen. 

Was  it  during  this  campaign,  when  associated  with  the  Vermont 
troops,  that  he  decided  to  emigrate  to  Vermont? 

His  son,  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  had  served  under  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen  in  the  Vermont  militia  the  winter  of  1778.  It  is  altogether 
probable  that  these  circumstances  introduced  Brewster,  3d,  and 
his  son  to  the  fine  tracts  of  tillable  lands  in  the  western  part  of 

1  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  iii.  p.  269. 

'  Whether  there  were  two  commissions  given  bearing  this  date,  one  to  the  father  and  one  to  the 
son,  seems  somewhat  obscure.  The  commission  to  Brewster  Higley,  ad,  page  167,  is  an  exact  copy 
of  the  original  document. — ED. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREIVSTER  HIGLEY,  ^D.  I?* 

the  Green  Mountain  State,  and  suggested  the  advisability  of 
now  removing  thither. 

The  deed  of  conveyance  to  Ensign  Brewster  Higley  of  a  farm 
of  323  acres  in  Castleton,  bears  date  October,  1778.  Twelve 
hundred  pounds  was  the  price  paid  for  this  home  in  the 
wilderness,  the  next  year  after  Burgoyne's  invasion.  The  land 
was  purchased  from  Ephraim  Buel,  and  was  "bounded  on  the 
north  by  Whitlock  Hill,  and  on  the  south  by  Gershom  Lake's 
farm."  There  was  standing  on  it  a  rude  log  cabin. 

In  May,  1779,  Brewster,  3d,  and  his  family  took  possession  of 
this  new  home.  The  father,  forty-four  years  of  age,  in  the  prime 
of  his  strong  manhood,  six  feet  tall,  broad-shouldered,  high  fore- 
head, high  cheek  bones,  keen  gray  eyes,  stern  and  grave  face,  but 
with  a  tender  heart  of  which  he  was  a  bit  ashamed.  The  mother 
was  forty,  a  noble  woman,  and  just  such  a  character  as  might  be 
expected  of  the  daughter  of  Deacon  John  Owen;  the  eldest  son, 
Brewster ;  4th,  was  now  twenty;  then  came  four  daughters: 
Louisa,  a  brave,  bright-witted  and  intelligent  girl  of  seventeen; 
Annie,  the  timid  one  of  the  band,  aged  fifteen;  Zilpah,  who  was 
thirteen;  Delight,  aged  ten  years;  Erastus,  the  second  son,  a  boy 
of  seven;  Esther,  a  child  of  four  years;  and  lola,  a  yearling  baby. 
Two  other  daughters,  Harley  and  Zeruah,  were  born  in  Castleton 
after  the  removal  of  the  family  from  Simsbury. 

On  setting  out  for  Vermont  the  family  goods  and  chattels 
were  packed  in  ox-carts,  Mrs.  Higley  and  Louisa  riding  on 
horseback,  carrying  the  babe  and  younger  children  in  arms, 
and  on  pillions  behind.  The  elder  children  walked  with  their 
father  and  two  nephews  who  accompanied  them,  Amasa  Alford 
and  John  Case. 

At  one  stage  of  the  long  journey,  when  the  roads  became  almost 
impassable  for  the  loaded  carts,  Brewster,  3d,  sent  his  son  on 
ahead  with  the  mother  and  children  to  the  end  planned  for  that 
day's  journey,  and  to  bring  back  the  horses  to  help  with  the  loads. 
But  after  they  had  gone  his  imagination  suggested  so  many 
possible  perils,  that  he  walked  the  entire  night  and  overtook  the 
party  just  as  they  were  mounting  their  horses  for  the  next  day's 
journey.  Louisa  was  the  first  to  descry  her  father  through  the 
thick  forest,  and  was  fond  of  relating  in  after  years  how  her  heart 
was  lightened  as  she  saw  him  leaping  from  one  fallen  log  to 
another,  and  answered  her  cheery  "Hallo!" 

In  June,  after  their  arrival,  the  account  book  opens  with  the 
following  entries  : 


172 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


June,  1779 


To  two  Bushel  of  Wheat,1 

To  two   pounds  of  hog  fat,  old  way,. . . 

to  Nine  pounds  and  half  of  flower 

to  four  pounds  flower, 

To  one  week  Spinning,  old  way 

to  Spinning  Six  Runs  and  half  of  yarn, 


Under  another  date  we  find  this  significant  entry  : 
"  To  four  shillings  cash  for  wolves." 

Our  most  vivid  imagination  can  scarcely  realize  the  deep 
wilderness  to  which  they  had  come. 

The  old  well  and  a  spice-apple  tree  are  all  that  now  (1893) 
remain  on  the  spot  of  this  first  home  which  they  occupied. 

Judge  John  Owen's  diary  contains  the  following  record  : 

"  June  3,  1780  :  Heard  by  Mr.  Mason  from  Castleton  that  my  son-in-law  Higley 
and  his  wife,  my  daughter,  and  family,  are  all  well  and  not  much  concerned  about 
ye  Enemie." 

But  all  the  while  they  were  in  danger  from  foraging  parties  of 
British  tories  and  Indians,  whose  coming  was  of  frequent  occur- 
rence from  the  military  posts  on  Lake  Champlain. 

Castleton  Fort  was  on  the  frontier,  near  the  thoroughfare  for 
military  expeditions  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  This  fort 
was  ten  miles  south  of  the  old  road  from  No.  4,  the  old  French 
war  highway  to  Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  twelve  miles  east  of 
Skeenesboro  (now  Whitehall,  N.  H. ),  at  the  south  end  of  Lake 
Champlain. 

One  foraging  party  slept  one  night  on  the  kitchen  floor,  while 
Mrs.  Higley  and  her  daughters  worked  all  the  night  through 
baking  bread  for  them,  finding  it  difficult  to  pass  from  the  mold- 
ing board  to  the  brick  oven  without  stepping  on  one  of  the  men. 

One  day  word  came  from  the  fort  that  a  skirmishing  party  was 
approaching.  The  family  packed  in  hot  haste.  The  horses  were 
loaded  with  the  children,  feather  beds,  blankets,  silver  spoons, 
and  other  valuables,  and  led  off  toward  the  settlement  at  Poultney 
for  safety;  and  colts,  calves,  pigs,  and  chickens  were  coaxed  to  a 
hiding-place.  My  grandfather,  the  little  boy  of  the  family,  hid 
his  half  bushel  of  nuts  where  he  was  sure  "the  British"  could  not 


1  The  entry  of  "  fifteen  pounds  "  as  the  price  of  the  wheat  is  in  very  clear  figures  in  the  old 
account  book,  and  though  the  country  was  at  that  time  a  wilderness  the  Editor  thinks  there  must 
be  a  mistake  in  the  figures. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ZD.  173 

find  them ;  and  when  the  danger  was  past,  and  the  scattered  family 
was  at  home  again,  he  was  much  grieved  to  find  them  missing. 
The  father  looked  at  the  hiding-place  and  said  :  "Squirrels,  not 
British,  this  time,  my  son." 

Another  such  rumor  one  dark  night  caused  timid  Annie  to 
spring  from  her  bed  and  rush  with  her  little  sister  Esther  (after- 
ward Mrs.  Sylvanus  Guernsey)  to  the  woods.  They  crouched 
low  behind  a  big  log  and  shivered  with  cold  and  fear  till  daylight, 
when  their  brother's  cheery  whistle,  as  he  hunted  for  them, 
assured  them  the  danger  was  over  for  that  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1782  the  rumors  of  a  fresh  invasion  from 
Canada  assumed  such  definite  shape  that  it  was  decided  to  send 
Mrs.  Higley  and  Mrs.  Lake,  a  neighbor,  with  the  young  children 
in  ox-carts  to  Connecticut,  to  stay  till  the  trouble  was  over. 
Brewster,  4th,  was  now  a  member  of  the  garrison  at  the  fort. 
Annie  went  to  Poultney,  spinning,  to  pay  for  her  board.  Louisa 
volunteered  to  remain  and  keep  house  for  her  father.  She  was 
regardless  of  fear.  She  earned  a  barrel  of  flour  that  summer  by 
baking  bread  for  the  garrison.  Hiland  Hall,  in  his  lectures  on 
the  "Forts  of  Vermont,"  tells  how  "the  commandant  spent  his 
evenings  at  Mr.  Brewster  Higley's  quite  often,  and  one  night 
remained  so  late  that  he  was  locked  out."  This  story  fits  with  a 
family  tradition,  that  "a  commandant  at  the  fort  stole  away  the 
heart  of  the  fair  Louise,  and  then  marched  away  and  forgot  her." 
This  explains  her  bravery  in .  being  left  behind  when  the  family 
took  flight. 

The  coming  of  a  man  to  the  .little  new  settlement  of  so  much 
intelligence,  property,  and  executive  ability  as  Brewster  Higley, 
3d,  was  duly  appreciated  by  his  townsmen.  We  find  him  at  once 
appointed  to  various  offices  :  serving  as  moderator,  justice  of  the 
peace,  town  clerk,  on  a  committee  to  secure  a  minister,  on 
another  to  arrange  for  a  singing-school,  and  attending  to  duties 
in  drawing  up  petitions  to  the  General  Assembly,  resolutions, 
etc.,  etc.  The  original  drafts  of  some  of  these  papers  are  still  in 
our  possession. 

In  the  year  1784  the  church  was  organized,  and  two  years  later 
the  parish  was  in  a  state  of  contention  over  the  location  of  the 
meeting-house.  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  exercised  a  controlling 
influence  in  the  church,  as  he  did  in  all  town  matters,  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years.  In  the  matter  now  to  be  settled,  he  put 
an  end  to  the  contention  by  donating  the  land  for  a  church,  with 


174  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

a  churchyard  attached.  He  also  gave  the  village  green  in  front 
of  it.  A  few  years  later  he  donated  another  lot  of  land  lying 
opposite  the  church  for  a  military  parade  ground. 

As  justice  of  the  peace  it  became  his  duty  to  solemnize  mar- 
riages. Between  the  years  1781  and  1792,  thirty-four  at  which 
he  officiated  are  upon  his  record  book;  also  copies  of  the  prayers 
which  he  offered  before  and  after  the  ceremony. 

As  Brewster  Higley  advanced  in  years,  and  his  strength  failed, 
he  gave  up  the  care  of  the  mills  and  the  farm  to  his  son  Erastus. 
But  he  continued  to  take  special  pride  and  pleasure  in  his  garden, 
with  its  apple,  cherry,  and  plum  trees,  Connecticut  grapes, 
asparagus,  artichokes,  etc.,  some  of  which  were  still  growing 
within  my  memory.  He  enjoyed  the  church,  which  was  near  at 
hand,  and  its  means  of  grace,  the  rapidly  improving  State,  town, 
and  country  roundabout  ;  his  increasing  family  of  grandchildren, 
and  the  visits  of  his  children,  their  letters  and  the  letters  from 
his  relatives  and  friends  at  the  old  Connecticut  home  of  his 
younger  years. 

And  so  he  grew  mellow  and  ripened  for  his  heavenly  home, 
which  he  peacefully  entered  one  early  spring  day  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years. 

He  was  interred  in  the  burial  ground  in  Castleton,  near  the 
church  he  loved. 

His  tombstone  is  thus  inscribed  : 


Beacon  JSrewgter 
THHas  born  in  Slmeburg  (Conn.) 
flfcarcb  14tb  a.  5).  1735. 
2>feo  Bpril  lltb  1805. 

"  We  mount  the  stage  of  life, 

Prove  actors  in  the  scene, 
Soon  close  the  short  account 

Of  three  score  years  and  ten  ; 
But  when  the  trumpet's  sound 

Awakes  the  sleeping  dust, 
Eternal  youth  will  crown, 

The  triumph  of  the  just." 

Esther  Owen  Higley,  the  wife  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  who  was 
born  October  27,  1739,  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-three.  Her 
death  took  place  September  28,  1812. 

Her  oldest  living  grandchild  remembers  her  as  much  enfeebled 
and  bowed  with  age  during  the  last  years  of  her  life. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,ZD:  175 

She  was  of  a  kindly,  gentle  temperament,  and  held  the  warm 
affections  of  her  family  and  neighbors.  Long  after  she  was  gone 
from  earth,  her  daughters  talked  of  her  memory  in  much  loving 
respect  and  affection. 

For  the  descendants  of  Brewster  Higley,  $d,  and  their  families  see  chapters 
xxxvi,  xxxvii,  and  xxxviii. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

HANNAH    HIGLEY    ALFORD    PORTER. 

Continued  from  page  162. 
Hannah,  Brewster  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

All  long-known  objects,  even  a  mere  window-fastening  or  a  particular  door-latch,  have  sounds 
which  are  a  sort  of  recognized  voice  to  us — a  voice  that  will  thrill  and  awaken,  when  it  has  been 
used  to  touch  deep-lying  fibers. —  The  Mill  on  the  Floss. 

HANNAH  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  daughter  and  second  child  of 
Brewster  Higley,  2d,  and  Esther  Holcombe,  his  wife,  was  born 
March  n,  1737. 

Her  first  marriage,  which  took  place  about  1756,  was  with  Elijah 
Alford,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Becket,  Mass.  They 
resided  at  Becket  till  the  death  of  Mr.  Alford,  which  occurred 
January  16,  1771,  leaving  her  a  widow  with  a  family  of  young 
children.  The  inventory  of  his  property  amounted  to  ^"493  35. 
lod. 

The  following  is  upon  the  records  of  the  ancient  Becket 
church  : 

"  August  ye  4th  1771.  Then  was  admitted  to  full  communion  with  this  church 
ye  widow  Hannah  Alford." 

On  the  5th  of  the  month,  the  day  following,  the  Rev.  Zadoc 
Hunn  records : 

"  I  baptized  Elijah,  'Asel,'  Abner,  Amasa,  and  Hannah,  ye  children  of  ye  widow 
Hannah  Alford." 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1775,  tne  "  Intentions  of  Mairiage  of  James 
Gaines  of  Boston  with  the  Widow  Hannah  Alford"  were  pub- 
lished and  placed  upon  record.  It  was  customary  in  those  days 
to  make  public  proclamation  of  a  matrimonial  contract.  No 
record  of  this  marriage  is  discoverable.  But  by  this  union  Mrs. 
Alford  had  one  child  who  was  named  James  Gaines. 

She  afterward  removed  with  her  family  to  Castleton,  Vt,  proba- 
bly with  a  desire  to  live  near  her  brother,  Deacon  Brewster 
Higley,  3d.  Here  she  married,  September  23,  1784,  Seth  Porter; 
her  brother  performing  the  marriage  ceremony.  Seth  Porter, 

176 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ZD.  177 

an  excellent  and  upright  citizen,  was  living  in  1799.  The  date 
of  his  death  has  not  been  ascertained.  Mrs.  Porter  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  life  at  Castleton.  She  was  administered  to, 
during  her  old  age,  by  her  son,  James  Gaines,  to  whom  she  left 
by  her  will  all  of  her  property.  She  died  January  27,  1823,  in  the 
eighty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 

The  children  of  Elijah  and  Hannah  (Higley)  Alford  were  as 
follows: 

Elijah,  born  April  13,  1757;  Asahel,  born  November  22,  1760; 
Amasa,  born  September  17,  1762,  died,  1764;  Abner,  born,  June 

29,  1767;  Amasa,  born  September  n,  1764;  Amos,  born  January 
25,  1769,  died,  September  n,   1769,  and  Hannah,  born  May   14, 
1771. 

ELIJAH  ALFORD,  JR.,  the  oldest  son,  born  April  13,  1757; 
married,  October  n,  1779,  Olive  Higley,  the  widow  of  his 
cousin,  Micah  Higley,  who  met  his  death  by  accidental  shooting 
the  preceding  December.  They  united  with  the  Becket  church, 
March  12,  1786.  He  was  a  man  of  sound,  substantial  character, 
and  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  was  useful  in 
church  matters  and  prominent  in  public  affairs.  He  served  the 
town  of  Becket,  Mass.,  as  surveyor,  1805,  as  juror,  1806,  and 
was  of  the  committee  for  visiting  and  inspecting  the  schools. 
September  3,  1807,  he  was  chosen  deacon  of  the  Becket 
church. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1811,  he  and  his  wife,  Olive,  were  promi- 
nent among  the  eleven  individuals  who,  with  Colonel  Benjamin 
Higley,  the  son  of  Olive  Higley  by  her  first  husband,  formed  a 
church  organization  in  Becket,  which  was  afterward  established 
permanently  at  Windham,  Portage  County,  O. ;  on  their  removal 
there,  later  in  the  season,  he  was  made  its  first  deacon.  The 
subsequent  history  of  this  church,  in  its  general  growth  and  pros- 
perity, proves  conclusively  that  the  Divine  protection  and  care 
marked  the  self-denying  zeal  of  these  earnest  founders.  It  is  now 
known  as  the  First  Congregationalist  Church  of  Windham,  O. 

Four  months  afterward,  Mr.  Alford  says,  in  a  letter  addressed 
to  Judge  Erastus  Higley  of  Castleton,  Vt.,  bearing  date  "August 

30,  1811": 

"  I  have  now  begun  my  journey  with  my  family  for  the  wilderness  of  New  Con- 
necticut, having  exchanged  my  land  for  land  in  Township  No.  4,  in  the  6th  range 
of  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve.  I  have  1167  acres  of  land  in  the  aforesaid 
township." 


1 78  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  emigrants  arrived  at  Windham  after  a  long  and  perilous 
journey  in  carts,  on  the  i2th  of  October,  1811.  Mr.  Alford  with 
his  family  settled  on  lot  No.  57. 

Here  he  and  his  wife  brought  up  a  family;  many  of  their 
descendants  still  reside  in  the  same  locality,  well-to-do  and 
highly  respected  citizens. 

Deacon  Elijah  Alford  died  at  Windham,  O. ,  April  n,  1832. 
His  wife,  Olive  (Higley)  Alford,  died  September  16,  1827,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  They  were  interred  in  the  Windham 
cemetery.  They  had  children,  all  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  viz. : 

Elijah,  3d,  born  August  12,  1780;  Ruth,  born  November  20, 
1784;  Olive,  born  October  12,  1786;  Levi  and  Oliver  (twins),  born 
April  14,  1789;  Anna,  born  November  25,  1792;  Sarah,  born 
June  3,  1795.  No  data  of  Olive,  Anna,  and  Sarah  has  been 
furnished. 

ELIJAH,  3d,  the  eldest,  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  resided  at  Windham,  O., 
till  his  decease. 

RUTH  was  admitted  to  the  Becket  church,  October  4,  1801,  and  was  one  of  the 
eleven  founders  of  the  First  Congregationalist  Church  at  Windham,  O. 

LEVI  and  OLIVER  were  the  first  of  the  Becket  family  to  go  on  a  prospecting  tour 
to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  making  their  journey  to  Windham  in  March,  1811. 
They  erected  a  rough  log  house  for  shelter  on  half  of  lot  No.  84  ;  but  returned  to 
Massachusetts  that  spring.  They,  however,  subsequently  returned  and  became 
residents  of  Portage  County. 

ELIJAH  ALFORD,  son  of  the  above  Elijah,  3d,  now  resides  on  the  old  Alford 
farm  at  Windham.  He  served  in  the  late  Civil  War,  Company  I,  I7ist  Regi- 
ment, O.  N.  G.  He  married,  first,  Silence  M.  Brewster,  August  14,  1856.  She 
died  November  6,  1861.  Married,  second,  September  12,  1865,  Harriet  C.  Snow, 
a  lady  of  fine  abilities.  Their  children  : 

Silence  E.,  born  September  28,  1866  ;  Herbert  J.,  born  April  19,  1869  ;  Arthur 
M.,  born  April  5,  1871. 

ASAHEL  ALFORD,  the  second  son  of  Elijah  and  Hannah  (Hig- 
ley) Alford,  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  From  Sep- 
tember 22,  1819,  till  his  death,  his  name  was  included  in  the 
list  of  Revolutionary  pensioners  receiving  eight  dollars  per 
month.  He  was  a  man  fond  of  adventure.  Early  in  the  history 
of  the  settlement  at  Windham,  O.,  he  lived  there,  but  finally 
removed  to  Herkimer,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,ZD.  179 

LIEUTENANT    JOEL    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  162. 
Joel,  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

LIEUTENANT  JOEL  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Ensign  Brewster 
Higley,  2d,  was  born  in  Higley-town,  Simsbury,  January  i,  1739'. 

The  precise  date  when  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eunice 
Haskins  is  not  known.  It  was,  however,  when  he  was  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age. 

The  young  couple  settled  in  Granby  (now  North  Granby),  Conn., 
probably  on  land  belonging  to  Joel's  father,  to  which  he  received 
a  "  Deed  of  Gift"  given  by  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  June  17,  1765, 
described  as  "a  part  of  the  land  which  I  inherited  from  my  hon- 
ored father,"  Brewster  Higley,  ist.  In  addition  to  this  parcel  of 
land,  Joel  purchased  in  the  following  October  land  adjoining. 

By  his  father's  will,  executed  June  21,  1793,  ne  receives  the  fol- 
lowing bequest : 

"A  lot  of  land  lying  in  Granby,  where  he  [Joel]  now  lives,  containing  about 
sixty  acres,  also  a  quarter  of  the  lot  of  land  lying  in  Pine-Plains,  lying  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road  that  leads  to  Salmon-Brook  near  the  old  Fort  so  called." 

He  is  named  in  the  will  in  the  disposal  of  movable  estate,  and 
is  the  first  named  son,  whom  his  father  appoints  in  connection 
with  his  brother  Enoch,  as  executor  of  his  estate. 

The  manual  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  in  North 
Granby  shows  that  Joel  Higley  became  a  member  of  church  when 
fifteen  years  of  age,  1754,  but  he  appears  afterward  to  have  joined 
the  Simsbury  parish  for  a  time.  The  bent  of  character  of  Deacon 
Brewster  Higley,  2d's,  sons  was  decidedly  of  a  religious  nature, 
wrought  into  them,  no  doubt,  by  the  precept  and  example  of  their 
father,  to  whose  faith  and  teachings  they  strictly  adhered.  They 
were  all  prominent  laymen  in  the  church. 

Joel  and  his  wife  together  were  admitted  by  letter  to  the  First 
Ecclesiastical  Society  of  Granby,  and  "  signed  ye  covenant " 
January  22,  1769.  There  is  much  evidence  from  this  time  till  his 
removal  from  Connecticut  of  his  devotion  to  and  activity  in 
church  matters.  He  served  as  member  of  the  "  Prudential  Com- 
mittee," and  on  many  other  important  appointments  for  a  period 
of  twenty  years.  The  documents  to  which  his  signature  is 
appended  show  that  he  wrote  a  fine,  clear  hand. 

1  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  iii. 


i8o  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

His  father's  cider-still  had  a  share  of  his  patronage,  though 
the  quantities  of  cider  brandy  charged  to  his  account  are  far 
more  moderate  than  those  charged  to  other  residents  of  Higley- 
town. 

That  the  use  of  pure  and  honest  apple  brandy,  flip,  and  punch, 
in  which  these  venerated  members  of  the  church  indulged  under 
the  old  church  customs,  did  not  fall  into  decay  for  many  years 
after  this  period,  is  often  apparent,  though  in  other  respects  they 
were  "screwed  up  to  the  pitch  of  Calvinistic  stiffness."  It  is  an 
extremely  interesting  subject  to  follow.  Later  on  the  following 
church  record  is  found  under  the  heading  of  "  Deaths  of  Church 
Members," — the  church  to  which  Joel  Higley  belonged  : 

"  October  22.  Ephraim  Saunders ;  found  dead  in  a  tub  in  a  distillery, 
aged  — ." 

The  military  instinct  developed  in  Joel  Higley  is  in  line  with  his 
father,  his  grandfather,  and  his  great-grandfather.  He  was  com- 
missioned to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  North  Train  Band  in 
1778,  and  served  in  this  rank  during  the  remaining  part  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution.  He  appears  to  have  followed  agricul- 
tural pursuits  during  his  entire  life,  living  peacefully  and  quietly 
in  the  society  of  his  kindred  and  neighbors.  He  was  clever  and 
genial,  given  to  rough  humor  and  exceedingly  fond  of  practical 
jokes.  Of  his  wit  and  jokes  many  stories  are  told.  He  one  day 
met  his  match  in  a  woman  whom  he  overtook  riding  on  horse- 
back on  a  country  road  in  an  adjoining  neighborhood.  He  too 
was  traveling  on  horseback.  Approaching  her  he  made  inquiries 
about  a  road  leaving  the  main  highway,  on  which  he  wished  to 
turn  off  in  a  different  direction.  He  found  her  well  acquainted 
with  all  the  roads  thereabout,  and  quite  capable  of  giving  him 
satisfactory  information,  upon  which  he  intimated  that  he  would 
remain  in  her  company,  remarking  that  "poor  company  was 
better  than  none."  This  remark  he  so  frequently  repeated 
during  their  conversation  as  they  rode  along  that  his  guide, 
though  she  appeared  not  to  notice  it,  became  irritated.  They 
traveled  on  and  on,  until  Joel  began  to  think  the  distance  very 
long.  Finally  he  made  inquiry  how  far  it  was  to  the  point  where 
he  must  turn  off.  "Oh,  "she  replied,  "we  passed  it  two  miles 
back."  "  Why,  you  said  you  would  tell  me  when  we  reached  it," 
said  Joel.  "I  thought  'poor  company  better  than  none,'' 
retorted  his  fellow- traveler;  and  Joel  turned  and  galloped  away, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ID.  l8l 

saying  afterward  that  he  "never  was  so  taken  aback  in  all  of 
his  life." 

In  1803,  when  sixty-four  years  of  age,  he  removed  in  company 
with  his  married  son,  Joel  Higley,  ad,  and  other  of  his  children, 
to  Gallia  County,  Ohio  (now  Mergs  County),  and  settled  near 
the  present  location  of  the  town  of  Rutland.  Here  he  resided 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  interred  in  the  old  burial 
ground  at  Rutland,  the  use  of  which  is  now  abandoned.  His 
grave  is  not  known.  His  wife,  Eunice  (Haskins)  Higley  died  at 
Rutland  in  1823,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Lieutenant  Joel 
and  Eunice  (Haskins)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  and  all  removed  to  Ohio 
in  1803  with  their  parents. 

They  were  as  follows  :  Rachel,  Joel,  Jr.,  Luanda,  Abiah, 
Eunice,  Electa,  Sophia,  and  Elim, 

Of  the  daughters,  Rachel  married  first  Whitlock,  and 

second  H.  Williams.  Lucinda  married  Earl  P.  Archer  ;  Abiah 
married  Benjamin  Whitlock  ;  Eunice  married  Silas  Knight  ; 
Electa  married  Benjamin  Williams,  of  Rutland,  O.,  in  1807,  and 
had  two  children,  Benjamin  S.,  and  Sophia,  Sophia  Higley  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Asa  Stearns. 

MAJOR  JOEL  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  of  Lieutenant  Joel,  ist, 
and  Eunice  (Haskins)  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn,  (that 
division  which  is  now  Granby),  July  31,  1764.  He  married 
Cynthia  Phelps,  May  25,  1785,  and  settled  adjacent  to  the  place 
of  his  birth.  Here  they  lived  eighteen  years.  The  second  Sab- 
bath in  March,  1785,  just  before  his  marriage,  he  united  with  the 
church  at  North  Granby  on  profession  of  his  faith.  The  records 
show  that  he  filled  his  place  in  life  to  good  purpose.  Among 
other  town  appointments,  he  was  surveyor  of  highways  in  1795. 
In  military  matters  he  held  a  commission  as  major,  belonging  to 
the  Connecticut  State  troops.  It  is  not  known  that  he  was  in 
any  of  the  wars  of  his  time. 

In  the  year  1803  he  emigrated  with  his  family  of  seven  children, 
accompanied  by  his  parents  and  their  family,  to  Gallia  County 
(now  Meigs  County),  Ohio,  and  settled  near  the  present  site  of 
the  town  of  Rutland.  He  was  no  doubt  incited  to  take  this  im- 
portant step  through  letters  written  by  his  cousin,  Judge  Brew- 
ster  Higley,  4th,1  who  had  removed  from  Vermont,  and  here 
founded  a  home  in  the  spring  of  1799.  The  country  at  that  time 

1  See  sketch  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  for  the  early  settlement  of  Rutland,  O. 
13 


1 82  THE  II IG LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

was  one  deep,  dark,  tangled  wilderness,  where  mother  nature  lay 
almost  undisturbed.  Ohio  had  only  just  then  become  a  State. 
Major  Joel  Higley's  family  of  growing  children  grew  with  the 
growth  and  progress  of  the  new  State  they  had  entered,  and  be- 
came real  specimens  of  the  strong,  honest  men  and  women  whose 
sinew  and  brow-sweat  developed  this  large  area  of  farm  lands 
with  the  industrial  and  commercial  resources  of  this  noble  section 
of  our  country.  He  died  April  26,  1823.  Major  Joel  Higley,  Jr., 
and  his  wife,  Cynthia  Phelps,  had  seven  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  viz. : 

Polly,  born  November  26, 1786  ;  married  Philip  Jones  ;  she  died  May  30,  1866. 
Elihu,  born  December  26,  1788  (see  following  sketch).  Lucy,  born  August  20, 
1793  ;  married  Daniel  Rathburn,  May,  1812  ;  no  further  account  given.  Sally,  born 
March  8,  1795.  Cynthia,  born  February  7,  1797  ;  died  unmarried.  Maria,  born 
July  30,  1799  I  married  Willis  Knight  ;  and_/iv/  Phelps,  Jr.,  born  June  9,  1802. 

ELIHU  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Joel,  Jr.,  and  Cynthia  (Phelps) 
Higley,  was  born  December  26,  1788,  and  married  Nancy  Cook, 
December  20,  1815. 

He  was  of  a  jovial  temperament  and  somewhat  eccentric. 

When  the  call  for  soldiers  came  in  the  War  of  1812,  he  and  his 
uncle,  Elim  Higley,  were  among  the  first  who  responded,  and 
were  at  one  time  stationed  near  Sandusky.  He  used  to  relate  to 
his  boys  an  incident  of  his  war  experience: 

Sometimes  enjoying  a  bit  of  daring  adventure,  he  one  day  de- 
termined to  slip  out  of  camp.  Hostile  Indians  were  swarming 
all  around. 

"  They'll  get  your  scalp  if  you  go,"  said  his  comrades.  But 
Elihu,  knowing  no  fear  and  trusting  to  his  knowledge  of  Indian 
wood-craft,  said  that  if  he  could  get  entirely  away  from  camp 
and  into  the  woods  before  they  saw  him,  he  would  be  equal  to 
them. 

He  had  but  barely  reached  the  deep  woods,  creeping  stealthily 
from  bush  to  bush,  when  he  espied  at  some  distance  a  big  Indian 
dodging  from  tree  to  tree.  Elihu  played  the  same  maneuver, 
taking  care  to  keep  behind  trees  and  logs  for  protection.  They 
both  continued  these  tactics  for  some  time.  Finally  they  came 
within  close  shooting  distance.  Elihu,  wishing  the  Indian  to  fire 
first  and  empty  his  rifle,  slyly  pushed  a  part  of  his  coat  from  be- 
hind the  tree  which  concealed  him,  making  believe  he  was  peep- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ^D.  183 

ing.  The  redskin  was  deceived.  Bang  !  went  his  rifle.  The 
ball  whizzed  across  Elihu's  shoulder.  He  gave  no  time  for  the 
Indian  to  reload,  but  bounded  toward  him  before  he  knew  it,  be- 
ing a  remarkably  good  shot.  » 

"Did  you  kill  the  Indian,  Uncle  Elihu  ? "  asked  the  boys. 
"  Oh,  don't  ask  questions  !  "  was  always  the  reply.  But  the  truth 
was,  Elihu  returned  unconcernedly  to  camp  and  his  comrades 
knew  there  was  a  dead  Indian  left  in  the  woods. 

Elihu  Higley  died  April  23,  1877.  Elihu  and  Nancy  (Cook) 
Higley  had  one  child,  viz. :  Clarissa  Fidelia,  who  was  born 
June  12,  1817.  She  married  Martin  Fox,  August  15,  1835,  and 
resides  on  the  old  home  farm,  which  originally  belonged  to 
her  father. 

SALLY  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Major  Joel  Higley,  Jr.,  and  Cynthia  Phelps, 
born  March  8,  1795,  married  Daniel  McNaughton,  December  16,  1816.  She  was 
baptized  in  the  church  at  North  Granby,  Conn.,  October  4,  1795.  They  have  one 
son,  Harlow  Phelps  McNaughton,  who  was  born  July  5,  1830.  He  served  in  the 
late  Civil  War,  entering  February  23,  1862,  the  7th  Ohio  Battery.  Besides  other 
notable  fights,  he  did  brave  service  in  the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Corinth, 
Miss.  For  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain of  the  7th  Ohio  Battery.  He  resides  in  Rutland,  O. 

CAPTAIN  JOEL  PHELPS  HIGLEY,  the  third  by  the  name  of  Joel,  and  youngest  child 
of  Major  Joel  Higley  (2d)  and  Cynthia  Phelps,  was  born  June  9,  1802,  in  Granby, 
Conn ;  and  was  yet  an  infant  when  taken  by  his  parents  to  Meigs  County,  Ohio, 
1803.  He  married  Catherine  Wise,  December,  1823.  They  resided  near  Rut- 
land, O.  He  died  October  23,  1836.  Their  children  were  : 

Joel  Phelps  (4th),  George  A.,  Samuel  W.,  and  Adeline,  who  married  Samuel 
Martin. 

CAPTAIN  JOEL  PHELPS  HIGLEY  (the  fourth  in  line  by  the  name  of  Joel), 
was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  January  20,  1825.  He  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of 
Lucius  and  Nancy  (Shepherd)  Higley,  September  14,  1848.  His  patriotic 
impulses  led  him  to  volunteer  in  the  Civil  War,  in  which  he  sacrificed  his  life. 
He  enlisted  July,  1863,  and  was  commissioned  captain,  Company  D,  7th 
Ohio  Cavalry.  He  served  three  months,  during  which  time  his  bravery  and 
high  soldierly  qualities  were  frequently  manifested.  He  was  killed  by  sharp- 
shooters, while  in  command  at  Blue  Springs,  London  County,  Tenn.,  October  10, 
1863.  His  widow  resides  at  Middleport,  Meigs  County,  O.  They  had  four 
children,  viz.: 

Mollie  E.,  born  January  I,  1850 ;  married  March  14,  1870,  Joseph  S.  Bradbury. 
Ransom  Ludlow,  born  October  20,  1852.  Samuel  Gary,  born  August  II,  1855; 
died  January  14,  1870,  unmarried.  Lucius  G.,  born  April  18,  1857;  died  Septem- 
ber 15,  1859. 

Ransom  L.  Higley,  of  the  above  family,  married  January,  1879,  Amelia  Gard- 
ner, and  has  four  children,  viz.:  Nola  Fee,  Lillie  Fay,  Robert  Ray,  and  Joseph  B. 


184  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

GEORGE  A.  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Captain  Joel  Philips  Higley  (3d)  and  his 
wife  Mary,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  October  2,  1830.  He  married  January 
20,  1853,  Mary  Ann  Parker.  They  reside  at  Platteville,  Wis.  They  have  three 
children,  viz.:  y 

Addie  Irene,  born  September  20,  1867 ;  married  H.  P.  Moffatt  ;  live  at  Emmetts- 
burg,  Iowa.  Frank  Norton,  born  April  15,  1860,  who  resides  at  Dubuque,  Iowa  ; 
and  George  A.,  Jr.,  born  April  7,  1864,  who  resides  at  Platteville,  Wis. 

SAMUEL  W.  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  of  Captain  Joel  Phelps  (3d)  and  Mary  his 
wife,  was  born  in  Rutland,  O. ,  July  12,  1834,  and  married  Adeline  R.  Simpson. 
Samuel  possessed  a  cheerful,  jolly  disposition,  which  made  friends  for  him.  His 
tastes  were  for  music,  in  which  he  happily  spent  much  of  his  time,  becoming  profi- 
cient in  the  use  of  several  different  musical  instruments. 

Samuel  W.  and  Adeline  R.  (Simpson)  Higley  had  five  children,  viz.: 

Otto  K.  Higley,  born  in  Rutland,  O.,  August  20,  1857  ;  married  Nellie  C. 
Gross,  June  5,  1882.  Othello  G.,  born  October  27,  1859,  at  Rutland,  O. ;  married 
Josie  A.  Sanderson,  March  17,  1882  ;  they  reside  at  Union-Mills,  Ind.,  and  have 
two  children,  viz.  :  £essie  C.,  born  April  19,  1883,  and  Mabel,  born  August  13, 
1885.  Adelia  M,,  born  June  12,  1862  ;  unmarried,  and  is  a  practicing  physician 
residing  in  Minnesota.  Linnie  S.,  born  February  10,  1864,  and  Kate  M., 
born  May  26,  1871,  both  of  whom  reside  with  their  parents  at  Rutland,  O. 


ESTHER  HIGLEY  DE  WOLF. 

Continued  from  page  162. 
Esther  Higley  De  Wolf,  Brewster  Higley,  ad,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

ESTHER  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  and 
Esther,  his  wife,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  19, 

1743. 

She  married  Peter  De  Wolf,  of  a  well-known  family  of  North 
Simsbury.  The  young  couple  resided  at  Salmon  Brook.  In  the 
Salmon  Brook  rate  book  for  1774  her  husband's  name  is  entered 
upon  the  list  for  £96. 

Peter  De  Wolf  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  i8th 
Connecticut  Militia  Regiment,  Captain  Jonathan  Bittolph's 
company.  The  regiment  arrived  in  New  York,  August  18,  1776. 

Esther  Higley  De  Wolf  is  mentioned  in  her  father's  will  in  the 
year  1794,  and  again  in  family  letters  bearing  date  1806,  which 
show  that  she  was  living  at  that  time.  The  date  of  her  decease 
is  not  known. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

i 

SETH    HIGLEY,     1ST. 
Seth  ist,  Brewster  2d,  Brewster  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Our  Lord  God  doth  like  a  printer,  who  setteth   the  letters  backwards  ;  we  see  and  feel  well 
his  setting,  but  we  shall  see  the  print  yonder  in  the  life  to  come. — Luther's  Table  Talk. 

SETH  HIGLEY,  the  son  of  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  and  Esther  Hoi- 
combe,  was  born  in  Higley-town,  October  29,  1746,  in  the  house 
built  for  his  father  near  the  northern  line  of  the  present  town  of 
Simsbury. 

A  fine  illustration  of  this  old  colonial  homestead,  which  stood 
for  full  150  years,  is  given,  page  161. 

This  was  the  home  of  Seth  Higley  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  The  property  came  into  the  possession  of  Brewster 
Higley,  3d,  his  eldest  brother,  soon  after  Brewster,  2d,  went  to 
reside  with  his  aged  mother  in  the  old  Captain  John  Higley 
homestead.  Finally  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Seth  Higley,  who 
held  it  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  then  it  was  held  by  his  descend- 
ants for  two  generations. 

Seth  Higley  was  the  fifth  child  and  third  son  of  his  parents. 
His  marriage  to  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Higley,  who  was  his 
grandfather's  half-brother,1  is  thus  placed  upon  record  :* 

"Seth  Higley  and  Mindwell  Higley,  both  of  Simsbury,  were  joined  in  Marriage 
the  3d  day  of  March  A.  D.  1 768."  * 

Mindwell  Higley  appears  to  have  been  a  few  years  her  hus- 
band's senior. 

We  find  the  newly  married  pair,  in  December  of  the  same  year 
of  their  marriage,  seated  in  the  church,  pew  12,  in  close  proximity 
to  others  of  their  numerous  kindred. 

But  the  following  year  they  appear  to  have  removed  for  a  brief 
period  to  North  Granby,  probably  in  the  close  vicinity  of  Mind- 
well's  father,  Nathaniel  Higley.  Here  in  the  North  Granby 
church  they  "  owned  ye  covenant"  on  the  gth  of  July,  1769. 

1  There  was  but  ten  years  difference  between  the  ages  of  Nathaniel,  the  father  of  Mindwell 
Higley,  and  Brewster,  ad,  the  father  of  Seth  Higley. 
*  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  iv.  p.  180. 

185 


1 86  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Tradition  tells  us  that  Seth  Higley  was  intensely  puritanic  in 
his  religious  belief  and  practices,  clinging  rigidly  throughout  his 
life  to  the  law  of  his  father's  faith  and  the  old  influences  of 
Brewster,  2d's,  hearthstone. 

Early  in  1776  he  is  again  found  established  in  the  old  Simsbury 
church,  where  he  was  "chosen  collector  to  collect  ye  said 
Society's  Rates  for  the  year." 

A  few  months  later  he  enlisted  for  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
entering  the  i8th  Regiment  Militia,  Lieutenant  Job  Case's  com- 
pany, and  arrived  in  New  York  August  24,  1776.  It  is  not 
known  how  long  he  served.  When  he  left  the  army  he  had 
reached  the  office  of  corporal.'  After  his  return  to  his  home  the 
records  show  that  he  filled  appointments  in  matters  concerning 
the  society. 

He  evidently  lived  in  comfortable  circumstances.  Besides  the 
farm  which  he  managed,  he  owned  a  joint  interest,  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Elijah  Higley,  in  a  saw-mill,  and  about  this  time 
he  opened  his  house  as  a  tavern.  In  the  latter  business  he  was 
no  doubt  faithfully  aided  by  his  ready-handed  wife.  The  old 
cupboard  from  which  was  served  out  the  liquors  at  the  bar  is 
still  preserved,  now  a  relic  of  just  one  hundred  years,  and  the 
cider-mill  account-book  reveals  the  fact  that  Seth  was  a  faithful 
patron  of  its  yield. 

The  cellar  in  which  was  stored  barrels  of  choice  rum,  apple- 
jack, and  "bull's-blood,"  a  is  in  perfect  condition,  while  not  far 
from  the  door  the  ancient  well,  with  its  oldtime  wellsweep  and 
pure  water,  also  a  lively  bubbling  spring  close  by,  still  speak 
with  exhilarating  freshness  of  the  "good  old  times  "when  the 
ancient  host  of  the  inn,  as  was  the  custom  in  his  day,  received 
his  traveling  guests  and  their  tired  horses  with  the  same  social 
attentions  that  he  would  have  bestowed  had  they  been  his  per- 
sonal friends. 

From  what  is  known  of  Seth  Higley  we  may  draw  the  conclu- 
sion that  his  life  was  a  silent  example  of  a  steady,  honest,  and 
unobtrusive  daily  walk,  and  while  he  did  not  fail  in  his  task  in 
life,  there  is  no  indication  that  he  possessed  a  masterful  quality 
of  mind,  or  that  he  made  a  strong  mark  upon  the  community. 

He  was  afflicted,  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  with  a  scrofulous  dis- 
ease known  in  those  days  as  "king's  evil,"  his  health  failing  him, 
from  this  cause,  some  time  before  the  disease  terminated  his  life. 

1  "Record  of  Connecticut  Men  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution."  *  Boiled  cider. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY, ^D.  187 

Seth  Higley  died  in  the  full  tide  of  middle  life,  the  latter  part  of 
February,  1794,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  His  death  occurred 
only  two  weeks  previous  to  the  decease  of  his  father,  Brewster 
Higley,  2d.  It  is  supposed  that  he  was  interred  in  the  ancient 
burial-ground  at  Simsbury.  There  is  no  trace  of  his  grave.  His 
will,  which  was  written  February  8,  1794,  just  before'his  death, 
and  received  at  the  Court  of  Probate  March  15,  1794,  declares  as 
follows  : 

"  Being  sick  and  in  a  weak  and  infirm  state  of  body,  but  of  sound  and  disposing 
mind  ...  I  give  to  my  well-beloved  wife,  Miudwell,  the  use  of  one-third  part 
of  my  real  estate  during  her  natural  life,  and  one-third  part  of  my  personal  estate 
to  be  her  own  property. 

"  I  give  to  my  sons  and  daughters,  Philer,  Levi,  Warren,  Oliver,  Roxanna, 
Amelia,  Polly,  Rhoda,  and  Sally,  all  my  Estate,  both  real  and  personal,  in  the 
proportion  following  : 

"  That  the  said  sons  have  two  shares  or  portions  to  the  said  daughters,  and  to 
them  and  their  heirs  forever  :  and  it  is  my  will  that  my  said  wife  have  the  care  and 
direction  of  what  part  of  my  Estate  that  shall  descend  to  my  said  sons  and  daugh- 
ters that  are  under  age  until  they  arrive,  the  sons  to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
the  daughters  to  eighteen  years  old. 

"I  do  hereby  constitute  and  appoint  my  said  wife,  Mindwell,  to  be  my  Executrix 
on  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament,  in  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  seal  this  8th  day  of  February  1 794. 

[Signed],       "SETH  HIGLEY." 
[Witnesses.] 

The  inventory  of  the  personal  effects  amounted  to  .£87  75.  2d. 
Among  the  articles  mentioned  in  the  inventory  are  a  "  Brown 
coat  ;  a  Great  light  colored  coat,  pair  of  black  Breeches,  one  vest, 
one  white  one,  one  old  one,  linen  shirts,  three  woolen  ones, 
silver  stock  buckle,  and  silver  shoe  buckles,  one  half  of  a  saw- 
mill, and  a  saw-mill  saw,"  together  with  a  full  list  of  the  usual 
household  articles  and  farm  belongings,  hogs,  cattle,  sheep,  etc. 

By  his  father's  will,  which  was  executed  June  21,  1793,  and  not 
presented  at  court  till  sixteen  days  after  his  son  Seth's,  it  is 
shown  that  he  gave  Seth  a  full  title  to  the  farm  on  which  he  had 
lived,  including  the  house  (see  illustration),  together  with  other 
small  lots  of  land,  besides  "  moveable  estate."  The  location  of 
his  home  farm  is  thus  described  :  "To  my  son  Seth  Higley  my 
meadow  land  called  Ram  Dover  which  is  surrounded  by  a  Ditch 
and  contains  about  ten  acres,  and  also  one  quarter  part  of  said 
plains  lot  by  the  old  fort  ;  And  also  the  lot  of  land  he  now  lives 
on  which  I  bought  of  Widow  Miller  lying  in  the  long  lots  so 
called." 


1 88  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Some  time  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  his  widow,  Mindwell 

Higley,  married Latimer,  and  resided  in  Bloomfield  until 

she  was  in  advanced  years.  The  date  of  her  death  is  not  known. 

The  children  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley  were  :  Seth  Filer 
(sometimes  found  on  record  incorrectly  spelled  "Philer");  Levi  ; 
a  son  who  died  in  childhood,  May  2,  1778  ;  Warren,  Roxanna, 
Amelia,  Polly,  Rhoda,  Sallie,  Oliver. 

SETH    FILER   HIGLEY. 
Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  ad,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  To  us,  my  friend,  the  times  that  are  gone  by 
Arc  a  mysterious  book." 

SETH  FILER  HIGLEY  was  the  eldest  born  child  of  Seth]  ist,  and 
Mindwell  Higley.  The  middle  name  which  he  bore,  and  by  which 
he  was  generally  called,  was  Filer,  the  family  name  of  his  maternal 
grandmother,  Abigail  Filer,  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Higley.  His 
parents  had  already  taken  possession  of  the  old  homestead  of 
Brewster  Higley,  2d,  near  the  north  line  of  the  present  town  of 
Simsbury,  when  his  birth  occurred  in  1769.  He  seems  to  have 
received  but  a  meager  common  school  education,  spending  his 
early  youth  in  vigorous  work  upon  the  farm.  Later  on  he 
assisted  at  the  saw-mill,  of  which  his  father  was  the  owner  of  a 
one-half  interest. 

The  notable  "dark  day,"  May  19,  1780,  which  was  ever  after 
during  the  lives  of  those  who  experienced  it  the  memorable  date 
of  a  scene  of  solemnity  and  significance,  took  place  when  he  was 
a  boy  of  eleven  years.  He  was  at  work  hoeing  in  the  field  when 
it  grew  dark,  and  leaving  his  work  he  fled  to  the  house.  The 
family  lighted  the  candles  and  sat  down  in  funeral-like  gravity, 
superstitiously  regarding  the  strange  and  unusual  phenomena  as 
of  serious  foreboding.  This  occurrence  left  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  boy's  mind,  and  was  often  a  theme  of  his  conversation 
during  his  later  years.  On  the  igth  of  October,  1790,  he  married 
Naomi,  the  daughter  of  Peter  Holcomb*  of  Granby.  She  was 
born  1772.  The  year  following  their  marriage  they  removed  to 
Steventown,  N.  Y.  Three  years  later,  after  his  father's  death, 
they  returned  to  Simsbury  to  the  old  homestead  where  he  was 
born.  Here  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Seth  Filer  Higley  was  endowed  with  a  solid,  well-balanced 
mind,  which  was  of  somewhat  an  austere  type.  He  was  an  ex- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  189 

ceedingly  strict  religionist,  and  rigidly  kept  the  Sabbath  accord- 
ing to  the  Puritanic  idea,  not  even  softening  his  restrictions 
enough  to  permit  the  floor  of  the  family  room  to  be  swept  on  a 
Sunday  morning,  which  in  this  case  might  have  been  considered 
an  excusable  innovation  upon  the  sanctity  of  the  day,  since  it 
was  the  living  room  of  a  family  of  thirteen.  In  his  religious  pro- 
fession he  was  an  Episcopalian,  a  member  of  St.  Andrew's  Church, 
the  parish  of  Scotland.  Here  the  most  of  their  children  were 
baptized,  and  all  of  them  attended  the  parish  school.  Not  long 
before  his  death  he  withdrew  from  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  West  Granby. 

His  wife,  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley,  died  on  the  2oth  of  Janu- 
ary, 1817,  aged  forty-five  years  and  eight  months.  He  afterward 

married  Mabel ,  to  whom,  in  the  distribution  of  his  estate, 

a  dower  was  "  set  off." 

He  died  August  19,  1821,  aged  sixty-two  years  and  six  months. 

Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley  had  a  numerous  fam- 
ily, viz.  : 

Navmi,  Lohama,  Nancy,  Seth,  Jr.,  Lyman,  Lohama  (zd),  Har- 
low,  Or  sen,  Peter,  Homer,  Homer  (ad),  Eratus,  and  Diana. 

NAOMI,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  September  3,  1791.  She  had  a  jovial  and 
social  disposition,  which  made  her  a  happy  companion.  She  married  Allen  Dean, 
and  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  Southwick,  Mass.  They  then  removed  to  East 
Granby,  and  afterward  to  Westfield,  Mass.,  where  she  died,  and  where  her  descen- 
dants now  reside.  She  died  July  12,  1853. 

LOHAMA,  the  second  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley,  born 
April  13,  1793,  died  an  infant,  November  I,  1793. 

NANCY,  the  third  child  and  third  daughter,  was  born  November  2,  1794,  in 
Steventown,  N.  Y.  She  was  an  infant  in  her  mother's  arms  when  her  parents  re- 
turned to  Simbury,  Conn.,  and  took  up  their  residence  in  the  old  homestead.  From 
this  home  she  attended  the  parish  school  which  was  under  the  auspices  of  the 
ecclesiastical  society,  the^  family  at  this  time  being  Episcopalians.  On  the  1 3th 
of  February,  1806,  she  married  Asa  Wyman  of  Union,  Conn.,  a  millwright  by 
trade.  In  the  year  1825  Mr.  Wyman  built  a  house  on  land  which  he  purchased 
adjoining  the  Seth  Higley  farm  at  Simsbury,  which  was  her  home  during  the 
remainder  of  her  long  life.  They  had  two  children,  Manerva  Ann  and  Caroline 
Nancy. 

Her  husband,  Asa  Wyman,  died  December  13,  1850.  Mrs.  Wyman  lived  a 
widow  thirty-five  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  decided  character  and  strong 
principles.  It  was  an  offense  in  her  view,  almost  worse  than  crime,  for  a  person 
to  be  guilty  of  not  strictly  keeping  his  word.  Her  life  was  one  of  unceasing 
industry.  The  interests  of  her  household  were  well  looked  after,  and  with  per- 
fect discipline,  which  was  one  of  her  chief  characteristics,  she  ruled  with  strength 
and  honor,  fully  meriting  the  "praise  and  properties "  of  a  good  wife.  Her 


19°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

decease  took  place  at  Siitisbury,   September   14,   1885,   at  the  advanced    age  of 
ninety-one. 

"  Her  children  and  children's  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed." 

MANERVA  ANN,  the  eldest  of  the  two  daughters  of  Asa  and  Nancy  Higley 
Wyman,  was  born  November  10,  1816.  She  married  Samuel  Hinman,  August  19, 
1841,  and  became  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz.: 

John  S.,  born  September  23,  1842.  Nancy  M.,  born  December  25,  1844,  who 
married  Lucius  Terry  and  resides  in  Guilford,  Conn.  Charles  Z.,born  May  3, 
1847,  and  Daniel  Silas,  born  July  16,  1850,  who  died  on  the  7th  of  the  following 
November. 

Samuel  Hinman  died  November  7,  1850.  His  wife,  Manerva  Hinman,  died 
March  3,  1856. 

JOHN  S.  HINMAN,  their  eldest  son,  enlisted  for  the  Civil  War  October  9, 1861,  for 
three  years,  in  Company  C,  8th  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteers,  Colonel  Charles 
\V.  Nash.  His  first  service  was  under  General  A.  E.  Burnside  at  the  capture  of 
Roanoke  Island,  N.  C.  Subsequently  he  was  at  the  capture  of  Newbern,  N.  C., 
Fort  Macon,  at  the  siege  of  Suffolk,  Frederick  City,  and  in  the  battles  of  Cedar 
Mountain,  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Cold  Harbor,  Drury 
Bluffs,  Chopin  Farms,  Bermuda  Hundred,  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  He 
serve  dunder  Generals  McClelland,  Burnside,  Grant,  Meade,  Butler,  Ord,  Han- 
cock, and  Reno.  He  was  wounded  in  four  different  engagements,  but  not  seri- 
ously, and  each  time  soon  again  joined  the  ranks.  He  received  an  honorable 
discharge  when  his  term  of  enlistment  expired,  October  21,  1864,  having  made  a 
record  most  worthy  of  high  praise.  On  the  gth  of  May,  1867,  he  married  Clara  C. 
Gifford  of  Meriden,  Conn.,  where  they  resided  for  some  time,  Mr.  Hinman  being 
engaged  in  the  Britannia  works  in  that  city.  They  have  three  children,  one  son 
and  two  daughters,  They  now  reside  in  New  Haven,  Conn. 

CHARLES  L.  HINMAN,  the  youngest  son  of  Samuel  and  Manerva  Hinman,  and 
grandson  of  Nancy  Higley  Wyman,  enlisted  at  New  York  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  June 
4,  1864,  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War.  He  first  served  on  board  the  U.  S.  S. 
Monongahela.  He  was  in  the  engagement  at  Fort  Morgan,  Mobile  Bay,  August, 
1864,  with  the  immortal  Admiral  Farragut,  when  his  monitors  forced  their  way, 
under  heavy  fire  from  the  Confederate  forts, — Morgan  and  Gaines, — with  their 
brave  commander  lashed  to  the  mast  of  his  flag-ship,  and  captured  the  forts  ;  and 
in  the  fierce  conflict  when  the  formidable  ram  Tennessee  was  destroyed.  He 
participated  in  the  taking  of  Spanish  Fort,  and  was  with  the  Federal  forces  at  the 
occupancy  of  Mobile,  Ala.,  the  spring  of  1865. 

The  following  June  he  was  sent  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  received  a  ten  clays' 
furlough.  Immediately  after  his  return  to  service,  being  seized  with  hard  chills 
and  fever,  he  was  transferred  to  the  naval  hospital  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  and 
on  his  return  to  health  was  placed  on  board  the  U.  S.  S.  Pensacola,  which  was 
ordered  to  the  South  Pacific  Squadron.  After  visiting  a  number  of  South  American 
ports,  the  vessel  was  finally  ordered  to  the  navy  yard,  Mare  Island,  Cal.,  where  he 
was  honorably  registered  out  of  service,  June  4,  1867,  w^th  transportation  to  New 
York  by  the  way  of  Panama.  Soon  afterward  he  went  to  Liverpool,  where,  in 
1868,  he  shipped  on  the  Fair  Wind,  a  vessel  chartered  by  the  British  Government 
to  carry  supplies  to  Aden  for  the  Abyssinian  War.  He  was  more  than  a  year 
voyaging  in  this  ship.  Later  he  made  voyages  from  London  to  Cape  Town,  the 
West  Indies,  and  other  foreign  ports,  and  twice  suffered  shipwreck.  He  returned 
to  his  home,  August,  1870,  after  a  vast  amount  of  interesting  and  oftentimes  thrilling 
experiences,  having  followed  the  sea  six  years  and  three  months.  In  January,  1 871, 
he  married  Harriet  Augusta  Golden.  His  wife  died  December  II,  1872.  He  now 
resides  in  Meriden,  Conn. 

CAROLINE  NANCY,  the  second  child  of  Asa  and  Nancy  Higley  Wyman,  was  born 
October  20,  1823,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  married  Newel  Goddard  of  Granby, 
Conn.,  October  19,  1841.  During  the  first  four  years  of  their  married  life  they 
resided  in  Simsbury,  and  the  following  five  years  in  Granby.  In  1851  they 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  191 

again  removed  to  Simsbury,  taking  charge  of  their  aged  mother,  Mrs.  Nancy 
Higley  Wyman,  during  the  remainder  of  her  life.  Newell  Goddard  died  December, 
1891.  The  family  reside  in  close  vicinity  to  the  spot  where  the  ancient  Seth 
Higley  homestead  stood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goddard  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
viz.: 

Henry  N.,  Lucius  A.,  and  Albert  £.,  all  of  whom  reside  at  Simsbury,  Conn., 
except  Lucius,  whose  home  is  in  Granby. 

HENRY  N.  GODDARD,  the  eldest  son  of  Newell  and  Caroline  Nancy  Goddard, 
was  born  February  I,  1843.  Owing  to  his  parents  having  assumed  the  care  of 
some  orphaned  children,  his  education  was  interrupted  at  an  early  age,  it  becoming 
a  necessity  that  he  should  work  on  the  farm.  His  school  life  was  confined  to  the 
short  winter  months,  and  his  advantages  for  learning  were  limited.  When  twenty 
years  old  he  entered  a  manufacturing  establishment  in  Unionville,  Conn.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  he  was  employed  by  the  firm  of  Collins  &  Co.,  of  Collinsville, 
Conn.,  making  bayonets.  After  the  hostilities  of  war  ceased  in  1865,  and  there  was 
less  demand  for  firearms,  he  engaged  with  the  same  company  in  making  cast-steel. 
In  1868  he  returned  to  farming,  which  he  followed  three  years,  and  in  1873  he 
became  engaged  in  milling  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in  which  business  he  has  con- 
tinued. On  November  24,  1864,  Mr.  Goddard  married  Lavina  S.  Cobb.  She 
died  October  7,  1883.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Charlotte  E.  Noble  of  Simsbury, 
December  2,  1885.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  one  child,  a  son,  Charles  H.  God- 
dard, born  September  20,  1867,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Rutland,  Vt.  He  is 
a  machinist. 

Lucius  A.  GODDARD,  the  second  son  of  Newell  and  Caroline  Nancy  Goddard, 
was  born  August  23,  1844.  He  married,  July  17,  1870,  Salina  Fletcher.  They 
became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  two  of  whom  are 
deceased.  They  reside  in  Granby,  Conn. 

ALBERT  E.  GODDARD,  the  youngest  child  of  Newell  and  Caroline  Nancy  Goddard, 
was  born  August  3,  1846.  He  married  Anna  L.  Reylford  November  I,  1882. 
They  have  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter.  They  reside  with  the  parents  of  Mr. 
Goddard  on  a  farm  at  Simsbury,  Conn. 

Continued  from  page  189, 

SETH  HIGLEY,  Jr.  (or  3d),  the  eldest  son  and  fourth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi 
Holcombe  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  August  25,  1796,  and  married 
Lura  Goddard  of  West  Granby,  Conn.  He  was  administrator  to  his  father's  estate. 
They  emigrated  to  Ohio,  settling  at  Mantua,  Portage  County,  where  they  had  a 
family.  Seth  Higley,  3d,  died  at  Mantua,  July  21, 1856.  Their  children  were  as 
follows: 

Alvin,  who  died  in  1868.  Nelson,  who  resides  in  St.  Louis,  Mich.,  and  has 
children,  viz.:  Susan,  Julia,  Nancy,  Milton,  and  Henry  N.,  who  is  married  and 
resides  in  Mesopotamia,  Trumbull  County,  O.  Henry  N.  Higley's  only  childv 
Jay  J.  Higley,  was  born  January  2,  1872. 

LYMAN  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley,  was 
born  at  Simsbury,  October  28,  1798.  He  married  first  Orrilla  Northway,  Janu- 
ary 7,  1825.  She  was  born  June  13,  1795.  His  second  ivife  was  Mrs.  Rose, 
the  widow  of  Josephus  Rose  of  Granville,  Mass.  The  year  following  his  first 
marriage  they  left  Simsbury  and  settled  at  Attica,  N.  Y.,  where  they  resided  till 
1844.  They  then  removed  to  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  111.,  where  his  wife  and  daughter 
embraced  the  religious  faith  of  the  Mormons.  Lyman  Higley,  however,  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  beliefs  and  practices  of  that  sect,  and  when  the  Mormon  Church 
emigrated  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley,  Utah,  in  1846,  he  with  his  wife,  who 


I92  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

still  clung  to  that  religious  faith,  left  Nauvoo,  and  after  stopping  a  few  months  in 
Iowa,  where  he  purchased  and  owned  the  entire  site  of  Council  Bluffs,  they  finally 
settled  in  Wisconsin.  Their  daughter,  Harriet,  then  a  young  woman  of  twenty- 
one,  chose  to  accompany  the  Latter  Day  Saints  to  Salt  Lake. 

Lyman  Higley  purchased  a  farm  in  Columbia  County,  Wisconsin,  and  established 
a  home  at  Dekorra,  about  the  time  that  the  Territory  became  a  State.  For  some 
years  his  was  the  only  dwelling  between  the  two  county  seats,  Madison  and 
Portage.  Wisconsin  then  contained  but  forty  thousand  inhabitants.  He  was  a 
resident  of  the  State  the  remainder  of  his  life — forty-one  years,  and  witnessed  its 
remarkable  development  like  a  moving  panorama  continuously  before  him.  His 
second  wife  died  June  30,  1884.  In  October  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Eau 
Clare  County  to  reside  with  his  youngest  son.  His  faculties  remained  bright, 
and  he  was  interesting  to  the  last  days  of  his  long  and  eventful  life.  He  died  of 
apoplexy,  May  13,  1888,  aged  eighty-nine  years  and  six  months.  The  interment 
was  at  Hadleyville,  near  Eau  Claire.  Lyman  Higley  and  his  first  wife  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  viz.: 

Harriet  R.,  Oliver,   Virgil,  Ezra  Marvin,  and  Addison. 

HARRIET  R.  HIGLEY,  their  eldest  child,  born  October  28,  1825,  resided  in  Utah. 
She  married  John  Hodge,  July  4,  1855.  He  died  September.  1868,  and  in  1876 
she  married  Lafayette  Williams.  She  died  at  Ogden,  Utah,  July  13,  1881. 

OLIVER  HIGLEY,  the  second  child,  born  January  28,  1828,  died  at  the  age  of  2j£ 
years. 

VIRGIL  HIGLEY,  the  third  child,  born  January  8,  1832,  married  Hannah  L.  Powers, 
August  I,  1855.  They  resided  at  Loveland,  Iowa,  afterward  removing  to  Pleasant 
Valley,  Wis.,  and  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.:  Marian  Orilla,  born 
November  30,  1859  ;  Mary  Eugene,  born  December  7,  1863  ;  and  Charles,  born 
March  8,  1868  ;  all  born  in  Columbia  County,  Wisconsin. 

EZRA  MARVIN  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Lyman  and  Orilla  Higley,  was  born 
July  26,  1834,  and  married  Sarah  A.  McNash,  March  18,  1851.  They  reside  at 
Eleva,  Trempealeau  County,  Wis.,  and  have  two  sons  living.  Two  daughters  died 
in  childhood.  The  sons  are  Lyman  O.,  born  October  2,  1889,  and  A  din  M.,  born 
December  19,  1875.  Both  are  married  and  have  families. 

ADDISON,  the  fifth  child  of  Lyman  and  Orilla  Higley,  was  born  January  19, 
1837.  He  married  first  Eliza  J.  McNash,  September  3,  1861,  who  died  May 
17,  1882.  His  second  wife  was  Jennie  A.  Lampman,  whom  he  married  Decem- 
ber 31,  1884.  His  children  by  his  first  wife  are,  Elmer  A.,  born  August  10,  1862  ; 
Harriet  O.,  born  November  9,  1865,  who  married  in  1885  Samuel  J.  Woodward  ; 
and  Samuel,  born  December  31,  1866.  By  the  second  wife,  John  V.,  born  Sep- 
tember 21,  1885  ;  and  William  L.,  born  November  26,  1886.  Addison  Higley 
resided  in  Columbia  County,  Wisconsin,  till  1866.  He  settled  with  his  family, 
October,  1868,  at  Pleasant  Valley,  Eau  Clare  County,  where  they  now  live. 

LOHAMA  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley, 
was  born  September  8,  1800.  She  married  Israel  Messenger,  of  one  of  the  old 
Windsor,  Conn.,  families  who,  early  settled  in  Granby.  They  resided  in  West 
Granby  for  many  years,  and  brought  up  a  family  of  three  sons  and  five  daughters. 
After  the  decease  of  her  husband  Luhama- Messenger  removed  to  Kingston,  N.  Y., 
and  resided  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lucy  Bray,  until  her  decease,  March  3,  1888. 
Her  remains  were  brought  to  West  Granby,  Conn.,  and  interred  by  the  side  of  her 
husband.  Mrs.  Messenger  was  a  faithful  and  much  respected  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  had  children,  viz.  : 

Miranda,  born  March  18,  1821  ;  Manila,  born  February  21,  1822  ;  Philura, 
born  October  6,  1824  ;  Harlow,  born  October  2,  1826  ;  Harriet  L.,  born  January 


REV.  WALTER   O.  HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  \ST.  193 

7,  1829  ;   Francis  /.,  born   May   15,    1833  ;   Lorenzo,  born  November  23,  1836  ; 
Lucy,  born  May  13,  1839. 

HARLOW  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley, 
was  born  July  18,  1802.  On  the  I3th  of  November,  1822,  when  a  young  man 
about  twenty,  he  sailed  for  the  Island  of  Cuba,  where  he  became  a  permanent 
citizen.  He  married  a  Cuban  lady  who  died  two  years  after,  leaving  no  child.  He 
so  fully  adopted  the  Spanish  language  and  customs,  that,  on  his  first  visit  to  his 
native  land  and  kindred,  after  an  absence  of  thirty-three  years,  he  seemed  of 
another  race  and  people.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  could  speak  his  native 
tongue.  But  he  did  not,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  lose  his  affection  for  his  childhood's 
home  and  his  family,  and  made  subsequent  visits  to  the  United  States.  He  was  »f 
stout  physique,  robust,  and  of  a  social  nature.  He  died  in  Cuba  in  1882. 

ORSEN  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley, 
was  born  February  II,  1806,  at  Simsbury,  Conn.  He  married  first  Susan  Parsons 
Griswold1  of  Granville,  Mass. ,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  His  second  wife, 
to  whom  he  was  married  September  30,  1841,  was  Lucy  Keep  Holcombe  of 
Southwick,  Mass.  She  was  born  in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  August  n,  1822.  By 
this  marriage  there  were  five  children.  Orsen  Higley  was  a  man  of  good  abilities 
and  in  comfortable  circumstances.  At  one  time,  besides  his  farming  occupations, 
he  conducted  a  fair  business  in  fresh  meats,  and  later  on — about  1835 — he  built  and 
managed  a  well  kept  hotel  in  East  Granby.  He  possessed  a  gentle  nature,  and  was 
of  a  temperament  that  lived  much  within  himself.  He  was  a  citizen  much  respected. 
His  death  took  place  July  10,  1851.  He  lies  buried  in  the  ancient  cemetery  at 
Simsbury.  Mrs.  Lucy  K.  Higley,  his  widow,  who  is  now  living,  afterward 
married  Alonzo  Holcombe  of  Southwick,  Mass.,  who  died  many  years  ago.  She 
resides  with  her  married  daughters. 

HOMER  E.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Orsen  Higley,  was  born  November  14, 
1832.  He  removed  to  Illinois  when  a  young  man,  and  in  October,  1858,  married 
Mary  Denman  in  Elpaso,  Woodford  County,  of  that  State.  A  daughter  was  born 
to  them  in  January,  1860,  who  was  called  Fannie, 

JOHN,  the  second  child  of  Orsen  Higley,  was  born  in  East  Granby,  April  II,  1835. 
On  the  8th  of  January,  1866,  he  married,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Florence  De 
Latourette,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  April  22,  1849.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Kansas.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.: 

Jennie  Florence  Higley,  born  March  27,  1869  ;  Henry  Blossom,  born  October  27, 
1871  ;  Robert  D.,  born  December  31,  1875  ;  William  Joseph,  born  November  21, 
1883.  The  family  reside  in  Collinsville,  111.,  John  Higley  being  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  the  Valley  Flour  Mills.  The  daughter,  Jennie  Florence,  is  an  efficient 
teacher  of  music  in  St.  Louis. 

SUSAN  J.,  the  third  child  of  Orsen  Higley,  was  born  August  26,  1840.  She 
married  Henry  Prentice.  They  resided  in  Bloomfield,  Conn,  She  died  August 
23,  1871,  and  was  laid  beside  her  father  in  the  Simsbury  cemetery.  She  left  no 
children. 

REV.  WALTER  ORSEN  HIGI.EY,  the  son  of  Orsen  and  his  second  wife,  Lucy 
Keep  Holcombe,  was  born  in  East  Granby,  Conn.,  June  12,  1842.  He  received  a 
common  school  education  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age.  He  was  then  employed  in  a  hook  and  eye  manufactory  in  Unionville,  Conn., 
and  the  year  preceding  the  Civil  War  he  worked  in  Thompsonville,  Conn.  On  the 
I  cth  of  September,  1861,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
B,  8th  Connecticut  Infantry,  the  regiment  being  assigned  to  the  gth  Army 

1  The  date  of  her  decease  has  not  been  given. 


194  THE  III G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Corps  under  command  of  General  A.  E.  Burnside.  He  was  at  the  capture  of 
Roanoke  Island,  Newbern,  Fort  Macon,  and  Beaufort,  on  the  coast  of  North 
Carolina,  and  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  In  the  fight  at 
Antietam,  September  17,  1862,  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  forearm,  which  forced 
him  to  retire  from  the  service,  after  having  spent  six  months  in  an  army  hospital. 
He  received  an  honorable  discharge  March  13,  1863.  He  has  for  a  number  of 
years  received  a  Government  pension.  In  course  of  time  he  recovered  of  his  wound 
sufficiently  to  resume  business.  He  then  entered  the  manufacturing  establishment 
of  Charles  Cooper  &  Co.,  at  Thompsonville,  Conn.,  in  which  he  was  engaged 
three  years.  He  was  afterward  employed  as  a  builder,  but  again  entered  the 
spring  knitting-needle  manufactory  of  Charles  Cooper  &  Co. ,  on  the  removal  of  the 
concern  to  Bennington,  Vt. ,  in  which  connection  he  remained  fifteen  years.  During 
thirteen  years  of  this  period,  and  while  still  engaged  in  business  avocations,  he 
preached  the  gospel  at  Wood  ford,  Vt. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1866,  he  married  Martha  Ellen  Davidson,  at  Thompson- 
ville, Conn.  She  was  born  November  I,  1841.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Higley  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  at  Woodford,  Vt.,  on  the  I2th  of  July,  1872,  where  he 
continued  to  fill  the  pulpit  acceptably  till  April,  1884.  He  then  accepted  the  charge 
of  the  Advent  Christian  Church  at  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  to  which  town  he  removed, 
and  devoted,  with  much  success,  his  entire  time  for  seven  years  to  his  pastoral 
work.  Early  in  1891  he  was  called  to  the  Advent  Christian  Church  (Gerard 
Place),  Hartford,  Conn.,  to  which  city  he  removed  with  his  family,  assuming  his 
charge  April  I,  where  he  has  since  occupied  an  important  sphere.  Mr.  Higley  is 
possessed  of  a  pleasing  address  and  an  attractive  style  and  cultivated  manner.  He 
is  earnest  and  sincere,  and  is  much  beloved  by  his  parishioners  and  all  who  know 
him.  The  Rev.  Walter  Orsen  and  Martha  Ellen  Higley  have  five  children,  viz.: 

Herbert  Samuel,  born  October  n,  1867,  in  Enfield,  Conn.,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  a  large  merchantile  firm  of  Boston.  Clifford  Walter,  born  October  9,  1869,  in 
Bennington,  Vt.,  and  resides  in  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.  He  is  bookkeeper  in  the  firm 
of  Drake  &  Stratton,  Limited.  Carrie  May,  born  May  7,  1871,  in  Bennington, 
Vt.,  who  resides  with  her  parents.  Freddie  Andrew,  born  April  15,  1873,  in 
Bennington,  Vt.,  died  September  13,  1873.  William  Clark,  born  February  3, 
1876,  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  who  resides  with  his  parents. 

FLUVIA  AMELIA  HiGLEY,daughter  of  Orsen  and  Lucy  Holcombe  Higley,  was  born 
June  5,  1844,  in  Simsbury,  Conn.  On  the  5th  of  November,  1863,  she  married  Dwight 
H.  Cady,  who  was  born  in  Aganam,  Mass.,  March  31,  1841.  They  reside  in  Thomp- 
sonville, Conn.,  where  their  daughter,  Emma  Louisa,  was  born  January  I,  1872. 

SARAH  EI.IZA,  the  third  child  of  Orsen  and  Lucy  Holcombe  Higley,  was  born 
March  22,  1846,  at  Simsbury,  Conn.  She  married  at  Unionville,  Conn.,  February 
2,  1871,  Abram  Alphonzo  Johnson  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  which  city  they  resided 
for  several  years.  Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  New  York  City,  January  28,  1846.  He 
is  of  the  firm  of  S.  M.  Johnson  &  Bro.,  cigar  and  tobacco  dealers  in  Wall  Street, 
New  York  City.  Their  children,  who  were  all  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  are  : 

Edwin  Hamilton,  born  June  25,  1872  ;  Frauds  Marilla,  December  21,  1873  ; 
Samuel  Walter,  November  13,  1876  ;  and  Raymond  Elaine,  December  22,  1881. 
The  family  reside  at  Springfield,  N.  J. 

LUCY  MARILLA,  the  fourth  child  of  Orsen  and  Lucy  Holcombe  Higley,  was  born 
at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  January  13,  1849.  She  married  at  Thompsonville,  Conn., 
July  14,  1870,  John  Elliot  Eaton,  who  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  February  18, 
1848.  They  reside  at  South  Headley  Falls,  Mass.  Their  children  are  : 

Charles  Davenport,  born  July  9,  1872,  and  William  Higley,  born  January  16,  1875. 

JULIETTA  ELIZABETH,  the  fifth  and  youngest  child  of  Orsen  and  Lucy  Holcombe 
Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  March  12,  1851.  She  married  George 
Cornelius  Curtis  of  Harwinton,  Conn.,  November  22,  1873.  Mr.  Curtis  was  born 
July  5,  1845.  They  reside  at  Bristol,  Conn.  Their  children  are  : 

Sadie  E.,  born  January  20,  1878,  and  died  the  22d  of  the  following  June  ;  Ina, 
born  September  10,  1879  ;  and  George  Walter,  born  March  2,  1882. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  \ST.  195 

Continued  from  page  189. 

PETER  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Seth  and  Naomi  Holcombe  Higley,  was  born 
at  Simsbury,  March  9,  1807.  His  manner  of  life  during  his  boyhood  years 
was  in  common  with  the  children  of  the  rural  households  of  his  time.  He  left 
home  when  quite  young — not  yet  twenty.  He  was  bright  and  active  and  soon 
found  a  means  for  livelihood.  For  more  than  two  years  he  conveyed  merchandise 
about  the  country,  selling  it  at  retail,  which  proved  a  profitable  business.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  harness-making,  which  he  followed  in  Union  Village,  N.  Y., 
till  his  eyesight  became  impaired,  when  he  removed  to  Cory,  Pa.,  before  the 
town  was  scarcely  founded,  and  while  the  surrounding  country  was  yet  a  wilder- 
ness. Here  he  purchased  and  opened  a  farm,  which  was  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  In  March,  1835,  he  married  Elvira  Colby,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Colby,  with  whom  he  lived  in  happy  union  for  forty-eight  years.  She  died 
May  n,  1883,  after  a  lingering  illness,  her  decease  removing  one  who  was  greatly 
beloved  and  missed  by  her  family  and  neighbors.  The  law  of  her  life  was  kindness. 
In  the  chamber  of  the  sick  she  was  a  ministering  angel.  Peter  Higley  lived  to  a 
good  old  age — eighty-three  years.  From  an  attack  of  pneumonia  in  the  early  winter 
of  1889  he  became  prostrated,  and  never  recovered  his  strength,  lingering  in  much 
patient  suffering  from  day  to  day  till  his  departure,  March  4,  1890.  His  gentle 
and  affectionate  disposition  caused  him  to  be  greatly  beloved  by  his  children  and 
grandchildren,  who  sincerely  mourned  his  loss.  He  was  interred  on  the  6th  of 
March  in  the  Steward  cemetery  at  Cory,  Pa.,  beside  his  wife  and  daughters. 
Their  children  were  as  follows  : 

Nancy  Jane,  born  December  23,  1835,  who  married  Jared  Blakslee  in  1853,  and 
died  March  7,  1859  ;  Betsey  Maria;  Count  Sobeiski;  Joseph  Eugene,  born  1843, 
and  died  1845  ;  Pember  Edson;  Ellajenelte,  born  1849,  and  died  1850,  and  Emma 
Isadore. 

BETSEY  MARIA  HIGLEY,  the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Elvira  (Colby)  Higley,  was 
born  February  14,  1837,  and  married  John  D.  Palmer,  December  15,  1853.  Their 
children  were  : 

Melvin  L.,  born  December  16,  1855  ;  Peter  D.,  born  June  12,  1858  ;  Viola  J., 
born  January  6,  1862,  who  died  January  7,  1872  ;  Flora  K.,  born  August  13,  1864  ; 
Lillian  K.,  born  May  5,  1867  ;  Nellie  M.,  born  August  8,  1870 ;  Frank  D.,  born 
July  3,  1872  ;  and  Nellie  Jenetta,  born  July  28,  1880.  The  family  reside  at  Corry, 
Erie  County,  Pa, 

FLORA  R.,  daughter  of  John  ,D.  and  Betsey  M.  (Higley)  Palmer,  married  Isaac  McCray,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1883.  She  resides  with  her  father.  They  had  one  child,  Grace,  born  February  3,  1886. 

COUNT  SOBEISKI  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Peter  and  Elvira  (Colby)  Higley, 
was  born  October  5,  1839,  and  married  Lizzie  Samis,  1869.  Their  children  are: 

Albert  P.  and  Allen  H.,  twins,  born  January  10,  1870  ;  Edward  J.,  born  January, 
1875,  and  Emma,  born  1878.  They  reside  at  Obi,  Allegheny  County,  N.  Y. 

PEMRER  EDSON  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Peter  and  Elvira  (Colby)  Higley,  was 
born  September  12,  1845,  and  married  Julia  E.  Green,  February  9,  1868.  He 
served  his  country  three  years  in  the  late  Civil  War,  enlisting  January  5,  1864, 
in  the  I4$th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Company  A,  and  was  after- 
ward transferred  to  the  53d  Pennsylvania  Regiment.  Besides  participating  in  a 
number  of  lively  skirmishes,  he  fought  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court  House,  Cold  Harbor,  Deep  Bottom,  Natchez  Run,  and  was  in  the 
siege  of  Petersburg.  During  his  time  of  service  he  lay  ill  of  fever  two  months  in 


I96  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Campbell  Hospital.     He  faithfully  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.     Pember  and 
Julia  (Green)  Higley  have  three  children  : 

Carrie  B.  born  April  19,  1869  ;  Frank,  born  April  25,  1872,  and  May,  born  June 
3,  1876.  They  reside  at  Corry,  Erie  County,  Pa. 

EMMA  ISADORE  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Peter  and  Eliza  (Colby)  Higley, 
was  born  January  22,  1857,  and  married  John  A.  Lemon,  July  3,  1870.  They 
have  one  child,  George  Eugene,  born  September  9,  1872.  They  reside  in  Waverly, 
Spokane  County,  Wash. 

HOMER  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  eleventh  child '  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  (Holcombe) 
Higley  [page  189]  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  July  10,  1810.  He  went  South 
when  quite  a  young  man,  acting  as  a  traveling  agent  for  a  New  England  clock 
firm.  He  finally  settled  in  Texas  while  that  country  was  yet  an  independent  repub- 
lic, and  resided  at  Wharton,  where  he  married  and  lived  many  years.  He  accumu- 
lated property,  and  owned  slaves.  He  died  at  Wharton,  June  6,  1856.  He  left 
no  children. 

ERATUS  HIGLEY,  the  twelfth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  (Holcombe)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  8,  1812.  He  was  a  traveling  salesman 
for  a  Bristol,  R.  I.,  manufacturing  firm.  He  owned  a  considerable  property  in 
Illinois,  in  the  early  history  of  that  State.  He  never  married.  His  death  took 
place  suddenly,  August  14,  1847. 

DIANA,  the  thirteenth  and  youngest  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  (Holcombe) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  March  19, 1815.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
March  12,  1831,  she  married  Luke  Mason  of  Simsbury  and  became  the  mother  of 
four  children.  Her  husband,  Luke  Mason,  died,  March  21,  1840.  Her  second 
marriage  took  place  April,  1843,  to  Clinton  Mather,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Canton, 
Conn.  Mrs.  Diana  Mather  was  a  communicant  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  a  faithful 
church  member.  She  possessed  a  loving  nature.  On  the  22d  of  February,  1879, 
Mr.  Mather  was  accidentally  thrown  from  his  sleigh,  his  head  striking  upon  a  rock, 
and  died  from  the  effects  of  the  injury  two  days  afterward.  His  death  caused  great 
sorrow  throughout  the  entire  community.  He  was  a  person  of  pleasant  and  affable 
manner,  of  strict  integrity,  living  truly  a  noble  life.  His  wife,  Diana  Higley, 
resided  during  her  last  widowhood  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Hamilton,  in 
Unionville,  Conn.  She  died,  June  6,  1888,  and  was  interred  in  Canton,  Conn. 
No  account  of  her  descendants  has  been  furnished. 


LEVI    HIGLEY    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Continued  from  page  188. 
Levi,  Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain   John. 

LEVI  HIGLEY  the  second  child  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in  the  year  1771.  He 
married  Hepsibah  Holcombe,  of  the  same  place,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  near  his  father's  home.  Our  information  concerning  his  life 
and  his  descendants  is  too  meager  and  uncertain  for  an  extended 
sketch. 

1  The  tenth  child  of  Seth  Filer  and  Naomi  (Holcombe)  Higley  was  also  named  Homer.     He  died 
in  infancy. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  197 

It  appears,  however,  that  he  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and 
excellent  character.  That  he  was  enterprising  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  in  1802,  he,  with  others,  made  a  prospecting  tour 
through  the  wilderness  of  Central  New  York,  with  a  view  to  join- 
ing the  tide  of  emigration  that  had  then  set  in  from  New  England. 
Two  years  later  he  emigrated  with  his  family,  in  company  with 
others,  including  his  younger  brothers  Oliver  and  Warren  and 
his  family,  to  Central  New  York,  and  settled  at  Pompey  Hill, 
Onondago  County,  where  he  cleared  the  forests,  became  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  and  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children.  He  died 
in  the  town  of  Spafford,  N.  Y.,  April  29,  1853,  aged  eighty-two 
years.  The  names  and  order  of  birth  of  these  children,  as  fur- 
nished by  Mrs.  PhideliaHigley  Doubleday,  since  deceased,  of  Cort- 
land,  N.  Y.,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  eleven,  are  as  follows  : 

Levi  Jason,  Hepsibah,  Lyman,  Melissa,  Philura,  Isaac  Anson, 
William,  Harvey,  John,  Chauncey,  and  Phidelia. 

LEVI  JASON  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  29,  1795. 
Died  at  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  in  1856.  He  was  twice  married; 
first  to  Sally  Cornish,  born  May  28,  1794,  died  September  16, 
1829.  They  had  four  children. 

JANE,  born  July  29,  1817  ;  married  H.  Cornish,  January  29,  1846,  and  after 
his  death  married  twice — Mr.  Thomas,  April  5,  1853,  and  Mr.  Hammond,  May 
8,  1861.  She  died  July  4,  1870. 

DANIEL,  son  of  Levi  Jason  Higley,  born  February  23,  1819 ;  married  Lenah 
Shaw,  March  25,  1849.  They  have  two  sons,  and  by  last  accounts  are  living  in 
Napanee,  Canada,  West.  The  older  son,  Daniel  Levi,  born  in  Picton,  Prince 
Edwards  County,  Canada,  West,  June  20,  1852.  Second  son,  Samuel  Richard, 
born  at  same  place,  April  12,  1855,  lives  in  California. 

DENISON,  born  October  27,  1821  ;  married  Jane  H.  Rownling,  August  18,  1858. 
They  are  now  living  at  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  and  have  one  daughter,  Florence  C. 

LEVI,  born  December  26,  1824.  Died  April  2,  1889,  in  Grand  View,  la.  He 
married  Anna  Elizabeth  Brown,  October  7,  1852.  They  had  three  sons,  as 
follows : 

DenisonJ.,  born  at  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  October  23,  1853  ;  married  Sarah  T. 
Warner,  October  17,  1883.  They  have  two  children  :  Ruth,  born  June  16,  1885, 
and  Bessie,  born  May  10,  1888.  He  is  a  prominent  physician  in  Grand  View,  la. 
William  JCerr,  born  in  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  July  31,  1858  ;  married  Harriet  E. 
Warner,  June  29,  1882.  He  is  a  successful  professor  in  the  Illinois  College  of 
Pharmacy  in  Chicago.  Charles Denton,  born  at  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  October  13,  1865  ; 
married  Mertie  E.  Allen,  March  13,  1890.  They  have  one  child,  Helen,  born 
December  23,  1891.  He  is  a  druggist  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

The  children  of  Levi  Jason  Higley  by  his  second  wife,  Sally 
Clemont,  whom   he   married   December  31,  1829,  and  who   died 
March  19,  1884,  are  eight  in  number,  and  are  as  follows: 
14 


198  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Henry,  born  November  14,  1830  ;  married  Helen  Anderson,  May  8,  1860, 
and  Anna  Gilson,  October  8,  1873.  He  lives  at  Fairmount,  111.,  where  he  carries 
on  a  large  and  successful  business  as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  "Fairmount 
Mills  and  Elevator."  Sarah  M.,  born  August  26,  1832,  married  twice:  Still- 
man  Clark,  August  25,  1864  ;  and  John  Russell,  June  10,  1871.  They  live 
near  Berlin,  Wis.  Albert,  born  September  25,  1834.  Died  November  8,  1862. 
Lynian,  born  October  10,  1835.  Lives  in  Missouri.  Mary  F.,  born  February 
3,  1837  ;  married  Francis  Malolin,  June  23,  1855.  They  have  six  sons  and  one 
daughter  living.  Louisa  P.,  born  April  n,  1838  ;  married  A.  B.  Morrison, 
December  20,  1855.  They  have  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Isaac,  born 
July  13,  1840  ;  married  Amelia  Burton,  May  12,  1868.  Lives  at  De  Ruyter, 
N.  Y.  He  was  sergeant  in  Company  D,  New  York  Volunteer  Engineers. 
Lucinda  M.,  born  February  12,  1845.  Died  October  31,  1848. 

HEPSIBAH,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Hepsibah  Higley.     No  data  of  her  received. 

LYMAN,  the  third  child,  married  Minerva  Chapin  ;  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. , 

MELISSA,  the  fourth  child,  married  a  Mr.  Carter. 

PHILURA,  the  fifth  child  .     No  data  of  her  received. 

ISAAC  ANSON,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  in  Pompey,  Onondago 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1807.  While  a  young  man  he  went  to  Pottsville,  Pa.,  and  settled 
there.  His  daughter,  Emily  B.  Higley,  in  a  letter  dated  Minersvilla,  Pa.,  May  27, 
1895,  writes  of  her  family  as  follows  :  "My  father  married  Mary  B.  Falls  in 
December,  1832 — I  think  in  Pottsville,  Pa.  They  had  nine  children,  all  born  in 
Pottsville,  Pa.:  Jas.  H.,  in  1836;  Sarah  Jane,  1838;  Emily  B.,  1840;  John 
Harvey,  1843  ;  Mary,  1845  ;  Helen  M.,  1847  ;  Camilla,  1850  ;  Isaac  Anson,  1852, 
and  Chai.  A.,  1855.  Jas.  H.  and  John  Harvey  were  in  Company  A,  g6th  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  in  the  late  war.  The  former  died  of  camp  fever,  in  May, 
1862  ;  the  latter  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and  died  in  August 
of  the  same  year.  Helen  married  Seth  Winslow  Geer,  attorney  at  law,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865.  She  died  March  15,  1881.  Mr.  Geer  died  in  March,  1888. 
They  left  four  boys:  Benjamin,  Seth  W.,  Har-vey,  and  Joseph.  Mary  married 
Joseph  C.  Ramsey  in  April,  1869.  She  died  in  March,  1870.  The  two  surviving 
children  of  my  father  are  my  sister  Camilla  and  myself.  My  father  died  in  October, 
1856,  aged  forty-nine.  My  mother,  Mary  B.  died  April  19,  1894,  aged  eighty." 

In  a  letter  written  in  1889,  she  says:  "  My  mother  has  been  postmistress  of  this 
place — Minersville — continuously  since  1872,  and  has  filled  the  office  acceptably  to 
the  Department  at  Washington  and  to  the  people  here.  My  father  was  an  educated 
gentleman,  a  worthy  descendant  of  my  Higley  ancestors." 

WILLIAM,  seventh  child  of  Levi  and  Hepsibah  Higley.  We  have  no  further 
record. 

HARVEY,  the  eighth  child,  lived  recently  at  Hillsdale,  Mich. 

JOHN,  the  ninth  child.     No  data. 

CHAUNCEY,  the  tenth  child,  is  living  near  Angolia,  N.  Y. 

PHIDELIA,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  Levi  and  Hepsibah  Higley, 
married  Henry  Doubleday.  They  settled  in  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died, 
December  15,  1891.  They  had  four  children,  all  living. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

WARREN    HIGLEY,    SR.,    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Continued  from  page  188. 

"  Upon  the  great  dial-plate  of  ages 
The  light  advanced  no  more  recedes." 

By  Hon.  Warren  Higley  of  New  York  City. 

WARREN  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  son  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley, 
and  grandson  of  Brewster,  2d,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  November  10,  1775,  the  year  before  his  father, 
as  a  corporal  in  Captain  Case's  company,  joined  the  Continental 
Army,  and  marched  to  the  defense  of  New  York.  He  grew  to 
sturdy  manhood  amid  the  hardships  that  prevailed  during  the 
revolutionary  period  and  that  just  following.  On  reaching  his 
majority  he  married  Lucy  Sawyer,  a  beautiful  young  woman  of 
Pomfret,  Conn.,  and  settled  near  his  father's  home,  following  the 
occupation  of  his  ancestors — a  tiller  of  the  soil. 

In  the  following  year,  June  14,  1797,  the  first  child  was  born  to 
them,  Warren  Alson.  Then  followed  Chauncey,  May  13,  1799, 
Jacob  Sawyer,  January  3,  1802,  Lucy  Rosetta,  February  i,  1804,  mak- 
ing, no  doubt,  a  busy  hive  in  the  Simsbury  home.  The  father  and 
mother  were  still  young, — not  thirty, — and  were  naturally  looking 
for  larger  opportunities.  The  great  West  with  its  virgin  soil  in- 
vited settlers,  and  the  towns  of  New  England  were  sending  their 
sons  and  daughters  out  into  this  new  world,  so  lately  redeemed 
from  the  sway  of  English  rule  and  the  savagery  of  native  tribes. 
Alluring  inducements  were  offered  in  cheap  lands,  fertile  beyond 
comparison,  and  within  easy  access  of  the  natural  highways  of 
commerce,  in  Western  New  York,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  Ohio. 
There  were  three  principal  routes  through  which  the  tide  of 
emigration  was  pouring  its  flood  westward  ;  up  the  Mohawk 
Valley  into  Central  New  York,  and  thence  onward  via  Buffalo 
and  Lake  Erie  to  Northern  Ohio;  across  Southern  Pennsylvania 
and  over  the  mountains  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Ohio;  and 
down  the  Appalachion  Valley  and  thence  over  into  Kentucky  and 

»99 


200  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Tennessee.  Land  companies  and  syndicates  were  active  in  secur- 
ing large  tracts  of  land  and  promoting  their  settlement.  For 
example,  Oliver  Phelps  of  Simsbury  and  Windsor,  Conn.,  and 
Nathaniel  Gorham,  purchased  in  1787  a  tract  of  land  containing 
two  and  a  quarter  millions  of  acres  lying  west  of  Seneca  Lake  in 
New  York  State.  This  tract  is  known  as  the  "Phelps  and  Gor- 
ham Purchase,"  and  constitutes  one  of  the  most  fertile  and 
beautiful  sections  of  the  State. 

In  1789  Oliver  Phelps  opened,  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  the  first 
land  office  in  America  for  the  sale  of  lands  to  settlers. 

It  appears  from  the  data  we  have,  that  Levi  Higley,  an  older 
brother  of  Warren,  went  with  others  to  Central  New  York  in  1802 
or  1803,  and  visited  that  part  of  the  wilderness  which  was  within 
easy  reach  of  the  wonderful  salt  springs  near  Syracuse.  Whether 
he  located  and  purchased  lands  at  that  time  does  not  appear. 
But  Levi  returned  to  Simsbury  for  his  family. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  Warren  Higley,  with  his  wife  and  young 
family,  his  brothers  Levi  and  Oliver,  and  others  of  the  neighbor- 
hood with  their  families,  left  the  home  and  surroundings  of  their 
forefathers  for  the  new  West,  of  which  they  had  heard  so  much. 
They  loaded  their  household  goods  and  necessary  provisions  on 
carts  and  wagons;  and  with  ox-teams  to  haul  them,  and  cows  to 
furnish  milk,  they  made  the  toilsome  journey  to  Central  New 
York,  and  settled  in  the  wilderness  at  Onondaga  Hill,  about  six 
miles  from  Syracuse.  The  log  house  was  quickly  built,  the  clear- 
ing made  for  the  corn  field  and  the  garden,  and  the  pioneer  life 
begun. 

The  following  year,  October  25,  1805,  Emily  was  born;  Decem- 
ber 9,  1807,  Chester ;  July  21,  1813,  Rachel ;  October  5,  1815, 
Harriet  Rachel  j  making  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom, 
excepting  Lucy  Rosetta,  who  died  in  early  womanhood,  lived  to 
mature  £ge,  married,  and  had  families  of  children. 

Lucy  Sawyer  Higley,  the  mother,  was  a  woman  of  great  energy 
and  executive  ability,  and  of  remarkable  devotion  and  sweetness 
of  temper.  Up  to  the  time  of  her  death  she  strictly  observed  the 
tenets  of  her  church,  and  kept  her  Sabbath  from  sundown  on 
Saturday  night  to  the  setting  of  the  sun  on  Sunday,  during  which 
time  all  the  work  in  the  household  and  on  the  farm  was  sus- 
pended, excepting  that  of  necessity. 

Like  the  noble,  self-sacrificing  women  of  our  pioneer  times, 
she  not  only  performed  the  household  duties,  but  spun  and  wove 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  20 1 

the  flax  and  the  wool,  and  cut  and  made  the  garments  for  the 
family;  and  a  most  excellent  cook  and  housekeeper  and  manager 
she  was.  There  were  no  "  hired  girls  "  in  those  early  days,  but  the 
spirit  of  helpfulness  pervaded  the  family  and  the  neighborhood, 
and  thereby  the  burdens  were  lightened,  and  peace  and  content- 
ment reigned.  Thus  was  the  large  family  reared,  and  sturdy 
character  formed  for  the  responsibilities  of  mature  years. 

There  are  few,  if  any,  striking  events  in  the  life  of  the  farmer; 
and  none  in  the  subject  of  this  sketch  worthy  of  note,  unless  it 
be  the  fact  that  he,  imbibing  the  military  spirit  like  his  ancestors, 
was  chosen  captain  of  the  local  artillery  company,  and  near  the 
close  of  the  War  of  1812  went  with  his  company  to  Niagara 
Falls,  to  serve  his  country.  But  peace  came  before  his  battery" 
was  called  into  active  service.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
daughter,  Emily,  near  the  site  of  the  old  homestead,  on  Onondaga 
Hill,  of  a  virulent  attack  of  smallpox,  May  16,  1848.  His  faith- 
ful wife  survived  him  but  a  few  months,  and  died  in  the  same  place, 
August  27,  1848.  Seven  sons  and  daughters  survived  them. 

In  height  they  were  above  the  medium,  the  husband  standing 
six  feet,  broad-shouldered  and  well  proportioned,  and  more  than 
usually  good-looking.  They  both  had  fine  physical  constitutions, 
wholly  free  from  taints;  and,  consequently,  health  and  vigor 
characterized  the  children,  an  inheritance  that  cannot  be  too 
highly  valued. 

The  Onondaga  salt  springs  had  for  a  number  of  years  made 
this  section  well-known  throughout  the  State.  These  were  about 
seven  miles  distant,  and  furnished  the  early  settlers  an  oppor- 
tunity to  get  a  little  ready  money,  for  these  springs  were  in  the 
State  Reservation,  and  freely  utilized  by  the  settlers  in  that 
vicinity  for  securing  what  they  wanted  for  use;  and  the  more 
enterprising  manufactured  considerable  quantities  of  salt  for  the 
market.  All  Western  New  York  depended  on  these  springs  for 
its  supply  of  salt.  It  used  to  sell  for  about  fifty  cents  per  bushel, 
and  a  fair-sized  family  would  make  about  fifty  bushels  per  week 
in  favorable  weather,  and  so  reap  a  good  income  for  those  times. 

The  forests  yielded  an  abundance  of  sugar  for  the  family. 
The  "  men-folks"  in  the  early  spring  were  accustomed  to 
make  about  two  tons  of  maple  sugar  for  the  year's  supply.  The 
expense  was  slight;  iron  kettles,  pot- rack,  iron  ladles,  augers 
for  boring,  and  buckets  for  carrying  the  sap,  were  everything 
needed  beyond  what  the  workmen  themselves  could  supply  with 


202  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  ax.  During  this  season  the  neighborhood  was  kept  very 
gay  by  the  frequent  parties  given  at  "  sugaring-off"  times,  when 
they  ate  the  delicious  wax  from  the  snow,  or  sipped  the  rich  aro- 
matic syrup,  dipped  hot  from  the  kettle;  the  newly-made  sugar 
was  added  to  the  feast  according  to  taste. 

The  pioneer  life  had  its  charms  and  pleasures  as  well  as  its 
hardships  and  sorrows.  Their  tastes  were  simple;  their  family 
wants  were  few  beyond  what  the  farm  supplied.  They  were 
neighborly,  helpful,xone  to  another;  they  were  honest  and  trusty. 
The  doors  of  their  houses  were  without  bolts,  and  "the  latch- 
string  was  always  out."  A  sort  of  Arcadian  life  was  led  by  these 
early  settlers  at  Onondaga,  so  far  as  can  be  gleaned  from  the 
records,  and  peace  and  happiness  and  prosperity  prevailed  among 
them. 

WARREN  ALSON,  the  first  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy  Sawyer 
Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  on  Wednesday,  June  14, 
1797.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Hulbert,  in  Trempeleau 
County,  Wisconsin,  October  14,  1871.  He  lived  on  the  farm  with 
his  parents  until  his  marriage  with  Permelia  Duell,  daughter  of  a 
prominent  farmer  of  that  section,  on  March  4,  1824.  He  settled 
on  a  farm  at  Onondaga  Hill,  where  his  children  were  born  and 
brought  up,  viz. :  Juliette,  Hulbert,  and  Marian. 

JULIETTE,  born  October  9,  1825.  October  14,  1846,  she  married  Charles  R. 
Borradaile  of  Sodus,  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  a  gentleman  of  excellent  family  and  high 
standing.  They  settled  in  Sodus,  N.  Y.,  and  enjoyed  many  years  of  happiness  and 
prosperity.  They  had  three  children  : 

EMMA  J.,  the  eldest,  was  born  July  25,  1848  ;  was  married  to  Dr.  C.  H.  Eggleston 
of  Marshall,  Mich.,  April  22,  1869.  They  settled  in  Marshall,  Mich.,  where  he 
became  prominent  and  prosperous  in  his  profession,  and  she  an  angel  of  mercy 
to  the  distressed.  She  died  June  18,  1889.  They  had  three  children  : 

Nina  Juliett,  born  January  22,  1870;  Kittle  Adah,  born  April  I,  1874,  an<J 
Edwy  Borradaile  Reid,  born  at  Allegan,  Mich.,  December  2,  1886. 

MARY  ADAH  BORRADAILE,  the  second  child,  was  born  at  Sodus,  March  9,  1850  ; 
married  Edwy  C.  Reid  of  Allegan,  Mich.,  August  28,  1876,  where  they  still  live. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY  BORRADAILE,  their  third  child,  was  born  at  Sodus,  March  3, 
1856.  Not  married.  Has  long  been  a  resident  of  Marshall,  Mich.,  prosperous  in 
business,  and  very  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

HULBERT  HIGLEY,  only  son  of  Warren  Alson  and  Permelia  Duell  Higley,  was 
born  at  Onondaga  Hill,  January  10,  1828.  He  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  lived 
according  to  the  custom  of  those  days.  He  married  Mary  A.  Victs  of  Orangeville, 
Pa.,  March  25,  1856.  He  soon  after  went  with  his  bride  to  the  State  of  Wisconsin 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Neshonac,  La  Crosse  County.  They  have  seven  children, 
as  follows : 


CHAUNCEY   AND   MARGARET    HEAD    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,\ST.  203 

Leonora  Emma,  born  April  26,  1857,  at  Neshonac,  La  Crosse  County,  Wis. 
Was  married  at  Centerville,  Trempeleau  County,  Wis.,  December  22,  1875,  to 
Zalmon  S.  Martin  of  the  same  place.  They  have  had  four  children  : 

Edith  Lyle,  who  was  born  November  24,  1876,  at  Centerville,  Trempeleau 
County,  Wis.  ;  Harold  Arthur,  who  was  born  October  16,  1878,  at  same  place  ; 
Mabel  Emma,  born  December  4,  1880,  at  Jamestown,  Stutsman  County,  North 
Dak.  ;  Florence  Cordelia,  born  November  8,  1886,  at  the  same  place. 

Warren  A.,  son  of  Hulbert  and  Mary  A.  Higley,  was  born  September  6,  185-, 
at  Neshonac,  and  at  last  advices  was  still  a  bachelor.  Emma  Jane  was  born  at 
the  same  place,  June  n,  1863.  She  was  married  at  Hale,  Trempeleau  County, 
Wis.,  March  30,  1881,  to  William  J.  Gordon,  of  the  same  place,  and  had  a  son, 
fohn  Emory,  born  May  9,  1884.  Florence  Permelia  was  born  October  n,  1866, 
at  Trempeleau,  WTis.  Nellie  May,  was  born  January  27,  1870,  at  the  same  place. 
Marian  Juliette,  was  born  December  7,  1879,  at  Hale,  Wis.  Samantha  Mabel, 
was  born  May  14,  1882,  at  Jamestown,  Stutsman  County,  North  Dak.,  to  which 
place  her  parents  had  removed  and  settled. 

MARIAN  HIGLEY,  third  and  youngest  child  of  Warren  Alson  and  Permelia  Duell 
Higley,  was  born  at  Onondaga  Hill,  April  27,  1830.  She  was  married  at  Onondaga 
Hill,  May  12, 1854,  to  William  J.  Hillabrant  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Died  at  her  home 
in  Marshall,  Mich.,  1895.  She  was  a  beautiful  woman,  and  most  devoted  mother, 
respected  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  her.  They  had  three  children,  viz., 

Willis  Duell,  George  M.,  Charles  H. 

WILLIS  DUELL  was  born  at  Salina,  N.  Y.,  February  21,  1855.  He  married 
in  Chicago,  June  5,  1884,  Miss  Kate  Kenny,  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Kenny 
of  Ashland,  O.  They  reside  in  Chicago,  and  have  a  daughter,  born  May  29,  1885, 
christened  Susan  Marian. 

GEORGE  M.  HILLABRANT  was  born  at  Marshall,  Mich  ,  July  5,  1858  ;  died 
August  u,  1859. 

CHARLES  H.,  was  born  at  Marshall,  Mich.,  September  14,  1860,  where  he  still 
resides. 

CHAUNCEY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy 
Sawyer  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  May  13,  1799.  He 
grew  to  be  a  healthy,  strong,  energetic  young  man  under  the  care 
and  influence  of  the  pioneer  home.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
enlisted  for  the  war  (1812-14)  in  the  local  company  under  Captain 
Forbes,  and  marched  to  the  defense  of  Sackett's  Harbor,  at  that 
time  threatened  by  the  British.  Colonel  Ellis  was  his  regimental 
commander.  He  remained  in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  In  after  life  he  was  a  pensioner,  and  so  continued  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  became  a  skilled  distiller,  and  was  early 
appointed  to  the  charge  of  large  establishments.  The  business 
in  those  days  was  not  clouded  by  any  influence  of  temperance 
agitation.  It  was  held  in  equal  honor  with  that  of  other  call- 


204  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ings — and  he  prospered  in  it.  He  was  a  very  temperate  man  all 
his  life,  of  the  strictest  integrity,  a  consistent  Christian,  a  member 
and  officer  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  always  a 
good,  patriotic  citizen. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  May  2,  1820,  in  the  town  of  Owasco, 
adjoining  the  then  village  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  he  married  Margaret 
Head,  who  was  born  at  Springfield,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
May  25,  1804. 

For  twenty  years  he  lived  in  different  places  in  New  York 
State, — Owasco,  Auburn,  Port  Byron,  Sennett, — and  in  the 
spring  of  1840  went  to  Ohio,  via  the  Erie  Canal  and  Lake  Erie, 
the  usual  route  of  travel  then,  with  all  his  family  and  household 
goods,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Westfield,  Delaware  County,  O. 
He  afterward  devoted  three  years  to  the  business  of  distilling  in 
West  Cleveland,  and  four  years  in  Newark,  O.,and  then  returned 
to  his  farm,  and  continued  a  farmer  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

His  daughter,  Adeline,  in  a  letter  dated  Cardington,  O.,  May 
31,  1887,  wrote:  "I  can  say  for  my  father,  that  in  character  he 
is  second  to  none.  He  has  lived  a  long  life  of  usefulness,  always 
showing  his  Christianity  in  his  liberality  to  the  poor  and  to  the 
Church.  He  always  took  sunshine  with  him  wherever  he  went. 
He  often  says  that  he  has  lived  out  his  time  and  is  only  waiting." 
He  died  at  the  home  of  his  youngest  daughter,  Emily,  in  the  town 
of  Ashley,  Delaware  County,  O.,  July  29,  1887,  in  the  eighty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age. 

LUCY  ROSETTA,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Owasco,  Cayuga  County, 
N.  Y.,  March  14,  1822.  In  1840  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Ohio,  and  was 
there  married  to  Edward  Terry  of  New  York,  June  30,  1842,  at  their  home  in 
Westfield.  They  settled  near  Cardington,  O.,  and  brought  up  a  family  of  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  were  married  and  living  in  1887.  She  was  left  a  widow  in 
1867.  Their  children : 

Emaline  was  born  April  I,  1843  ;  married  January  I,  1860,  to  John  W.  Mere- 
dith. Adeline  was  born  January  13,  1845  ;  married  November  12,  1865,  to  Leroy 
P.  Slack.  Henrietta  was  born  April  8,  1848  ;  married  November  14,  1869,  to 
James  Potter.  Bradford was  born  August  13,  1852  ;  married  October  23,  1873,  to 
Mary  Sands.  James  and  Jane,  twins,  were  born  June  21,  1856.  Jane  was  mar- 
ried July  26,  1879,  to  Simeon  Glaze.  James  was  married  November  2,  1884,  to 
Mary  Aldrich.  Florence  was  born  October  9, 1860  ;  married  June  6, 1881,  to  Cyrus 
E.  Weatherby. 

The  mother  writes  from  Cardington,  O.,  June  5,  1887  :  "By  these  I  have  twenty- 
one  grandchildren.  Now  comes  the  old  adage,  '  Large  streams  from  little  fountains 
flow.'  A  pretty  good  list  for  one  Higley,  don't  you  think  ?  " 

ARETAS,  second  child  of  Chauncey  and  Margaret  Higley,  was  born  in  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  March  29,  1824,  and  died  October  24,  following. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY, \ST.  205 

ADELINE  E.  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  September  24,  1825.  She  was  married 
at  her  father's  home  in  Westfield,  O.,  September  7,  1842,  to  George  B.  Terry, 
brother  of  her  sister's  husband.  He  died  April  3,  1855,  leaving  her  a  widow  with 
four  children,  viz.  : 

Evaline,  born  July  2,  1844  ;  married  Reuben  P.  Smith.  She  died  February 
IO,  1870,  leaving  two  children.  Margaret  Ann,  born  August  n,  1846;  married 
William  H.  H.  Smith.  They  have  seven  children.  Chauncey  G.,  born  March  II, 

1849  ;  married .  They  have  seven  children.  George  B.,  Jr.,  bom  July  27, 

1851  ;  married .  They  have  four  children. 

After  living  a  widow  for  seventeen  years,  she  married  Taylor  Barge  of  Carding- 
ton,  O.,  where  they  now  live. 

WARREN  HIGLEY,  fourth  child  of  Chauncey  and  Margaret  A.  Higley,  was  born 
at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  December  10,  1827,  and  died  December  9,  1828. 

EDWIN  R.  was  born  at  Auburn,  N.  Y  ,  November  25,  1829.  Married  in  Ohio, 
April  17,  1850,  to  Catherine  Devar  of  Newark,  O.  They  settled  on  a  farm  near 
his  father's,  and  had  nine  children  : 

Frank  G.,  born  August  15,  1851  ;  Jane  J.,  born  July  10,  1853  ;  Delphine, 
Clara  Estclla,  Ella  Jane,  Jessie,  William,  Howard  C.,  and  George. 

His  wife  died  not  long  after  the  birth  of  George,  and  after  about  two  years  he 
took  to  himself  a  second  wife,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children  up  to  August,  1887  : 
John  Sherman,  Emily  Rosetta,  Charles,  Chauncey,  Lewis,  Curtis  Jay,  and  Joseph 
Gran-ville.  All  were  living  at  last  advices — sixteen. 

DESIRE  R.,  daughter  of  Chauncey  and  Margaret  Higley,  was  born  in  Butler, 
Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  September  13,  1832.  Married  December  24,  1850,  in 
Newark,  O  ,  to  James  F.  Peyton.  She  died  May  3,  1852. 

EMILY  S  ,  daughter  of  Chauncey  and  Margaret  Higley,  was  born  in  Westfield, 
O.,  April  6,  1841.  Married  at  her  fathers  house  in  Ashley,  O.,  December  24, 
1859,  Peter  Z.  Hopper,  of  Hackensack,  N.  J.  They  reside  at  Ashley,  O.  Six 
children  were  born  to  them  :  Herbert,  October  29,  1860  ;  died  February  27,  1861. 
Charles,  April  14,  1862.  Margaret,  July  27,  1864.  Levi  J.t  August  6,  1866. 
Chauncey,  September  19,  1871,  and  Lizzie,  July  4,  1876. 

JACOB  SAWYER,  third  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy  Higley,  was 
born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  January  3,  1802,  and  was  over  two  years 
old  when  his  parents  moved  into  the  wilderness  of  Onondaga. 
He  developed  a  splendid  physique,  and  a  strong,  manly  character 
under  the  influence  of  farm  life  and  the  busy  cultured  home. 

On  November  10,  1822,  not  yet  twenty-one,  he  married  Nancy 
Delina  Spencer,  the  daughter  of  a  neighboring  farmer.  He  was 
powerful  in  strength,  of  a  kind  and  generous  nature,  noble 
character,  and  a  most  exemplary  husband  and  father.  He  died 
May  15,  1873.  His  devoted  wife  had  died  October  28,  1866. 

His  grandson,  Rev.  Elmer  Higley,  writes:  "In  1827,  my 
grandfather  moved  to  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Chauncey.  In  1831  he  moved  to  Cattaraugus  County, 


206  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

N.  Y.  From  there  he  moved  to  Conneaut  Township,  Crawford 
County,  Pa.,  in  1835,  settling  each  time  in  the  wilderness.  In 
1845  he  moved  to  Millcreek  Township,  Williams  County,  O. 
Here  he  cleared  the  land  and  followed  farming.  He  lived  there 
until  his  decease  in  1874— his  death  occurring,  however,  in 
Munroe  County,  Mich.,  while  visiting  at  the  home  of  his  eldest 
son  Sheldon." 

They  had  ten  children, — six  boys  and  four  girls, — whose  names 
and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows,  as  taken  from  the  family  record  : 
Sheldon,  born  August  4,  1823;  Emulus,  November  13,  1825;  Ben- 
jamin, March  10,  1827,  no  further  data;  Lucy  M.,  December  7, 
1828  ;  Austin,  April  5,  1830  ;  Harriet,  April  i,  1832;  Emily  J.,  July 
4,  1835;  Miles  Warren,  April  22,  1842;  Elba,  July  17,  1844;  Janette, 
February  i,  1851,  no  data. 

The  following  deaths  are  recorded:  Emily  J.,  August,  1847, 
aged  twelve  years;- Austin  was  killed  in  the  late  war  near  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  July  24,  1864;  Harriet  G.  died  April  18,  1888. 

SHELDON  HIGLEY,  eldest  son  of  Jacob  Sawyer  and  Nancy  Delina  Spencer, 
farmer,  resides  at  Bancroft,  Kossuth  County,  la. 

EMULUS  HIGLEY,  resides  at  Coopersville,  Ottaway  County,  Mich. 

LUCY  MARILLA,  married  Amos  Sullivan  in  1843;  he  died  in  1853.  They  had 
two  children,  Emma  Rossetta  and  Cornelius  Eugene.  February  24,  1859,  she 
married  Solomon  Rogers,  who  died  September  10,  1887.  She  now  lives  in  Stryker, 
Williams  County,  O. 

AUSTIN  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Jacob  Sawyer  and  Nancy  D.  Higley,  served  in 
the  Mexican  War,  and  until  the  beginning  of  the  late  war  lived  on  the  frontier, 
where  he  served  as  an  Indian  scout  and  encountered  many  dangers.  He  was 
three  years  in  the  gold  regions  of  California.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  68th  Ohio 
Volunteers,  Company  I,  and  went  to  the  Civil  War.  He  was  wounded  in  an  engage- 
ment near  Atlanta,  Ga.,  July  21,  1864,  and  died  three  days  after. 

HARRIET  C.  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child,  married  William  Moore,  a  fanner,  living  in 
Bridgewater  Township,  Williams  County,  O.  They  had  three  children,  only  one 
of  whom  is  living — Samuel. 

MILES  WARREN  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child,  was  born  in  Conneaut  Township, 
Crawford  County,  Pa.  His  father  moved  to  Williams  County,  O.,  three  years  after. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  6ist  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteers,  and  served  in  the  war 
to  its  close.  He  was  wounded  at  Champion  Hills,  near  Vicksburg,  May  16,  1863. 
He  married  Amanda  Ann  Snow,  September  18,  1863.  Three  children  were  born 
to  them  :  Elmer,  July  6,  1867  ;  Fred,  October  i,  1868  ;  and  Orin,  July  23,  1872. 
In  1881  they  moved  to  Conneautville,  Pa.,  where  they  still  reside. 

The  Rev.  ELMER  HIGLEY,  eldest  son  of  Miles  W.  and  Amanda  A.  Higley,  was 
born  near  Pioneer,  Williams  County,  O.,  July  6,  1867.  When  fourteen  years  old  his 
parents  moved  to  Conneautville,  Pa.,  where  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the  com- 
mon school,  and  three  years  after  entered  the  high  school,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1887.  After  teaching  one  year,  and  spending  one  year  in  travel,  he  entered 


CHESTER   AND   PRUDENCE    MILLER-HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,\ST.  •         207 

Alleghany  College,  Meadville,  Pa.,  where  he  pursued  the  classical  course  to  the 
senior  year,  when,  in  1891,  he  entered  the  ministry,  and  since  then  has  filled 
pastorates  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  While  serving  in  the  ministry 
he  has  completed  the  college  course  of  studies,  and  will  graduate  in  '96.  He 
married  Alice  C.  Dowler,  August  16,  1892,  and  is  now  the  settled  pastor  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Milesgrove,  Pa. 

ELBA  HIGLEY,  daughter  of  Jacob  Sawyer  aud  Nancy  Delina  Spencer,  married 
Jerry  Zolomon,  and  now  resides  near  Pioneer,  Williams  County,  O. 

EMILY  J.  HIGLEY,  their  seventh  child,  married  Leander  Zolomon.  They 
reside  near  West  Unity,  Williams  County,  O. 

LUCY  ROSETTA  HIGLEY,  fourth  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy_ 
Sawyer  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  February  i,  1804, 
and  was  therefore  a  babe  in  arms  when  her  parents  removed  to 
Central  New  York.  Family  tradition  says  that  she  was  an 
unusually  beautiful  and  lovely  child,  and  that  her  early  death, 
March  25,  1816,  was  the  cause  of  deep  and  widespread  sorrow. 

EMILY  HIGLEY,  fifth  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy  Sawyer  Higley, 
was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  October  25,  1805,  soon 
after  the  first  crop  of  corn  was  gathered  from  the  new  lot.  She 
developed  a  strong,  beautiful  character,  and  lived  respected  and 
loved  by  all  who  knew  her. 

In  1822,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  she  married  Newel  Wiard,  the 
son  of  a  neighboring  farmer.  They  remained  childless  for  nearly 
ten  years  when  their  first  child, 

FLORA  E.,  was  born,  May  7,  1832.  She  grew  to  be  a  very  attractive  and  highly 
accomplished  young  lady.  While  spending  the  winter  of  1858  with  friends  in  the 
far  South,  she  became  ill  and  died  in  Handsboro,  Miss.,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 

CHARLES  WIARD,  the  second  child  of  Newel  and  Emily  Higley  Wiard,  was  born 
March  2,  1834  ;  married  June  27,  1860,  at  Onondaga  Hill,  an  accomplished  and 
highly  educated  lady,  Mary  C.  Annable,  and  settled  on  the  homestead  with  his 
parents.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  continued  to  live  where  they  first  settled  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  January  9,  1890.  Three  children  were  born  to  them: 

Flora  E.,  August  n,  1861.  She  married  March  4,  1886,  Henry  H.  Hamilton. 
On  February  20,  1887,  a  daughter  was  born,  whom  they  named  Bertha.  Frank 
C.  was  born  May  20,  1865,  and  at  last  advices  was  a  bachelor.  Lyman  A.  was 
born  July  2,  1874. 

CHESTER  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  and  fourth  son  of  Warren  and 
Lucy  Sawyer  Higley,  was  born  December  9,  1807.  He  grew  to 
a  lusty  manhood  in  the  old  home,  and  was  noted  for  his  genial 
nature,  generous  spirit,  and  industrious  habits.  When  about 
eighteen  he  joined  his  brother  Chauncey,  who  was  then  in 
charge  of  "  Garrow's  Distillery  "  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.  After  serv- 


208  THE  HIGLEYS  AND   THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ing  his  apprenticeship,  he  had  charge  of  large  distilleries  in 
different  parts  of  the  State,  until  1845.  The  remainder  of  his 
life  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Owasco,  Cayuga  County, 
N.  Y.  He  died  at  his  home  near  Auburn  after  a  brief  illness, 
May  3,  1875.  He  was  of  a  strong  and  vigorous  constitution,  and 
until  his  last  illness  had  seldom  experienced  a  sick  day. 

In  1828,  July  6,  he  married  Prudence  Miller,  then  residing  with 
her  grandparents  on  West  Genesee  Street,  Auburn,  N.  Y.  She 
was  born  at  Pine  Hill,  N.  Y.,  September,  30,  1809.  Her  father, 
George  Miller,  emigrated  from  Southeastern  New  York  in  the 
early  part  of  the  century  and  settled  with  his  family  near  Albion, 
N.  Y.,  and  brought  up  a  large  family.  She  died  January  5,  1882, 
at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Eliza  Nickason,  in  Auburn, 
N.  Y. 

Chester  and  Prudence  Miller  Higley  had  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, viz.: 

COLLINS  JACOB,  born  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  May  5,  1829.  He  grew  to  young  man- 
hood, strong,  healthy,  genial,  of  fair  skin,  black  hair,  and  large  brown  eyes.  He 
was  well  educated,  served  an  apprenticeship,  according  to  the  custom  of  that  time, 
at  the  joiner's  trade  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  during  this  period  joined  the  local 
brass  band  and  began  the  study  of  music,  Afterward  he  became  quite  distin- 
guished as  a  musician.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  abandoned  his  trade  and 
devoted  himself  to  music.  He  traveled  for  many  years  as  a  leading  musician,  and 
was  very  skilled  and  unusually  popular  with  his  craft.  As  opportunity  offered,  he 
composed  and  arranged  music  for  local  bands. 

About  the  year  1858  or  1859  he  went  with  a  party  from  Chicago  overland  to  Pike's 
Peak,  Col.,  to  mine  gold.  They  went  with  a  full  outfit  of  teams,  cattle,  provisions, 
and  tools,  and  were  many  weeks  in  making  the  journey  across  the  plains.  He  sent 
favorable  reports  for  the  following  two  years,  and  in  the  early  summer  of  1861  he 
wrote,  inquiring  anxiously  for  news  of  the  war,  and  saying  that  he  would  soon  be 
able  to  return  East  with  a  good  competence.  The  letter  in  reply  was  returned 
through  the  dead  letter  office  at  Washington.  He  has  not  been  heard  from  since. 
It  is  thought  that  he  must  have  lost  his  life  in  some  one  of  the  border  conflicts  that 
prevailed  between  the  Union  and  Confederate  forces  about  tliat  time.  He  never 
married. 

GEORGE  MILLER,  second  son  of  Chester  and  Prudence  Higley,  was  born  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  April  I,  1831.  He  died  from  the  effects  of  a  railroad  accident  in 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  the  fall  of  1879.  He  was  twice  married,  but  left  no  children 
surviving. 

He  was  in  the  railroad  business  a  large  part  of  his  life,  as  master  of  freight, 
engineer,  conductor,  etc.  He  was  conductor  of  a  war  train,  under  General 
McPherson,  in  the  late  war,  and  did  daring  and  effective  service  for  the  Union 
cause. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  H  1C  LEY,  1ST  209 

By  the  Editor, 
Warren,  Chester,  Warren,  Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  zd,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

WARREN  HIGLEY  (of  New  York  City),  the  youngest  son  of 
Chester  and  Prudence  Miller  Higley,  was  born  in  Genoa,  near 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  July  i,  1833.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  in  direct 
line  from  both  of  his  honored  maternal  ancestors, — Captain  John 
Higley's  two  wives, — his  great-grandfather,  Seth  Higley,  having 
contracted  a  marriage  of  near  kin. 

His  childhood  was  spent  upon  the  farm  in  the  midst  of  the 
simplicity  of  an  agricultural  life.  Like  the  youth  of  those  days, 
his  early  education  was  gained  at  the  common  district  school, 
which  he  attended  faithfully,  winter  and  summer,  until  ten  years 
of  age,  after  which  he  attended  only  during  the  winter  months, 
his  labor  being  required  on  the  farm  in  the  summer.  The 
molding  of  his  earlier  years  fell  largely  upon  his  mother,  who 
was  a  gifted  and  superior  woman.  Her  maternal  heart  was 
wrapped  up  in  this  son,  and  it  is  to  her  energy,  perseverance, 
and  wise  direction  that  he  says  he  owes  his  successful  efforts  in 
after  life  more  than  to  anything  else. 

He  was  noted  for  his  perseverance,  industry,  and  frugality 
during  his  youth.  In  the  country  school  he  early  rose  to  the 
first  class  in  scholarship,  and,  by  having  free  access  to  the  dis- 
trict library,  he  supplemented  the  education  of  the  schoolroom 
by  that  education  which  comes  from  the  eager  reading  of  a  great 
variety  of  excellent  books,  in  history,  biography,  travels,  science, 
and  art.  It  embraced  such  works  as  Headley's  "Napoleon  and 
his  Marshals,"  "Washington  and  his  Generals,"  Dr.  Dix's  works, 
Dr.  Lardner's  works  on  science  and  art,  Freemont's  exploring  ex- 
peditions to  the  Pacific  coast,  "Life  of  Benjamin  Franklin,"  etc. 

Through  good  home  training,  the  education  of  the  school  and 
the  library,  and  the  industrious  habits  of  farm  life,  he  developed 
into  an  energetic,  long-headed  boy  of  great  application — a  fair 
type  of  an  American  country  youth,  who  afterward  rose  to  an 
influential  and  successful  manhood  through  his  own  individual 
energy  and  unfailing  perseverance. 

He  was  early  ambitious  to  earn  his  own  living  and  to  accumu- 
late from  his  earnings.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  purchased  five 
acres  of  land  near  the  city  of  Auburn,  upon  which,  with  the  aid 
of  his  parents,  he  built  a  comfortable  cottage,  which  home  they 
thereafter  enjoyed  until  their  decease. 


210  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  fond  dream  of  his  early  youth  was  to  obtain  an  education 
sufficient  to  enable  him  to  teach  a  country  school,  and  thus 
insure  an  income  from  the  winter  as  well  as  from  the  summer 
months.  He  easily  surpassed  his  fellows  in  the  country  school, 
and,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  entered  the  Auburn  Academy,  where 
he  received  the  advantages  of  advanced  instruction.  He  became 
a  member  of  one  of  the  first  teachers'  classes  in  the  State,  organ- 
ized under  the  auspices  of  the  Regents  of  the  University. 

This  was  about  the  year  1850-51.  The  following  winter  he 
taught  his  first  district  school  at  Aurelius,  three  miles  west  of 
Auburn,  and  "boarded  round,"  according  to  the  custom  of  those 
days.  This  school  consisted  of  forty-five  pupils,  ranging  from  six 
to  twenty-five  years  of  age.  His  salary  was  sixteen  dollars  per 
month.  The  branches  taught  ranged  from  the  A  B  C's  to  higher 
algebra.  Before  the  end  of  his  term,  the  trustees  engaged  him 
for  the  following  year  at  largely  increased  wages. 

His  broadened  experience  and  observation,  as  a  student  at  the 
Auburn  Academy  and  teacher  in  the  country  school,  fired  him 
with  an  ambition  to  obtain  a  collegiate  education.  He  took  up 
the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  pursued  it  with  great  zeal, 
inspired  by  the  bright  hopes  which  the  attainment  of  his  purposes 
seemed  to  hold  out;  and  in  the  summer  of  1858  he  entered  the 
freshman  class  of  Hamilton  College  at  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  with  forty 
dollars  surplus  funds  to  start  on. 

By  virtue  of  a  trusting  faith,  of  determined  energy,  industry, 
and  careful  economy,  he  worked  his  way  through  college  without 
the  aid  of  others.  To  secure  the  necessary  means  he  worked  for 
wages  in  vacations,  and  taught  portions  of  the  time.  In  his 
freshman  year,  as  he  was  far  in  advance  of  his  class  in  all  the 
English  branches,  he  accepted  the  position  of  head  teacher  in  the 
Auburn  Academy,  where  he  had  just  finished  his  preparation  for 
college.  During  the  greater  part  of  this  year,  he  also  taught  the 
prisoners  in  the  Auburn  State  Prison  for  five  days  in  the  week, 
between  the  hours  of  6  to  8  o'clock,  p.  M.,  having  received 
the  appointment  for  this  position  from  the  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  received  for  such  service  $12.50  per  month.  The  following 
year  he  joined  his  class  in  college  with  sufficient  means  to  meet 
all  necessary  expenses.  In  the  fall  of  1861,  while  a  senior  in 
college,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  to  fill  the 
vacancy  of  school  commissioner  for  the  second  district  of  Cayuga 
County.  He  was  able  to  discharge  the  duties  of  this  office  by 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  211 

devoting  all  of  his  vacations  and  a  part  of  the  winter  term  to  them, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  up  his  studies  with  his  college  class; 
he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  the  summer  of  1862. 

After  graduation  he  continued  in  the  office  of  school  commis- 
sioner, discharging  his  duties  with  great  efficiency  and  acceptance 
to  the  public,  until  the  following  year,  when  he  was  elected  to 
what  he  deemed  the  more  important  position  of  principal  of 
Cayuga  Lake  Academy,  located  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  one  of  the 
oldest  academies  in  the  State. 

Under  his  energetic  direction  the  school  rapidly  increased  in 
patronage,  and  rose  to  high  rank  among  the  educational  insti- 
tutions of  New  York. 

After  three  years  of  flattering  success,  he  yielded  to  the  solicita- 
tions of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  to  remove  to 
his  native  town  and  take  charge  of  the  reorganization  of  the 
public  schools  of  that  city,  and  the  establishment  of  a  high  school 
in  place  of  the  old  academy,  and  to  this  end  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  Superintendent  of  the 
Publ:c  Schools  in  the  summer  of  1866.  This  position  he  filled 
with  eminent  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  The  high  school 
flourished  beyond  the  expectations  of  its  most  zealous  supporters, 
and  the  public  schools  generally,  under  his  personal  direction, 
rose  to  a  high  degree  of  excellence. 

His  friends  at  Aurora  were  determined  to  secure  his  return,  if 
possible,  and  under  various  strong  inducements,  financial  as  well 
as  in  the  direction  of  promised  means  for  the  building  and  endow- 
ment of  a  college  of  high  rank,  he  returned,  after  two  years' 
work  at  Auburn,  and  again  took  charge  of  the  old  academy,  with 
the  understanding  that  a  new  building  would  soon  be  erected  by 
one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  that  place,  and  duly  equipped  to 
take  its  place  among  the  leading  colleges  of  the  State. 

He  was  ambitious  to  be  at  the  head  of  such  an  institution,  and 
to  be  instrumental  in  its  development.  It  was  for  this  purpose 
and  with  this  understanding  that  he  returned  to  Aurora. 

But  difficulties  arose  to  prevent  the  founding  and  building  up 
of  the  proposed  institution.  Financial  conditions  were  changed, 
and  after  waiting  for  two  years  and  continuing  at  the  head  of  the 
academy,  he  felt  justified  in  accepting  an  offer  of  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  West  High  School  at  Cleveland,  O.,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1870  he  removed  to  Cleveland.  His  success  there 
was  so  marked,  and  he  became  so  well  known  to  the  distin- 


212  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

guished  educators  of  Ohio,  that  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
city  of  Dayton,  O.,  invited  him  to  the  superintendency  of  their 
schools.  The  offer  of  a  largely  increased  salary,  and  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  work  to  be  done  in  this  new  field,  induced  him  to 
accept  the  position  offered,  which  he  did  in  the  summer  of  1871. 

For  some  time,  his  logical  qualities  of  mind,  and  a  fair  acquaint- 
ance with  law  already  acquired  during  intervals  of  his  regular 
duties,  had  been  bending  him  toward  the  legal  profession,  and  in 
1873  he  resigned  from  school  work  and  became  a  resident  of  Cin- 
cinnati, O.,  where  he  was  admitted  the  following  year,  1874,  to 
the  practice  of  the  law  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State. 
Thorough  and  painstaking  in  all  that  he  did,  he  was  not  long  in 
gaining  a  professional  foothold  and  winning  a  name  in  legal 
circles. 

In  1881  he  was  chosen-  Judge  of  the  City  Court  of  Cincinnati, 
a  Court  of  Record  having  original  jurisdiction  of  all  crimes  and 
misdemeanors  within  the  city,  with  the  right  of  trial  by  jury. 
His  career  on  the  bench,  until  the  expiration  of  his  term,  was 
characterized  by  sound  judgment  and  common  sense. 

His  decisions  upon  several  questions  of  general  public  interest 
were  copied  widely  by  the  press  of  the  country.  His  adminis- 
tration was  noted  for  its  efficiency  in  the  punishment  of  crime 
and  the  sustaining  of  law  and  order.  He  probably  achieved  his 
greatest  fame  in  his  decisions  under  the  law  forbidding  the 
opening  of  saloons  and  theaters  on  Sunday.  Public  feeling  pro 
and  con  became  very  intense.  The  law  was  openly  defied  by  the 
saloon  keepers.  Six  hundred  arrests  were  made  by  the  police. 
The  most  prominent  and  influental  among  them  were  tried  before 
Judge  Higley  and  a  jury,  and  convicted  after  a  long  and  exciting 
trial.  The  full  penalty  of  the  law  was  promptly  inflicted,  and 
the  most  orderly  Sabbath  followed  that  had  ever  been  known 
in  Cincinnati;  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed,  and  riots  were 
threatened  in  some  portions  of  the  city,  but  law  and  order 
triumphed. 

Judge  Higley  served  on  the  bench  the  two  years  for  which 
he  was  elected,  and  positively  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for 
re-election. 

He  closed  his  term  with  the  good  wishes  and  high  respect  of 
the  members  of  the  bar.  It  was  a  just  recognition  of  his  faithful 
services  that  prompted  a  number  of  prominent  citizens  to  mark 
the  occasion  by  entertaining  him  at  a  elaborate  dinner,  at  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  213 

close  of  which  he  was  presented  with  a  beautiful  silver  tankard, 
suitably  inscribed. 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  leading  morning  paper  : 

"Judge  Warren  Higley,  whose  term  on  the  bench  of  the  City 
Criminal  Court  will  end  on  the  25th  inst,  gave  a  delightful 
semi-official  entertainment  at  his  home  on  Mount  Auburn  last 
evening.  The  only  ladies  present  were  Mrs.  Higley  and  ladies 
who  assisted  her  in  receiving  the  judge's  guests.  Among  those 
present  were  :  William  Means,  Mayor  of  Cincinnati,  Judge  M.  L. 
Buchwalter,  Judge  M.  F.  Wilson,  Judge  Fitzgerald,  Judge  John 
P.  Murphy,  Hon.  John  A.  Caldwell,  Hon.  Howard  Douglass, 
Assistant  Postmaster  Muller,  Colonel  Luther  Parker,  Mr. 
Benjamin  Harrison,  and  a  number  of  press  representatives, 
including  the  gentlemen  whose  duties  call  them  frequently  to 
Judge  Higley's  court.  With  such  a  company  and  so  admirable 
a  host  and  hostess,  the  evening  was  a  delightful  one.  The 
intellectual  commission  was  helped  out  by  beautiful  accidentals  : 
the  tasteful  decoration  of  the  rooms  ;  the  punch  that  was  a 
study,  a  delight  and  a  delusion;  the  cards  and  the  supper  that 
included  the  substantials,  as  well  as  the  delicacies  of  the  season. 
Judge  Higley  leaves  a  fine  record  as  the  magistrate  of  the  court 
whose  duties  from  their  nearness  to  the  daily  welfare  of  the 
people  are  most  difficult  and  important,  but  even  more  has  he 
endeared  himself,  during  his  two  years  of  public  life,  to  all  who 
have  come  in  contact  with  him,  as  a  man  and  gentleman." 

In  the  month  of  January,  1882,  the  American  Forestry  Con- 
gress had  its  birth  in  Judge  Higley's  law  office. 

A  few  gentlemen,  including  Judge  Higley,  who  had  had  the 
pleasure  of  getting  up  a  public  reception  for  Baron  Richard  Von 
Steuben,  Royal  Chief  Forester  of  the  German  Empire,  and  his 
associates,  soon  after  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  battle  of 
Yorktown,  in  November,  1881,  met  in  Judge  Higley's  office  in  the 
early  part  of  the  January  following,  and  discussed  the  subject  of 
forestry.  "Before  they  separated  they  resolved  to  bring  the 
subject  to  the  earnest  consideration  of  the  people.  A  committee 
was  organized,  and  for  the  next  three  months  the  press  of  the 
country  laid  before  the  people  the  subject  of  forestry  in  its  vari- 
ous important  aspects." 

This  movement  culminated  in  a  three  days'  meeting  at  Music 


214  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Hall,  Cincinnati,  held  April  25,  26,  and  27,  1882,  at  which  most 
of  the  distinguished  foresters  of  the  United  States  and  Canada 
were  present  and  read  papers  before  the  scientific  departments. 
The  Governor  of  the  State  made  the  address  of  welcome.  The 
2yth  of  the  month  was  appointed  by  the  chief  executive  of  the 
State  as  Arbor  Day,  the  first  Arbor  Day  celebration  in  Ohio,  and 
the  first  except  two  in  the  United  States.  The  city  was  in  holi- 
day attire.  A  great  procession  of  soldiery  and  citizens,  and  pupils 
of  the  public  schools,  marched  to  Eden  Park,  where  various 
groves  were  planted,  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 

Thus  closed  the  first  session  of  the  American  Forestry  Con- 
gress, which  embraces  in  its  scope  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
This  organization  has  done  more  than  all  other  instrumentalities 
for  the  promotion  of  forestry  in  America. 

In  1884  Judge  Higley  was  elected  President  of  the  American 
Forestry  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  the  following  year.  His 
opening  address  before  the  congress  assembled  in  Boston  in 
September,  1885,  was  clear  and  convincing,  and  commanded  the 
thoughtful  attention  of  the  citizens  of  New  England  especially. 
He  is  still  an  active  officer  in  this  organization. 

One  year  after  the  first  meeting  of  the  American  Congress, 
January,  1883,  the  Ohio  State  Forestry  Association  was  organized, 
of  which  Judge  Higley  was  an  active  mover,  and  of  which  he  was 
elected  its  first  president. 

The  summer  of  1884  Judge  Higley  removed  to  New  York  City, 
where  he  has  since  transacted  a  profitable  law  business,  maintain- 
ing his  previous  reputation  as  a  lawyer.  Here  he  early  began 
taking  an  active  interest  in  matters  appertaining  to  both  social 
and  public  affairs. 

Of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New  York,  organized  January,  1886,  he 
was  one  of  the  leading  founders,  and  an  indefatigable  worker  in  its 
early  history.  He  served  as  its  secretary  for  some  years,  and  has 
always  been  active  in  the  interests  of  the  society. 

He  was  one  of  the  principle  organizers  of  the  New  York  State 
Forestry  Association,  of  which  he  was  made  first  vice  president, 
and  has  occupied  a  well  achieved  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  its 
membership,  working  with  zealous  and  praiseworthy  effort  to 
arouse  public  attention  to  the  imperative  importance  of  preserv- 
ing our  State  forests.  He  spoke  upon  invitation,  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,  without  moneyed  compensation,  making  timely 
addresses  upon  the  urgent  necessity  of  preventing  the  destruction 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  215 

of  the  Adirondack  forests;  urging  that  laws  should  be  enacted 
giving  the  State  power  to  purchase  and  hold  absolute  control 
over  millions  of  additional  acres  of  forest,  deemed  necessary  to 
the  Adirondack  Preserve,  and  that  all  waste  places  should  be 
devoted  to  forest  growth. 

It  is  due  in  great  measure  to  the  influence  of  such  earnest  men 
as  Judge  Warren  Higley  and  his  coadjutors,  men  capable  of 
dealing  with  the  great  questions  of  the  day,  that  the  State  of 
New  York  stands  far  in  advance  of  any  other  State  in  the  Union 
in  her  forestry  legislation,  and  the  management  of  her  State 
forests. 

Judge  Higley  became  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  trustee  of 
the  Adirondack  League  Club,  founded  in  1890,  for  the  purpose  of 
a  game  and  forest  preserve.  The  club  now  (1895)  owns  115,000 
acres  of  forest  lands  lying  in  Hamilton  and  Herkimer  Counties, 
N.  Y.,  upon  which  are  three  fine  club-houses.  Forest  Lodge  on 
Honnedago  Lake,  Bisby  Club-house  on  Bisby  Lake,  and  Mountain 
Lodge  Club-house,  on  Little  Moose  Lake,  several  cottages,  and 
numerous  camps  adorn  this  wilderness  tract,  the  most  beautiful 
and  attractive  of  which  is  Judge  Higley's  "Cedar  Lodge,"  lately 
erected  on  Little  Moose  Lake. 

The  club  owns  the  finest  stretch  of  native  forest  in  the  Adiron- 
dacks,  and  is  trying  to  apply,  for  the  first  time  in  this  country, 
advanced  principles  of  forestry  management,  whereby  forest 
preservation  and  forest  utilization  will  not  be  inconsistent  the 
one  with  the  other.  Judge  Higley,  as  vice  president  of  the  club, 
takes  an  active  interest  in  its  management. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Apart,  however,  from  some 
active  service  as  an  officer  in  the  Business  Men's  Republican 
Organization  during  the  campaigns  for  Republican  success  in 
1888-90,  he  has  not  devoted  much  attention  to  the  general  politics 
of  New  York.  About  that  time,  the  New  York  Financial  Gazette 
had  the  following  most  complimentary  words  for  Judge  Higley  : 

"  The  Business  Men's  Republican  Organization  of  the  Twelfth 
Assembly  District  held  a  large  meeting  recently  for  the  purpose 
of  transacting  important  business.  Several  speeches  were  made 
by  members,  notably  that  of  Ex-Judge  Warren  Higley,  which  was 
declared  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  it  to  be  the 
best  of  the  evening.  He  expounded  the  plan  of  the  business 
men's  organizations,  showing  the  wisdom  and  the  foresight  em- 


2l6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

braced  in  the  scheme  of  work  concentrated  under  it.  He  recom- 
mended meeting-places  where  young  men  could  assemble  and  dis- 
cuss the  questions  of  the  day,  and  acquire  information,  which 
would  certainly  prove  of  advantage  to  them.  Judge  Higley's 
speech  was  full  of  good  advice  and  encouraging  facts.  He 
has  always  done  much  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  party 
in  this  city,  and  during  the  last  presidental  campaign  worked 
hard  and  earnestly  for  the  success  of  the  national  ticket.  As 
a  lawyer  he  stands  high  in  his  profession,  and  his  career  at 
the  bar  has  been  a  most  successful  one;  he  is  considered  one  of 
the  ablest  and  best  read  of  our  local  practitioners." 

The  Patria  Club,  of  which  Judge  Higley  is  the  presiding  officer, 
held  its  initial  meeting  at  Sherry's,  April  23,  1891. 

Shortly  before  that  date,  at  a  dinner  of  the  New  York  coun- 
cilors of  the  American  Institute  of  Civics,  over  which  Judge 
Higley  presided,  it  was  proposed  to  effect  an  organization  includ- 
ing the  members  resident  in  New  York  City  and  vicinity,  the 
object  of  which  should  be  to  promote  the  patriotic  aims  of  the 
Institute,  and  be  known  as  the  "Patria  Club,"  the  membership  to 
be  open  to  ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen.  Its  first  meeting  was 
addressed  by  the  Right  Rev.  A.  C.  Coxe,  bishop  of  the  Western 
Diocese  of  New  York,  who  made  an  able  address  upon  "Standards 
of  Citizenship  and  Government." 

This  club,  over  which  Judge  Higley  has  presided  for  two  years, 
now  (1895)  numbers  about  two  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  its 
membership,  and  is  accomplishing  a  quiet  but  effective  work  in 
"the  maintenance  of  high  ideals  in  affairs  of  government,  by 
influence  and  channels  largely  educational  in  character."  It 
ranks  among  the  foremost  literary  social  clubs  of  the  metropolis. 
Among  its  active  members  are  Daniel  Greenleaf  Thompson,  Ex- 
United  States  Treasurer  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  Hon.  and  Mrs.  William 
H.  Arnoux,  Hon.  Warner  Miller,  Editor  La  Salle  A.  Maynard,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  Ives  Washburn,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Croly  (Jennie  June), 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Abraham  G.  Mills,  Mrs.  Mary  Lowe  Dickinson, 
Hon.  and  Mrs.  William  Brookfield,  Ex-Judge  Noah  Davis,  Rev. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  R.  McArthur,  Professor  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Packard, 
Hon.  Stewart  L.  Woodford. 

Judge  Higley  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Club 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  a  member  of  the -American  Geographical 
Society,  the  President  of  the  Hamilton  College  Alumni  Associa- 


CHRISTINA  J.    HALEY    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  217 

tion  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  Republican 
Club.  He  is  a  32°  Mason,  and  a  prominent  officer  in  the  Scottish 
Rite  bodies.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

He  delivered  the  historic  addresses  at  the  reunions  of  the 
Higley  family  at  Windsor,  O.,  in  1887,  at  Windham,  O.,  in  1889, 
and  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in  the  summer  of  1890.  From  the  first 
inception  of  this  genealogical  work  he  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  its  progress,  rendering  valuable  contributions  of  time  and 
service,  for  which  he  will  be  honorably  remembered.  As  has 
been  already  stated,  he  finally  assumed  the  entire  financial  respon- 
sibility of  its  publication. 

From  the  time  that  his  college  course  was  closed  and  his  mind 
and  character  matured,  his  exceptional  gifted  powers  for  public 
speaking  have  brought  him  into  request  to  deliver  addresses  at 
conventions,  public  meetings,  and  before  Associations  having 
different  objects.  Tall  and  well-formed,  standing  full  six  feet, 
with  a  mind  well  stored  with  a  general  knowledge  of  men  and 
things,  a  scholarly  manner,  and  a  strong  and  most  agreeable  voice, 
speaking  with  directness,  and  with  perfect  ease  in  the  art  of  ex- 
pression, his  audiences  rarely  fail  to  become  enthusiastic  in  their 
appreciation. 

His  temperament,  which  is  confident  and  hopeful,  fits  him  to 
rank  with  men  described  in  the  following  words  of  Henry  Ward 
Beecher:  "  Men  who  carry  good  nature  in  society  are  as  much 
perceived  as  spicewood  is,  that  carries  sweet  odors."  It  follows 
then  that  his  social  life  is  a  busy  one,  that  his  quality  and  fine 
humor,  with  his  catholic  spirit,  make  him  many  friends,  and  a 
welcome  guest. 

Like  all  other  popular  men  who  serve  the  public  in  responsible 
places,  he  has  sometimes  been  placed  in  circumstances  of  unusual 
difficulty,  and  "escaped  not  calumnious  strokes."  Who  is  the 
public  man  that  has  not  had  maligners  ?  The  course  which  he 
took,  and  which  is  a  marked  characteristic,  of  maintaining  perfect 
silence,  speaking  ill  of  no  one,  has  always  won  for  him  the  highest 
respect,  leaving  his  detractors  contending  in  vain. 

In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  member  of  the 
West  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York  City. 

He  has  been  three  times  married;  first,  to  Frances  W.  Tyler, 
daughter  of  B.  B.  Tyler,  Esq.,  a  prosperous  farmer,  near  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  January  i,  1863,  by  whom  he  had  two  children  :  Edward 


2l8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

North,  born  May,  1864,  died  in  infancy;  Arthur  W.,  born 
November  23,  1866,  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Auburn,  and 
now  engaged  in  business  in  Wisconsin.  At  Cincinnati,  O.,  June 
30,  1873,  he  married  his  second  wife,  Emma  W.  Clark,  a  lady  of 
rare  culture  and  learning.  She  became  a  devoted  student  of  art, 
and  an  art  critic  of  high  rank.  She  twice  visited  Europe  in 
the  interest  of  her  chosen  studies,  and  made  an  extensive  collec- 
tion of  art  works.  Soon  after  settling  in  New  York  she  became 
a  member  of  Sorosis,  where  her  brilliancy  and  learning  and  apti- 
tude in  debate  gave  her  special  prominence.  She  died  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  from  a  surgical  operation,  April  19,  1890,  leaving  no 
children. 

On  the  zist  day  of  July,  1891,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Christina  J.  Haley  of  New  York  City,  a  most  estimable  lady.  She 
had  been  a  prominent  member  of  Sorosis  for  many  years,  and 
filled  several  of  its  important  offices.  She  was  the  publisher  and 
business  manager  of  the  Woman's  Cycle.  She  is  a  life  member 
of  the  Woman's  Press  Club,  an  active  member  of  the  Woman's 
Health  Protective  Association  of  New  York  City,  a  member  of 
the  Patria  Club,  of  which  her  husband  is  president,  and  the  first 
woman  to  join  the  Adirondack  League  Club,  of  which  her  hus- 
band is  the  vice  president.  Mrs.  Higley  is  a  woman  of  rare  execu- 
tive ability,  an  excellent  and  devoted  wife,  and  her  home  is  the 
center  of  her  greatest  activity.  Her  kind  and  generous  nature, 
helpful  spirit,  and  keen  sense  of  duty  command  the  esteem  and 
admiration  of  those  who  know  her. 

ELIZA  ZADAH,  fourth  child  of  Chester  and  Prudence  Miller  Higley,  was  born  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  March  15,  1836.  She  received  a  good  education,  and  married 
William  H.  Nickason,  then  a  neighboring  farmer,  March  8,  1854.  They  soon  after 
settled  in  Auburn,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  carpenter  and  building 
business.  A  goodly  measure  of  prosperity  and  happiness  has  been  theirs.  They 
have  two  children  living  (one  died  in  infancy),  viz. : 

Fred  Nickason,  was  born  June  27,  1861,  and  lived  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage  with  Carrie  Ashton,  April  30,  1890  ;  one  child,  Winifred  A.,  was  born  to 
them  June  14,  1891.  Mary  Nickason,  was  born  May  23,  1876,  and  is  still  in  school. 

MARIA  RACHAEL,  the  youngest  child  of  Chester  and  Prudence  Higley,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Owasco,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  August  13,  1845.  She  was  educated 
at  the  Auburn  Academy,  where  she  made  special  preparations  for  teaching.  She 
first  taught  a  country  district  school,  and  afterward  for  several  years  with  marked 
success  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Auburn.  On  the  igth  day  of  April,  1870, 
she  married  Alexander  Walker,  of  the  town  of  Owasco.  They  settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  town  of  Fleming,  five  miles  from  Auburn,  and  prospered  as  thrifty  farmers. 


ELIZA   Z.    HIGLEY    NICKASON. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  H1GLEY,  \ST.  219 

After  a  few  years  they  sold  out,  and  purchased  a  large  farm  in  the  town  of  Scipio, 
about  seven  miles  from  Auburn,  and  near  the  shores  of  Owasco  Lake,  beautiful  in 
situation,  and  among  the  finest  farms  in  Cayuga  County.  They  have  a  family  of 
seven  children — a  family  remarkable  for  harmony,  industry,  thrift,  helpfulness  one 
toward  another,  intelligence,  and  strong  characters. 

Hugh,  born  February  15,  1871  ;  married  January  3,  i8g4,  Nina  Denniston,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.;  Warren  Higley,  born  March  31, 
1873  ;  Maud  C.,  born  December  25,  1874  ;  Alexander,  Jr.,  born  November  15, 
1878  ;  Harry,  November  15,  1881  ;  Fred.  £.,  August  15,  1878,  and  Floyd,  the 
youngest,  November  21,  1887. 

This  completes  the  family  of  Chester  and  Prudence  Higley,  with  a  word  concern- 
ing this  devoted  mother.  She  was  a  woman  of  rare  excellence  and  worth.  She 
inspired  her  children  with  the  virtues  that  lead  to  success  through  industry,  integ- 
rity, prudence,  and  laudable  ambition.  Ever  watchful,  in  her  motherly  tenderness, 
wise  in  her  counsels,  helpful  in  her  example,  making  home  cheerful  and  happy  and 
pure, — a  noble  type  of  a  beautiful,  devoted,  and  loving  wife  and  mother. 


Continued  from  page  200. 

RACHAEL  HIGLEY,  seventh  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy  Sawyer 
Higley,  was  born  July  21,  1813.  She  married  Royal  Philkins  of 
Wayne  County,  N.  Y.  Shortly  after  their  marriage  they  moved 
to  Illinois  where  she  died  quite  young.  They  had  three  children  : 

Margaret,  F.lmira,  and  Nathaniel.  Nathaniel  went  out  in  the  late  war  as  captain 
of  Company  C,  loth  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  afterward  rose  to  the  rank  of  major. 

HARRIET  R.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Warren  and  Lucy 
Sawyer  Higley,  was  born  in  Onondago  County,  N.  Y.,  October 
5,  1815.  In  1835  sne  went  with  her  brother,  J.  Sawyer,  to  Craw- 
ford County,  Pa.,  and  thence  to  Williams  County,  O.,  where  she 
married  H.  Barbour,  a  farmer.  They  had  five  children.  She 
now  lives,  a  widow,  in  Millcreek,  Williams  County,  O.  Her  hus- 
band died  in  1890. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxxiii.  page  188. 

ROXANNA  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley 
was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.  She  married  Abel  Holcombe.  They 
removed  to  Volusia,  Chatauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died  at 
an  advanced  age.  They  brought  up  a  family. 

No  material  has  been  furnished  from  which  to  write  a  sketch 
of  the  Holcombes  or  their  descendants. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

AMELIA    HIGLEY    BATES. 
Continued  from  page  188. 

Amelia,  Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  zd,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

The  spindle  and  the  loom  of  her  grandmother  gather  and  consecrate  the  dust  of  the  garret,  while 
the  woman  of  to-day  watches  the  spindle  and  the  loom  of  the  factory. — PHILPOTT. 

AMELIA  HIGLEY  BATES,  the  sixth  child  of  Seth,  ist,  and  Mind- 
well  Higley,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  of  her  father  and  of 
her  grandfather,  Brewster  Higley,  ad,  March  10,  1779.  When 
about  the  age  of  nineteen  (1798),  she  married  Lieutenant  Erastus 
Bates,  whose  birth  took  place  October  22,  1764.  They  lived  in 
East  Granby,  Conn.  Lieutenant  Bates  was  the  son  of  Captain 
Lemuel  Bates,*  a  Revolutionary  officer  who  purchased  his  farm 
in  East  Granby  in  1774.  Erastus,  too,  was  a  military  man, 
receiving  his  commission  in  the  Connecticut  militia,  October  12, 
1799,  joining  the  i8th  Regiment,  Company  4. 

The  home  farm  upon  which  Lieutenant  Erastus  Bates  and  his 
young  wife  settled,  containing  forty-seven  acres,  was  purchased 
by  Captain  Lemuel  Bates  adjoining  his  own  estate.  On  the  death 
of  Captain  Bates  this  share  of  the  estate  came  into  the  full  owner- 
ship of  his  son,  Erastus,  to  which,  in  the  year  1794,  he  added 
fourteen  acres  by  purchase.  The  tract  in  later  years  had  further 
additions,  and  now  contains  eighty-six  acres.  These  lands,  which 
have  been  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Bateses  for  120  years,  lie 
in  the  town  of  East  Granby,  directly  on  the  old  highway  from 
Boston  to  New  York.  When  Lieutenant  Erastus  Bates  died  in 
1826,  his  widow,  Amelia  Higley,  retained  possession  of  the  farm 
till  her  death.  The  present  dwelling  (now  belonging  to  her 

*  Lemuel  Bales  was  a  captain  during  the  Revolution,  and  participated  in  several  battles.  For 
many  years  Captain  Bates  kept  a  tavern  in  the  north  part  of  East  Granby.  The  merry  old  gentle- 
man was  fond  of  fighting  his  battles  over  again  by  relating  his  reminiscences  of  those  stirring 
times.  After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  several  detachments  of  the  British  prisoners  of  war  were 
marched  through  East  Granby,  and  a  portion  of  them  bivouacked  on  the  premises  of  Captain 
Bates.  "  The  British  had  plenty  of  money,"  said  Captain  Bates,  "  to  pay  for  the  best  we  had, 
and  my  folks  were  kept  busy  in  distributing  pitchers  and  pails  of  cider  among  them.  At  night  all 
the  floors  of  my  tavern  were  spread  over  with  them."  At  one  time  several  teams  laden  with  specie, 
en  route  from  Boston  to  Philadelphia,  halted  for  the  night  at  Captain  Bates'.  The  specie  had 
been  borrowed  from  France.  It  was  inclosed  in  strong  plank  boxes,  drawn  by  thirteen  teams,  well 
guarded,  and  amounted  to  several  millions  of  dollars. — "  Newgate  oj 'Connecticut"  p.  112. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  221 

grandson,  Albert  C.  Bates)  stands  on  the  site  of  the  house  in 
which  she  lived  her  married  life,  and  where  her  death  took  place; 
the  rear  part  of  the  building  now  in  use  being  a  part  of  her  old 
homestead.  She  was  a  woman  of  unusual  force  of  character, 
capable,  and  possessing  readiness  to  accomplish  with  her  own 
hands  an  ample  amount  of  domestic  duties.  Martha-like  care  and 
labor  filled  her  daily  life  as  it  did  the  lives  of  the  women  of  her 
time.  The  scope  of  her  industry  included  dyeing,  spinning,  and 
weaving.  There  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  old  homestead  woven 
relics  bearing  evidence  not  only  of  her  patient  skill  and  refined 
taste,  but  exhibiting,  as  well,  a  rare  artistic  knowledge  of  dyeing 
attractive  shades  and  designing  patterns. 

She  survived  her  husband  thirteen  years,  and  died  in  the  year 
1839,  aged  sixty.  •  Lieutenant  Erastus  and  Amelia  Higley  Bates 
had  ten  children,  viz. : 

Anson,  Daniel,  Albert,  Flora,  Carlos,  Milton,  Laura,  Alfred,  Mind- 
well.  An  infant  daughter  was  born  and  died,  October  19,  1802. 

ANSON  BATES,  the  eldest  child,  born  May  4,  1799,  practiced  law  and  was  also  a 
farmer  in  East  Granby.  He  married  and  had  a  family.  He  died  aged  eighty. 

DANIEL,  the  second  child,  was  born  August  23,  1800.  He  died  unmarried, 
October  12,  1821. 

ALBERT,  the  fourth  child,  born  January  15,  1804,  married  Lucretia  Bates,  his 
cousin.  He  removed  with  his  family  to  Medina,  Medina  County,  O.  He  died 
February  6,  1885. 

FLORA,  the  fifth  child,  born  May  i,  1806,  married  Metcalf.  They 

resided  for  some  time  in  Granby,  but  later  on  she  removed  with  her  two  sons  to 
Caledonia,  Minn.,  in  the  early  history  of  that  State.  She  died  in  1877. 

CARLOS  BATES,  the  sixth  child  of  Lieutenant  Erastus  Bates  and 
Amelia  Higley,  was  born  at  the  old  family  homestead  in  East 
Granby,  March  23,  1808.  This  spot  was  his  home  during  the 
entire  period  of  his  life — seventy-one  years. 

He  attended  the  district  school,  afterward  taking  an  academic 
course  at  the  Westfield  Academy.  He  pursued  his  studies  still 
further  under  a  private  tutor,  Cicero  Holcombe.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  began  teaching  a  district  school,  teaching  and  study- 
ing alternately  for  several  years. 

About  the  year  1834  he  began  mercantile  pursuits,  opening  a 
country  store  in  Poquonoc,  Conn.  He  afterward  went  to 
Natchez,  Miss.,  engaging  in  the  same  business.  Here  he  became 
the  owner  of  two  slaves — a  man  and  a  woman.  For  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  from  the  year  1837,  he  traveled  throughout  the 


222  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Southern  States,  engaged  in  collecting  for  the  clock  manufactur- 
ing firm  of  Erastus  Case  &  Co.,  of  Canton,  Conn.,  generally 
returning  to  his  Northern  home  at  East  Granby  each  season. 
In  the  year  1845  Mr.  Bates  was  elected  and  served  in  the  Con- 
necticut State  Legislature  as  representative  for  the  town  of 
Granby.  His  last  journey  in  the  South  was  made  in  1860,  just 
previous  to  the  Civil  War. 

As  one  of  the  heirs  of  his  mother's  estate,  he  became  the 
purchaser,  at  her  death,  of  the  shares  in  the  home  farm  which 
were  inherited  by  his  brothers  and  sisters.  This  gave  him  full 
right  and  title  to  the  farm  and  homestead.  In  the  year  1860  he 
married  Maria  Stimpson,  who  died,  after  a  brief  illness,  of  conges- 
tion of  the  lungs,  leaving  an  infant,  which  survived  the  mother  but 
a  few  months. 

On  the  1 2th  of  December,  1861,  Mr.  Bates  married  Mrs. 
Hannah  S.  Stowell,  a  widow  *  with  two  children,  the  daughter  of 
Captain  Enoch  and  Sophia  T.  C.  Powers.  Mrs.  Stowell  was  born 
February  27,  1820.  By  the  year  1861  Mr.  Bates  had  acquired  a 
handsome  competency.  When  the  turbulent  days  of  the  Civil 
War  came,  he  was  outspoken  and  thoroughly  loyal  in  its  most 
shadowy  times.  Retaining  unshaken  faith  in  the  financial 
credit  and  ultimate  national  supremacy  of  our  government,  he 
invested  liberally  in  government  bonds.  This  action  finally 
resulted  in  his  realizing  a  handsome  increase  of  fortune.  After 
this  period  he  occupied  his  time  in  settling  estates  and  filling 
engagements  of  trust,  and  attending  to  his  personal  affairs.  He 
was  a  man  to  whom  his  fellow-citizens  and  neighbors  of  all  the  sur- 
rounding towns  appealed  and  consulted  on  every  important  ques- 
tion, especially  those  concerning  public  measures.  In  the  year 
1874  he  again  entered  actively  into  politics,  and  received  the  Re- 
publican nomination  in  the  third  district  for  Member  of  Congress. 
But  he  suffered  defeat,  the  district  proving  strongly  Democratic. 

Mr.  Bates  bore  a  strong  and  well-rounded  character,  with  a 
well-stored  mind.  He  was  capable  of  delivering  an  eloquent  and 
happy  speech  on  public  occasions,  when  it  came  in  his  way. 
Books  were  a  source  of  pleasure  to  him.  He  was  a  man  who  read 
widely  and  thoughtfully,  and  was  acquainted  with  literature. 
A  friend  who  knew  him  well,  says  that  "  he  was  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  a  dozen  good  poets,  and  delighted  in  Shaks- 
pere."  He  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  both  Latin  and  French. 

*  Mrs.  Stowell  was  the  widow  of  Austin  C.  Stowell,  whose  death  took  place  in  the  year  1853. 


ALBERT  CARLOS  BATES. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETff  HIGLEY,  1ST.  223 

He  died  December  20,  1878.  The  Hartford  Courant  contained 
a  few  days  afterward  the  following  editorial  : 

"Mr.  Carlos  Bates,  a  native  and  much  respected  citizen  of 
East  Granby,  died  at  his  residence  Friday  morning,  the  2oth,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one.  Mr.  Bates  sat  in  his  chair  conversing 
with  his  family  and  friends  the  preceding  evening,  cheerful  and 
apparently  quite  strong.  He  had  been  confined  to  his  house 
with  indisposition  for  a  few  days,  but  had  given  evidence  of 
an  improved  condition.  His  whole  life  has  been  one  of  useful- 
ness and  activity.  Many  will  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wise  counsel 
and  advice." 

Mr.  Bates  was  interred  in  the  grounds  of  Elmwood  Cemetery,  on 
the  23d,  a  large  concourse  of  people  attending  the  funeral.  The 
spot  is  marked  by  a  beautiful  shaft  of  Scotch  granite.  The 
children  of  Carlos  and  Hannah  S.  Bates  were: 

An  infant  son,  born  August  7,  1863;  died  August  10,  1863. 
Albert  Carlos,  born  March  12,  1865. 

ALBERT  CARLOS  BATES,  the  younger  of  the  two  sons,  and  the  only  surviving 
child  of  his  parents,  was  born  in  the  ancient  homestead  in  East  Granby,  on  the  1 2th 
of  March,  1865. 

As  has  been  already  shown,  his  father  was  a  man  possessing  a  strong  mind,  and 
rose  to  considerable  distinction  in  the  political,  social,  and  moneyed  world,  by  his 
energy  of  character  and  fine  mental  abilities.  Young  Bates  had  only  entered  his 
thirteenth  year  when  death  deprived  him  of  paternal  care.  Upon  his  mother, 
a  woman  of  unusual  brightness  and  quick  intelligence,  devolved  the  guardianship 
of  his  youth.  His  education,  till  he  reached  his  fourteenth  year,  was  received  at  the 
district  school  ;  he  was  afterward  sent  to  the  Athol  High  School,  at  Athol,  Mass., 
where  his  progress  in  his  studies  gave  highest  satisfaction  to  his  professors.  He 
then  entered  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute  at  Suffield,  Conn.  Here  his 
advance  was  so  rapid  that  he  completed  the  full  four  years'  scientific  course  in  three 
years,  passing  successful  and  highly  creditable  examinations,  and  receiving  his 
diploma,  June  24,  1885.  Astronomy  and  chemistry  were  studies  especially  agree- 
able to  his  natural  tastes.  For  these  sciences  he  showed  such  aptitude  that  he  was 
called  to  the  capacity  of  assistant  teacher  in  the  chemical  department,  a  position 
which  he  filled  with  great  acceptance  for  several  school  terms. 

His  father,  at  his  decease,  left  a  large  estate,  consisting  of  farms,  bank  stocks,  etc., 
including  the  old  Bates  farm  and  homestead  in  East  Granby.  On  reaching  his 
twenty-first  birthday  Albert  C.  Bates  became  the  absolute  owner  of  this  property. 
He  bears  the  reputation  of  possessing  excellent  business  ability  ;  he  appreciates 
the  value  of  money,  and  his  "  cast  of  thought,"  life,  and  habits  having  always 
been  praiseworthy  and  manly,  he  has  managed  his  property  in  accordance  with 
the  conditions  of  prosperity.  His  natural  tastes,  however,  run  into  subjects  of  a 
literary  and  scientific  character  ;  to  these  pursuits  he  is  ardently  devoted.  He  is  a 


224  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

natural-born  antiquarian,  nothing  pleasing  him  better  than  to  be  engaged  in 
diligent  investigation  and  patient  inquiry,  no  matter  the  labor  and  painstaking  it 
requires.  In  his  home  he  possesses  a  very  creditable  cabinet  collection  of  curios 
and  relics,  some  of  them  of  much  worth,  as  well  as  a  valuable  telescope  of  high 
power,  indicating  his  pleasure  and  familiarity  with  the  study  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 

Mr.  Bates'  thorough  habit  of  investigation  and  historical  research  won  his  way 
to  prominence  in  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  of  which  he  had  the  honor  to 
be  elected  a  member,  July  2,  1889,  the  youngest  man  in  the  society.  On  January 
I,  1893,  he  was  elected  its  librarian,  a  very  responsible  position,  though  an  employ- 
ment thoroughly  congenial  to  his  tastes.  The  office  requires  great  minuteness  of  de- 
tail, thorough  method,  and  systematic  arrangement ;  all  of  these  qualifications  arise 
from  an  original  element  or  fitness  of  mind  with  which  few  are  gifted.  These  abili- 
ties Mr.  Bates  at  once  applied  to  the  best  interest  of  the  valuable  library  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  volumes  and  several  thousand  pamphlets,  with  the  gratifying  result, 
that  after  months  of  patient  labor,  valuable  records  and  "  long  forgotten  treasures," 
which  had  long  been  concealed,  were  brought  to  light  and  chronologically  arranged 
and  classified. 

Mr.  Bates  was  one  of  the  earliest  contributors  of  time  and  labor  to  this  Family 
History.  From  the  first  of  the  undertaking  he  faithfully  rendered  invaluable  aid 
to  the  writer  in  the  pursuit  of  necessary  historical  material,  furthering  its  interests 
in  every  possible  way,  and  spending  much  time  in  research,  copying  records,  etc., 
which  entitles  him  to  a  large  share  of  profound  gratitude  from  its  readers. 

He  is  a  man  utterly  devoid  of  egotism,  reticent  and  sensitive,  of  amiable  temper- 
ament, and  possessing  a  cheerily  constituted  nature. 

In  the  year  1891  he  was  elected  the  treasurer  and  town  clerk  of  the  town  of 
East  Granby. 

MILTON  BATES,  the  seventh  child  born  to  Lieutenant  Erastus  and  Amelia  Hig- 
ley  Bates,  was  born  November  15,  1810  ;  died  September  25,  1831,  unmarried. 

LAURA  BATES,  the  eighth  child,  born  March  17,  1813,  married,  first,  Harvey 

Trumbull.  Her  second  husband  was Van  Dorn.  They  resided  in  Ohio. 

She  died  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  1884,  leaving  three  daughters. 

ALFRED  BATES,  the  ninth  child,  born  March  13,  1815,  was  twice  married.  His 
second  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  General  George  Owen  of  East  Granby, 
Conn.  They  reside  in  Enfield,  Conn. 

MINDWELL  BATES,  the  tenth  and  youngest  child  of  Lieutenant  Erastus  and 
Amelia  Higley  Bates,  was  born  June  9,  1819.  She  married,  first,  Henry  Johnson 
of  Suffield,  and,  second,  Benjamin  E.  Smith  of  Hawley,  Mass.  They  lived  in  East 
Granby.  She  died  in  the  year  1887.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  a  son 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  a  daughter,  Harriet,  who  died  aged  twenty-three. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  225 

FAMILY   OF    SETH    AND   MINDWELL   HIGLEY. 
Continued  from  page  188. 

POLLY  HIGLEY,  and  a  twin  sister,  children  of  Seth  and  Mindwell 
Higley,  were  born  in  the  old  homestead  at  Simsbury,  Conn,  (no 
date  obtained).  The  twin  died  at  two  years  of  age.  Polly  mar- 
ried, first,  Herman  Pinney.  She  married,  second, Palmer. 

No  account  of  the  family  has  been  given. 

RHODA  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley, 
was  born  at  Simsbury  about  the  year  1783.  She  married,  first, 
October  29,  1800,  Pliny  Humphrey,  son  of  Theopolis  Humphrey. 
Her  second  marriage  was  to  Aaron  Moses  Seymour.  She  died 
in  Simsbury,  September  15,  1867. 

SALLY  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn., 
November  20,  1785.  She  married,  October  15,  1805,  George 
Barnard,  a  man  who  bore  a  reputation  for  exceptional  worth  and 
character  as  long  as  he  lived.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in  a  part 
of  Simsbury  which  is  now  the  town  of  Bloomfield.  Here  they 
always  resided.  Mr.  Barnard  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  which 
he  carried  on  as  well  as  farming.  They  were  well-to-do  in  the 
world,  and  highly  respected.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Barnard  died  of  pneumonia,  April  19,  1862. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  bright  and  active  woman,  always  enjoying 
strong  health  till  late  in  life,  died  of  disease  of  the  heart,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1870. 

They  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  the  parish  of  St.  An- 
drews. They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  viz.: 

George  A.,  Caroline,  George  again,  Harriet,  Chloe,  Carlos,  Caro- 
line again,  Amelia,  Elizabeth,  James,  Mary,  Henry. 

Of  this  family,  George  A.,  Caroline,  and  Carlos  died  in  infancy; 
Chloe  and  James  both  died  when  about  sixteen  years  of  age;  two 
others,  one  of  whom  was  Elizabeth,  died  at  thirty,  unmarried. 


OLIVER    HIGLEY    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Continued  from  page  188. 
Oliver,  Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

OLIVER  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  Seth  and  Mindwell  Higley, 
was  born  in  the  old  homestead  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  October  21, 
1790.  He  married  Clarissa  Phelps  of  Simsbury,  April  26,  1812. 


226          .         THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  Is  difficult  to  follow  the  course  of  their  lives,  the  data  fur- 
nished being  very  incomplete  and  meager.  Most  of  their  lives 
after  their  marriage  were  spent  in  the  complicated  circumstances, 
isolation,  and  struggle  attendant  upon  new  settlements  in  unset- 
tled States.  They  appear  to  have  emigrated  about  1830  to  Central 
New  York,  and  made  a  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Cicero,  Onondaga 
County.  After  residing  here  a  number  of  years  they  removed  to 
Independence,  la.,  while  that  State  was  yet  a  new  country.  Later 
in  life  Oliver  Higley  removed  with  married  children  to  Decatur, 
Neb.,  where  he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life. 

He  was  always  marked  as  a  hardworking  man,  of  thoroughly 
honest  principles,  and  did  his  everyday  work  after  the  quieter 
fashion  in  agricultural  pursuits  ;  but  his  round  of  life  contained 
its  measure  of  worth,  for  he  was  much  respected  in  whatever 
community  he  lived.  He  lacked  financial  ability,  and  was  inno- 
cent of  the  love  of  money-making,  and  therefore  did  not  accumu- 
late lands  or  property.  To  do  his  best,  toiling  in  good  heart,  to 
supply  his  large  family  with  actual  necessities,  was  his  daily  battle 
with  the  world  ;  the  development  and  education  of  his  chil- 
dren was  left  much  to  the  spirit  of  their  own  inclinations,  and 
the  enlightenment  which  the  few  advantages  and  influences  sur- 
rounding them  could  give. 

Of  his  wife,  Clarissa  Phelps,  who  was  of  the  highly  respectable 
Phelps  family  of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  little  has  been  preserved.  She 
was  born  at  Simsbury,  August  14,  1790.  There  is  no  question 
but  that  her  children  inherited  from  her  much  which  inspired 
them  to  honest  motives  and  the  better  type  of  living.  She 
died  March  30,  1860.  Oliver  Higley  died  in  Decatur,  Neb., 
in  1883. 

Their  children  were : 

Oliver  Nelson,  Harrison,  Almon,  Rosetta,  Augustus,  Hiram, 
Edwin,  Louisa,  Thomas,  Elizabeth  A.,  and  Chauncey,  who  was 
killed  by  falling  from  a  sled  loaded  with  logs.  The  two  eldest 
children  are  given  as  having  died,  no  data  being  furnished  for 
these  pages. 

ALMON  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  was  born 
November  18,  1816.  He  married  February  15,  1844,  in  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y., 
Mary  E.  Neafie,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  October  22,  18— o.  They  settled 
in  Seneca  Falls  the  year  of  their  marriage,  afterward  sojourning  for  a  time  at 
Independence,  la.,  and  later  (previous  to  1861)  removing  to  Decatur,  Bur! 
County,  Neb.,  where  they  now  reside.  They  had  children,  viz.  : 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  H  1C  LEY,  \ST.  227 

MORRIS  GOETCHINS,  born  in  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.,  November  n,  1844,  who 
married  November  14,  1877,  in  Decatur,  Neb.,  Jennie  Griffin.  She  was  born 
in  Chicago,  111.,  in  1861.  They  reside  in  Decatur.  They  have  two  children  : 
Homer  Clarence,  born  February  27,  1878  ;  and  Lizzie  Goetchins,  born  Novem- 
ber 17,  1880. 

ELIZABETH  SHAW,  the  second  child  of  Almon  and  Mary  Neafie  Higley, 
was  born  in  Independence,  la.,  April  26,  1848.  She  married  June  7,  1867,  in 
Arizona,  Burt  County,  Neb.,  John  Creagan.  He  was  born  Octobor  19,  1843. 
John  Creagan  served  throughout  the  entire  Civil  War.  Elizabeth  Higley  Creagan 
died  November  13,  1876.  Their  children  : 

Frank  Alman,  born  in  Arizona,  Neb.,  April  9,  1869  ;  Lida  Evangeline,  born  on 
the  Omaha  Indian  Reservation,  Nebraska,  October  9,  1871. 

ROSETTA  the  eldest  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  is  recorded 
as  having  died;  no  dates. 

AUGUSTUS,  fifth  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  was  born  in  Onon- 
dago  County,  N.  Y.,  October  24,  1819.  He  married  Mary  Shaver,  September  4, 
1845.  She  was  born  January  23,  1825.  Their  children:  Delavan,  born  April  12, 
1846  ;  Seward,  born  March  23,  1851. 

DELAVAN  HIGLEY  married,  and  has  two  children,  viz.:    Grace,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1876  ;  and  Josephine,  born  March,  1883. 
SEWARD  married ,  December  2,  1876. 

HIRAM,  sixth  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  was  born  in  Cicero, 
N.  Y.,  1824.  He  married  in  1845  Caroline  M.  White. 

Mr.  Higley  removed  with  his  family  from  Cicero,  N.  Y.,  to  Waukesha,  Wis.,  in 
the  year  1838,  where  he  resided  till  1861,  when  he  removed  to  Decatur,  Neb., 
where  they  now  reside.  They  had  six  children,  viz.  : 

I.ouis  Dalton  Higley,  born  1846  ;  married  in  1861,  Julia  A.  Pounds.  They  reside 
in  Decatur,  Neb.,  and  have  children  :  Mary>  Josephine,  born  1869  ;  Elsina  Blanch, 
born  1871  ;  and  James  Myrl,  born  1875.  Clara  L,,  born  1848;  married,  1866, 
E.  P.  Porter.  They  reside  in  Wayne,  Neb.  Josephine  E.,  born  1852  ;  died  1859. 
Cora  M.,  born  1860  ;  married  F.  M.  Nolin,  1877.  They  reside  at  Omaha,  Neb. 
Jennie  J.,  born  1863,  resides  at  Decatur,  Neb.  Hiram  A,,  born  1865. 


EDWIN    HIGLEY,    SON    OF   OLIVER. 

Continued  from  page  226. 
Edwin,  Oliver,  Seth,  ist,  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

EDWIN  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps 
Higley,  was  born  at  Cicero,  N.  Y.,  December  24,  1825. 

His  childhood's  earliest  days  were  spent  in  his  paternal  home. 
While  yet  a  young  lad  he  went  to  live  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Amelia 
Higley  Bates,  at  East  Granby,  Hartford  County,  Conn.,  and  being 
quite  separated  from  his  brothers  and  sisters,  the  family  becoming 
widely  scattered,  he  knew  little  of  them  afterward. 

He  resided  for  some  time  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.  Early  in  the 
year  1846  he  took  up  the  westward  march,  removing  to  Waukesha, 


228  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Wis.  Here,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  married  Louisa  G.  White, 
July  7,  1846.  She  was  born  March  27,  1829. 

He  joined  the  28th  Wisconsin  Regiment,  V.  I.,  in  the  late 
Civil  War,  and  served  with  zeal  and  courage  in  the  din  and  can- 
nonade of  battle  for  three  years,  receiving  an  honorable  discharge 
at  its  close. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1866,  he,  with  his  family,  left  the  town  of 
Waukesha  by  wagon  and  emigrated  to  Decatur,  Neb.,  where,  after 
a  long  and  wearisome  journey,  they  arrived  on  the  7th  of  July. 

His  wife,  Louisa  White  Higley,  died  December  6,  1878.  On 
July  i,  1882,  he  married  Mrs.  Susan  H.  Thompson  (formerly 
Susan  Roe).  She  was  born  March  13,  1836.  They  reside  in 
Decatur,  Neb. 

His  children,  who  were  all  by  his  first  wife,  are:  Herman  Ward, 
Frank  £.,  and  Addie  F. 

HERMAN  WARD  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  of  the  three  children  of  Edwin  and  Louisa 
White  Higley,  was  born  at  Waukesha,  Wis.,  November  12,  1849.  He  attended 
school  in  his  native  town  eight  years,  and  in  the  year  1 866  went  with  his  parents 
to  Decatur,  Neb. 

Mr.  Higley  has  had  a  varied  career,  his  whole  life  having  been  spent  on  the 
frontier  of  our  country.  Actuated  by  the  spirit  of  adventure,  he  went  in  the  early 
spring  of  1877  to  the  Black  Hills,  then  among  the  wilds  of  the  great  far  West.  It 
was  in  these  new  and  unsettled  regions  that  his  life  was  shaped  into  an  ideal  man 
of  the  mines  and  mountains,  and  his  character  became  stamped  with  traits  of  the 
very  best  type — frankness,  geniality,  perseverance,  and  large-heartedness. 

As  a  matter  of  course  such  a  life  has  given  him  great  intuitional  powers,  courage, 
and  physical  vigor.  Prospecting  for  ores  on  the  great  Pacific  slope  has  been  the 
main  feature  of  his  occupation.  In  this  he  has  met  with  flattering  success  ;  as  a 
man  of  business  he  is  well  balanced  and  has  accumulated  wealth. 

He  once  remarked  to  the  writer  :  "  My  experience  has  been  far  from  one  of  com- 
fort and  ease — it  has  been  a  life  among  strangers,  one  of  excitement,  hardships  and 
privations,  ups  and  downs,  but,  God  be  thanked,  it  has  not  been  all  downs.  I  have 
always  had  plenty  and  to  spare." 

On  the  1 2th  of  November,  1882,  he  married  Mary  D.  Scott,  who  was  born  in  Gerry, 
Chatauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1864.  Her  father,  a  gold  seeker,  who,  like 
thousands,  flocked  to  the  far  West  in  1849,  became  a  miner  of  Pike's  Peak  that 
year,  and  afterward  going  onward  to  California,  and  there  sifting  the  gold  sands 
when  as  yet  there  was  no  home  civilization  in  that  fertile  State.  In  the  year  1879, 
in  search  of  new  soil  and  scenes,  the  Scott  family  became  pioneers  into  the  Black 
Hills  when  Mary  was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  They  resided  for  some  years  in 
Lead  City,  a  mining  camp  in  South  Dakota.  Here  she  met  Mr.  Higley,  her  future 
husband,  whom  she  married  at  seventeen.  She  was  a  person  of  amiable  qualities, 
had  received  a  fair  education,  and  possessing  a  talent  for  music,  gained  considerable 
merit  by  her  close  application  to  its  study.  She  has  always  been  remembered  by 
the  old  residents  of  Leadville  as  one  of  the  most  cheerful  and  clever  young  ladies 


HERMAN   WARD    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SETH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  229 

in  "  the  Hills,"  during  its  earliest  history.  Though  of  slender  build  and  refined 
features,  she  had  a  brave  and  courageous  heart ;  in  times  of  emergencies  and  frontier 
perils  she  did  not  hesitate  to  take  her  Winchester  rifle  and  follow  her  husband 
where  strong  men  failed.  Many  were  the  marked  and  thrilling  incidents  of  their 
experience. 

In  September,  1881,  Mr.  Higley  went  to  the  Judith  Mountains,  Northern 
Montana.  After  their  marriage  his  young  wife  accompanied  him  to  this  region. 
Residing  here  about  four  years  they  went,  in  1886,  to  Washington,  then  a  Territory, 
spending  their  winters  on  Vashon  Island,  Puget  Sound,  and  their  summers  in  min- 
ing camps  in  the  mountains.  Finally,  attracted  by  the  mineral  discoveries  in 
Okanogan  County  (Washington),  they  settled  at  Conconully.  Mr.  Higley  here 
provided  a  comfortable  and  pleasant  home,  and  life  to  them  appeared  to  be  replete 
with  happiness.  But,  alas,  for  human  plans  and  anticipations  !  The  untimely 
death  of  the  attractive  young  wife  cut  short  a  career  whose  future  was  full  of  ye1 
brighter  promise. 

An  issue  of  the  Okanogan  Outlook  published  a  few  days  after  the  sad  event  con- 
tained the  following  obituary  notice  : 

"  One  of  the  most  sorrowful  visitations  of  the  angel  of  death  that  ever  occurred  in 
this  community  took  place  when  Mrs.  Mary  Scott  Higley  departed  for  a  fairer  and 
brighter  land.  She  was  seized  about  ten  days  ago  with  an  attack  of  peritonitis,  and 
although  attended  by  the  best  medical  skill  the  county  affords,  she  sank  so  rapidly 
that  soon  all  hopes  of  her  recovery  were  abandoned.  She  quietly  passed  away  at 
three  o'clock,  Tuesday  morning,  December  16,  1890.  It  is  seldom  that  human 
eyes  have  looked  upon  a  more  strangely  pathetic  scene  than  that  witnessed  at  the 
deathbed  of  the  deceased.  Gathered  about  were  the  stricken  husband  and  sorrowing 
friends,  powerless  to  save  her  valuable  life  ;  for  two  hours  before  her  death,  and 
while  perfectly  unconscious,  Mrs.  Higley  sang  almost  constantly,  and  her  voice 
was  not  less  clear  and  strong  than  when  she  was  in  perfect  health. 

"  The  funeral  was  largely  attended.  The  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  H. 
M.  Marsh  of  Ruby,  in  accordance  with  the  rituals  of  the  Episcopalian  Church,  of 
which  deceased  was  a  member  and  the  faithful  organist. 

"  She  left  a  bereaved  husband  and  three  little  children,  one  a  babe  of  twenty-one 
months,  and  a  boy  and  girl  aged  six  and  seven  respectively.  She  was  of  a  cheerful 
and  animated  disposition,  an  amiable  and  affectionate  wife.  Beloved  and  honored 
for  her  mother-love  and  wife's  devotion,  respected  and  esteemed  as  a  friend  and 
neighbor,  her  loss  has  broken  up  one  of  the  happiest  families  in  Okanogan  County, 
and  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  community." 

Few  men  realize  what  the  situation  involves  to  be  left  with  three  young  children, 
one  an  infant  in  arms,  in  a  rough  mining  town  so  isolated  from  the  great  world. 
Mr.  Higley  proved  himself  equal  to  the  trying  circumstances.  For  many  months 
following  the  decease  of  his  wife,  with  his  own  strong  arms  he  rocked  the  cradle, 
and  without  assistance  tenderly  cared  for  his  group  of  little  ones,  as  well  as  to  all 
their  needs  except  the  laundry  work ;  this  was  done  by  an  Indian  squaw  from  a 
neighboring  Indian  Reservation  ;  however,  this  convenience  and  aid  at  last  failed 
him,  because  of  the  village  camp  inhabitants  having  taken  from  the  jail  an  Indian 
accused  of  some  foul  deed,  and,  applying  lynch  law,  hanged  him  to  a  convenient 
tree  ;  the  frightened  squaw  never  appeared  at  Mr.  Higley's  door  again. 
16 


230  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Three  years  later  Mr.  Higley  married  the  second  time.  His  wife,  Jessie  Arzella 
Henderson,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  Chicago,  November  18,  1893,  bore  deserved 
reputation  as  an  artist,  and  possesses  well  cultivated  musical  ability. 

To  avail  his  children  of  school  advantages  and  society,  Mr.  Higley  purchased  a 
home  in  Seattle,  where  he  resides  (1895)  with  his  family,  still  holding  his  interests 
in  the  mountains  of  Okanogan  County,  where  they  spend  their  summers. 

Children  of  Herman  W.  and  Mary  Scott  Higley  :  Pearl,  born  August  5,  1883  ; 
Ray  C.,  born  November  2O,  1884  ;  Carl  W.,  born  July,  1886,  died  October,  1886; 
Earl  W.,  born  March  25,  1889. 

FRANK  E.  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Edwin  and  Louisa  White  Higley,  was 
born  in  Waukesha,  Wis.,  July  9,  1854.  He  married  January  21,  1877,  Belle 
Darling  of  Indiana.  They  reside  in  Decatur,  Burt  County,  Neb. 

Their  children:  Fred  A.,  born  October  23,  1877;  Percy  B.,  born  August  29, 
1879,  died  March,  1881  ;  Ward  C.,  born  July  20,  1881  ;  Orville  D.,  born  March  28, 
1883  ;  Florence  C.,  born  April  n,  1885. 

ADDIE  F.  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Edwin  and  Louisa  White  Higley,  was  born 
December  27,  1867,  in  Decatur,  Neb.  She  married  September  28,  1886,  Nahum 
T.  Dinsmore  of  Castle,  Mont.,  where  they  reside.  They  have  one  child,  Naomi 
Louisa,  born  July  4,  1887. 

Cant  fn  tied  from  page  226. 

LOUISA  HIGLEY,  eighth  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  was  born 
at  Cicero,  N.  Y.,  September  30,  1827.  She  married  J.  W.  Briggs,  December  31, 
1844.  They  had  ten  children,  as  follows  : 

Ether,  born  October  24,  1845,  died  November  5,  1865  ;    Thales,  born  March  31, 

1847,  married  Emily  Bronson  January  I,  1871  ;  Horlense  A . ,  born  November  27, 

1848,  died  October  18, 1865  ;  Plutarch  H '.,  born  December  29,  1850,  married 

February  22,    1877  ;    Elenora  C.,  born  October  9,  1852,  married  P'.    S.    Brown 
October  25,   1881  ;  Ida  L.,  born  July  24,   1856  ;  Beatrice  C.,  born  May  9,  1859, 
married  Charles  Turk  March  18,   1884  ;   Cora  E.,  born  April  25,  1861,  married 
Colonel  F.  Wood  November  14,  1883  ;  Nettie  A.,  born  July  27,  1864,  died  May  20, 
1865  ;  Ada  F.,  born  August  14,  1870. 

There  are  ten  grandchildren  whose  names  are  not  given. 

THOMAS  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley,  was 
born  May  9,  1829,  in  Madison  County,  N.  Y.  He  married  January  7,  1858, 
Sarah  Welch.  She  was  born  in  Waukesha,  Wis.,  May  17,  1841. 

He  married,  second,  Ida  Hilton  May  5,  1878.  Mrs.  Ida  Hilton  Higley  died 
October  8,  1883.  He  resides  in  Plum  Creek,  Neb. 

Children  by  first  wife  : 

W.  G.  Higley,  born  in  Vernon,  Wis.,  January  9,  1859;  resides  at  Blair,  Neb. 
Harry,  born  in  Waukesha,  Wis.,  September  12,  1861.  Vernon,  born  August  23, 
1863  ;  resides  in  Clinton,  la.  Maurice  E.,  born  October  30, 1866  ;  died  May 
23,  1872. 

Children  by  second  wife  : 

Minne,  born  June,  1872  ;  Fred,  born  1874,  died  the  same  year  ;  Allie,  born  1876, 
died  1880  ;  Thomas,  born  1879  !  Jessie,  born  1883. 

Of  the  above  family,  Harry  Higley  removed  to  Nebraska  with  his  parents 
in  1862.  He  married,  October  23,  1881,  Mary  E.  Cane  of  O'Neill  City,  Neb.,  who 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  2Z>.  231 

was  born  in  Pendleton,  England,  April  I,  1864.  They  reside  at  Blair,  Neb., 
where  Mr.  Higley  is  doing  a  thriving  business,  dealer  in  fruits,  nuts,  tobacco, 
etc.,  etc.  They  have  two  children,  viz.: 

Eva  £.,   born  March  22,  1883  ;   Clarence  ff.,  born  January  I,  1885. 

ELIZABETH,  the  tenth  and  youngest  child  of  Oliver  and  Clarissa  Phelps  Higley, 
married  Frank  Blodgett.  No  record  of  the  family  can  be  given,  its  place  of  resi- 
dence not  being  known. 


HULDAH    HIGLEY    CASE. 

Continued  from  page  162. 
Huldah.  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

HULDAH,  the  sixth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  and  Esther, 
his  wife,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  February  i,  1750. 

On  July  8,  1777,  she  became  the  first  wife  of  Abel  Case,  son  of 
Amos  and  Mary  Holcombe  Case  of  West  Simsbury  (now  Canton), 
Conn. 

Here  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case  resided  through  her  life,  in  the  old 
paternal  homestead  on  "East  Hill,"  which  came  into  the  hands 
of  Abel  Case  from  his  father,  Amos  Case,  Sr.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children  : 

Huldah,  the  eldest,  born  1778,  married  Jabez  Hamblin  ; 
Abel,  Jr.,  born  1783,  married  Rachel  Humphery  ;  Dinah,  born 
1786,  married  Ira  Case  ;  Tirzah,  born  1787,  married  Sadoc  Case  ; 
and  Carmi,  born  1793,  who  died  unmarried  at  twenty-two. 

The  descendants  of  Huldah  Higley  Case  residing  in  Canton 
were  numerous.  She  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty,  and  died 
August  12,  1810. 

Her  husband  married  a  second  time.  He  died  April  29,  1834, 
aged  eighty-six. 

ENOCH   HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  i6a. 
Enoch,  Brewster,  zd,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

ENOCH  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  and  last  child  of  Brewster 
Higley,  2d,  and  Esther  Holcombe,  was  born  August  25,  1754. 
He  grew  to  manhood  in  Simsbury. 

Rosannah  Moore,  to  whom  he  was  married  October  28,  1783, 
was  the  daughter  of  Job  Moore,  of  the  now  venerable  and  historic 
Church  of  St.  Andrews,  the  oldest  Episcopalian  parish  formed  in 
the  State  of  Connecticut. 


232  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

On  his  marriage  Enoch  sold  his  farm  in  Simsbury,  and  the 
young  couple  settled  in  North  Granby. 

Enoch  Higley  made  profession  of  his  Christian  faith  on  the  8th 
of  October,  1787,  with  the  Church  at  North  Granby.  Rosannah 
probably  retained  her  connection  with  the  Episcopal  Church,  in 
which  faith  she  was  baptized,  until  the  27th  of  September,  1817, 
when  she  was  admitted  to  membership  in  the  same  church  to 
which  her  husband  belonged. 

There  is  no  record  concerning  children  having  been  born  to 
them  till  the  2d  of  September,  1798,  when  the  birth  of  the  first  of 
four  daughters  is  registered.  The  child  was  named  Harriet,  The 
second  child,  named  Lucy,  was  born  May  29,  1800  ;  the  third,  born 
June  3,  1804,  was  called  Chloe.  The  youngest,  Betsey,  was  born 
November  6,  1808. 

Harriet,  the  eldest,  married  Almon  Holcombe  ;  Lucy  married 
Samuel  Weed  ;  Betsey  united  with  the  Church  in  Granby,  Janu- 
ary 6,  1828,  and  in  1829  removed  to  Providence,  Luzerne  County, 
Pa.,  her  sister  Chloe,  who  was  yet  unmarried,  accompanying  her. 

We  have  no  genealogical  account  of  the  descendants  of  the 
children  of  Enoch  and  Rosannah  Higley.  Enoch  received  by 
bequest  a  liberal  share  of  property  from  his  father's  estate,  of 
which  he,  with  his  brother  Joel,  served  as  executors. 

In  common  with  his  older  brothers,  his  religion  was  the  fore- 
most principle  of  his  everyday  life,  and  his  energies  were  devoted 
to  the  work  and  interests  of  the  Church.  The  truths  of  the  Bible 
were  his  guiding  star.  He  left  behind  him  "  the  good  name 
which  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  great  riches." 

Enoch  Higley  and  his  wife  were  interred  in  the  North  Granby 
cemetery.  The  inscriptions  upon  the  tombstones  which  mark 
their  last  resting  place  read  thus  : 


Enocb  f>fgleB  TRosannab 

2>teD  3ulB  12  1827.  UOlife  of  Bnocb 

73.  BieD  flfcas  10«>  1823. 

Sgefc  62. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

JUDGE    BREWSTER    HIGLEY,  4TH. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxxi.  p.  171. 
Brewster  Higley,  4th,  Brewster,  36,  Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Let  the  sound  of  those  he  wrought  for, 
And  the  feet  of  those  he  fought  for, 
Echo  round  his  bones  forever  more. 

—TENNYSON. 

THE  birth  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  is  thus  entered  in  "  Book  4," 
page  156,  of  the  time-stained  record  of  Simsbury,  Conn. : 

"  Brewster  Higley,  the  son  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  and  Esther  his  wife,  was  bom 
in  Simsbury,  March  14th  1759." 

There  is  no  question  but  that  his  birth  occurred  in  the  home- 
stead built  by  his  grandfather,  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  which  is 
shown  in  the  illustration,  page  161. 

His  penmanship  and  orthography  indicate  that  he  acquired  a 
fair  education  for  the  times,  though  the  schools  in  his  day  had 
deteriorated,  and  common  school  education  was  then  at  a  low  ebb. 

He  contributed,  wherever  he  lived  during  an  active  life  of  more 
than  eighty-eight  years,  his  full  share  to  the  stability,  activities, 
and  excellent  citizenship  which  characterized  the  Higleys  of  his 
day. 

Like  the  three  Brewsters  Higley  who  were  his  seniors,  the 
patriotic  spirit  was  deep-rooted  in  his  nature.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  his  broad  round  shoulders  and  fine  manly  physique, 
with  a  frame  fitted  at  an  early  age  to  endure  hardship,  greatly 
aided  him  in  gratifying  his  natural  inclination  to  military  service; 
for  when  he  was  not  yet  eighteen  he  joined  the  troops  of  the 
Revolutionary  army,  serving  for  a  time  in  the  division  com- 
manded by  Major-General  Charles  Lee. 

He  fought  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains  the  syth  of  October, 
1776,  and  was  with  the  American  forces  on  their  gloomy  retreat 
which  preceded  the  battle  of  Trenton.  This  battle,  which  was 
fought  two  months  later,  was  one  that  lived  vividly  in  his  memory 
to  the  latest  day  of  his  life. 

233 


234  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Christmas  night,  1776,  a  memorably  bitter  cold  night,  the 
troops  struggled  across  the  river  among  the  great  drifting  blocks 
of  ice,  to  the  opposite  shore,  where  Brewster  did  guard  duty 
through  the  night. 

He  returned  from  the  war,  and  after  remaining  at  home  a  year, 
he  again  entered  service  under  Ethan  Allen,  when  that  patriot 
was  Major-General  of  the  Vermont  militia. 

He  never  forgot  the  extreme  sufferings  of  the  troops  during 
those  winters. 

Provisions  were  scantily  supplied,  "the  cold  was  intense,  the 
men  were  thinly  clad  and  their  feet  so  lacerated  from  walking 
over  the  rough  frozen  ground  with  worn-out  shoes,  or  with  bare 
feet,  that  the  clods  upon  which  they  stepped  were  sometimes 
marked  with  their  blood." 

His  children  and  grandchildren  used  often  to  listen  to  his 
recital  of  these  stirring  war  stories,  and  hear  him  relate  how 
Colonel  Allen's  feet  were  badly  frozen  during  a  march  in  Vermont. 
He  often  spoke  of  the  shocking  profanity  of  this  commander. 

Brewster  Higley,  4th,  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  removed 
with  his  father  and  the  family  from  Simsbury,  Conn.,  to  Vermont. 
From  that  year  (1779)  his  home  was  with  the  "Green  Moun- 
taineers," till  he  emigrated  to  Ohio  eighteen  years  later. 

Vermont  had  declared  her  independence  two  years  before,  but 
was  not  admitted  to  the  Confederation  of  States  till  March,  1791. 
He  was  thus  associated  among  the  founders  of  that  State.  During 
the  stormy  days  of  invasion  by  the  British  and  Indians  from 
Canada,  after  the  family  removed  from  Simsbury,  Conn.,  to  Ver- 
mont, he  belonged  to  the  garrison  at  Castleton  Fort. 

On  February  25,  1783,  he  returned  to  Simsbury  and  claimed 
for  his  bride  his  second  cousin,  Naomi,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Higley. 

The  union  proved  a  singularly  congenial  and  happy  one.  The 
young  husband  and  wife  took  up  their  residence  at  Castleton,  in  a 
house  just  west  of  that  of  the  bridegroom's  father.  Here  there 
was  born  to  them  a  family  of  six  children.  The  seventh  was 
born  in  Ohio. 

While  a  resident  at  Castleton,  Brewster,  4th,  was  engaged  in 
farming  his  land.  He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
occupied  important  positions  in  public  service. 

But  the  time  came  when  his  attention  was  directed  to  the  then 
far  away  wilderness  which  had  been  organized  by  the  old  Con- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  3Z?.  235 

tinental  Congress  under  the  name  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  a 
part  of  which  is  now  the  noble  and  populous  State  of  Ohio. 

At  the  Bunch  of  Grapes  Tavern  in  Boston  the  first  meeting  for 
the  organization  of  the  "  Ohio  Company  "  was  held  March  i,  1786. 
On  the  zyth  of  October,  1787,  a  contract  between  the  United  States 
Government  and  the  appointed  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company  was 
signed  for  the  purchase  of  a  great  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Ohio  River,  in  which  was  included  the  present  counties 
of  Meigs,  Gallia,  and  a  part  of  Washington,  now  in  the  State  of 
Ohio  ;  and  in  April,  1788,  the  first  settlement  of  this  purchase 
was  farmed  at  Marietta,  which  was  also  the  first  settlement  in  the 
Northwest  Territory. 

The  country  was  a  dense  wilderness — forest,  bordering  the 
beautiful  river  bearing  the  name  of  the  future  State. 

From  Boston  and  elsewhere,  Brewster,  4th,  no  doubt,  heard 
news  of  the  vast  rich  tract  of  country  now  open  for  settlers,  and 
considering  the  advantages  of  making  it  his  future  home,  he 
resolved  upon  emigrating  thither. 

The  step  was  evidently  taken  without  his  father's  approbation. 
In  his  grim  grief  and  dissatisfaction,  Brewster,  3d,  enters  in  his 
private  record  book,am0ng  a  list  of  deaths,  the  following: 

"July  27th  1797.  Brewster  removes  with  his  family,  viz:  wife,  three  sons,  and 
three  daughters,  with  a  desire  to  go  to  the  Ohio  as  7  suppose." 

What  the  effort  cost  Brewster,  4th's,  affectionate  heart  may  be 
conjectured  from  a  letter  addressed  to  his  mother  a  few  years 
later: 

"  It  is  true,  my  mother,  that  I  have  been  remiss  in  writing  to  my  friends  in  New 
England.  The  reason  you  have  cause  to  complain  is  because  you  do  not  know, 
neither  can  you  realize  .what  were  my  feelings  when  I  sold  my  home  and  came  away 
with  my  family  to  live  wherever  I  might  find  a  place  to  settle. 

"  I  have  often  seated  myself  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  write  for  particular 
news,  or  of  circumstances  respecting  my  affairs,  but  soon  found  my  mind  was  led 
directly  back  to  that  one  delightful  spot  in  Vermont  where  in  former  days  I  so  much 
doted  on  spending  the  remaining  part  of  my  life.  These  reflections  baffle  my  reso- 
lutions. I  lay  aside  my  pen  saying  to  myself — '  I  cannot  write — How  can  I  ! ' 

"  I  am,  my  honored  mother  in  duty  bound,  yours  unfeigned  until  death. 

"  Farewell, 

"BREWSTER  HIGLEY." 

The  journey  which  he  now  undertook  was  the  first  westward 
emigration  of  the  Higleys. 


236  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"  On  the  2gth  of  July,  1797  [says  his  grandson,  Milo  H.  Higley  of  Rutland, 
O.],  my  grandfather  Brewster  Higley  4th,  with  his  wife  and  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, and  their  household  goods  packed  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  two  oxen,  started  on 
their  long  and  tedious  journey  to  the  Northwest  Territory. 

"  After  a  toilsome  and  wearing  travel  of  six  long  weeks  they  arrived,  the  loth  of 
the  following  September,  at  Wheeling,  Va.  Here  my  grandfather  purchased  a 
small  flatboat,  into  which  he  placed  their  household  effects,  and  gave  it  in  charge 
of  their  two  eldest  sons,  Brewster  [5th]  and  Cyrus,  assisted  by  a  stranger,  a  man 
who  desired  passage  down  the  river.  The  parents  and  younger  children  journeyed 
onward  by  wagon  and  oxen  to  a  point  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Hocking,  where  the  town  of  Belle  Ville,  W.  Va.,  is  now  situated. 

"  Here,  after  long  delay  and  much  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  parents  for  the  safety 
of  their  boys,  the  flatboat  arrived.  For  four  days  and  nights,  meanwhile,  either 
the  father  or  the  mother  had  sat  upon  the  river  bank  watching  for  their  coming. 
Motherlike,  Mrs.  Higley's  eyesight  penetrated  farthest  up  the  dark  deep-flowing 
stream,  and  she  was  the  first  to  discern  the  boat  between  the  broken  cliffs  em- 
bosomed in  foliage.  Her  shout  of  joy  made  the  forest  ring. 

"  The  family  spent  eighteen  months  on  the  Virginia  shore  in  a  rude  log  cabin,  with 
their  boat  moored  to  a  tree  close  by.  All  this  while  my  grandfather  was  busy 
looking  out  for  a  location  to  found  a  new  settlement.  He  was  guided  through  the 
wilds  by  the  little  compass  which  his  great-grandfather,  Capt.  John  Higley,  had 
used  in  the  Connecticut  forests  more  than  one  hundred  years  before. 

"Finally  a  surveying  party  which  was  surveying  the  Ohio  Company's  purchase 
came  into  camp,  and  from  these  he  learned  there  was  a  desirable  tract  of  land,  sec- 
tion seven,  range  thirteen,  about  twenty  miles  north  of  Gallipolis.1  One  of  the 
party  offered  to  act  as  guide  to  my  grandfather  in  finding  it. 

"  Leaving  his  family  at  the  rude  camp,  they  set  off  in  the  dense  forest  without 
even  a  path  to  guide  them.  On  reaching  the  '  promised  land '  and  carefully  look- 
ing it  over,  he  decided  the  matter  at  once,  saying,  '  This  shall  be  my  future  home,' 
and  took  possession.  He  purchased  the  whole  of  this  section  [7],  which  lay  in  what 
is  now  Rutland  Township.  In  addition  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  Sec- 
tion 13,  and  eighty  acres  near  Marietta,  O.  They  left  their  camp  on  the  river 
bank  at  Belle  Ville  in  the  spring  of  1799,  and  again  took  to  the  family  boat,  in 
which  they  floated  down  the  Ohio  river  to  the  mouth  of  Leading-Creek,  which  was 
then  very  full  in  consequence  of  back  water,  the  river  being  high  from  spring 
freshets.  The  stout  arms  of  the  father  and  sons  propelled  their  boat  up  this  creek 
a  distance  of  four  miles  with  long  poles.  Here  they  safely  landed,  and  tearing 
their  boat  to  pieces  they  built  on  an  elevated  knoll  out  of  the  lumber  thus  obtained 
a  rough  shelter  for  the  family  to  occupy  until  they  could  select  a  location  and  build 
a  log  cabin.  In  this  rude  home  they  camped  the  most  of  the  summer.  In  due 
time  a  cabin  three  miles  from  this  spot  was  constructed  of  bark  and  poles  resem- 
bling in  style  an  Indian  wigwam.  The  site  on  which  this  first  rude  dwelling  stood 
was  many  years  ago  consecrated  to  the  uses  of  a  family  burial-ground. 

"When  the  family  was  finally  settled  in  their  wilderness  home,  Gallipolis,  twenty 
miles  distant,  was  the  nearest  town  ;  and  their  nearest  neighbors  were  two  families 
of  settlers  who  lived  eight  miles  away." 

1  Gallipolis  was  settled  by  the  French  in  1791.  It  is  described  about  the  time  Brewster  Higley,  4th, 
came  to  Ohio,  as  "  a  singular  village  settled  by  people  from  Paris  and  Lyons  [France],  chiefly  arti- 
zans  and  artists." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  3 A  237 

Governor  Arthur  St.  Clair,  the  first  Governor  of  the  Territory, 
appointed  Brevvster  Higley,  4th,  justice  of  the  peace,  in  1801,  and 
in  1803  he  was  appointed,  by  Governer  Edward  Tiffen,  Associate 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  a  term  of  seven  years. 
This  commission  gave  him  jurisdiction  overall  the  eastern  section 
of  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River,  extending  to  the  Lakes. 
In  1807  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  office  he  held  about 
twenty  years. 

Ohio  became  a  State  in  1803,  and  was  admitted  free  from  the 
blighting  influences  of  slavery. 

Rutland,  near  which  place  Judge  Brewster  Higley's  farm  lay, 
was  the  first  group  of  houses  in  Meigs  County,  and  received  its 
name  by  his  proposition,  from  the  lively  town  of  that  name  in  his 
Green  Mountain  State.  It  did  not,  however,  come  to  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  called  a  town  until  1815. 

It  was  not  until  1825  that  there  were  church  privileges  nearer 
than  Gallipolis.  In  that  year  the  Higleys,  the  Binghams,  and 
their  neighbors  organized  "the  First  Presbyterian  Church"  of 
Meigs  County,  and  in  1830  a  church  edifice,  which  is  still  in  use, 
was  built  a  half  a  mile  from  the  Higley  homestead. 

The  first  school  in  the  neighborhood  was  opened  in  1802  by 
Samuel  Dennd,  a  collegiate  graduate  from  Massachusetts.  He 
taught  here  four  years. 

In  his  religious  beliefs  and  practices,  Judge  Brewster  Higley 
clung  closely  to  the  religion  of  his  fathers.  He  united  with  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Gallipolis  in  1810,  and  from  this 
time  walked  an  out  and  out  Christian  professor. 

For  years  numbering  almost  a  half  century,  Judge  Brewster 
Higley  and  his  esteemed  wife  resided  on  the  farm  where  they 
first  settled  in  Ohio.  The  time  came,  as  the  country  opened  and 
the  hardships  of  the  pioneer's  life  were  lightened,  when  a  well- 
built  house  succeeded  the  first  simple  dwelling. 

There  had  been  a  long  and  varied  experience  during  these 
years.  Hard  toil  and  great  privations  had  in  no  small  measure 
attended  the  beginnings  and  development  of  a  new  and  wooded 
country,  and  many  a  time  these  labors  had  been  unpalatable  to 
thei."  natural  inclinations  and  tastes  ;  but  their  energies  never 
failed  them.  They  pressed  onward,  and  are  worthily  counted 
among  the  old  civilizers  who  were  privileged  to  lead  the  van  in 
the  founding  and  opening  of  one  of  the  most  prosperous  States 
in  our  great  Union.  It  is  well  stated  that  "  the  increase  of  popu- 


238  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

lation,  the  development  of  resources,  and  the  growth  of  the  towns 
and  cities  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  seemed  like  a  work  of  magic,"  in 
their  day. 

After  a  life  fraught  with  wide  experiences,  through  which  he 
walked  with  constant  reference  to  his  obligation  to  God,  Judge 
Brewster  Higley  reached  its  last  mile-stone  in  1847,  in  the  luxuri- 
ant month  of  roses.  During  his  latter  days  he  had  little  to  dis- 
turb the  tranquillity  of  his  mind  ;  and  to  recall  from  his  well-pre- 
served memory  his  own  early  history,  and  with  his  good  wife  to 
review  that  of  their  forefathers,  was  a  constant  pleasure.  They 
have  together  thus  left  a  legacy  of  information,  the  most  of  which 
has  been  received  through  Milo  H.  Higley,  of  Rutland,  O.,  which 
has  proved  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  this  volume. 

About  two  weeks  before  he  quitted  earth  he  was  seized  with  an 
affection  of  the  heart. 

As  the  disease  progressed  he  was  calm  and  serene,  speaking  of 
the  nearness  of  his  dissolution  with  the  greatest  composure,  and 
giving  minute  directions  concerning  his  burial. 

He  often  spoke  of  the  comforting  assurances  the  Gospel 
afforded  him,  and  dwelt  upon  "  the  Saviour's  dying  love."  He  was 
buoyant  in  his  expectation  of  ''the  crown  of  righteousness  laid 
up  for  them  that  love  Him." 

When  the  last  moment  of  his  earth-life  came,  while  gazing  with 
melting  tenderness  upon  his  son,  who  was  attending  him,  he  —  fell 
asleep.  It  was  in  the  holy  quiet  of  a  Sabbath,  —  June  20,1847. 

He  was  interred  in  the  family  burial  plot,  which,  as  has  been 
already  stated,  is  the  identical  spot  where  his  first  home  in  the 
wilderness  stood. 

The  following  is  inscribed  upon  his  tomb  : 


3Brewster  fjfgleg  Sen. 
a  sototer  of  tbe  "Revolution 
Bleo  June  20tb.  H.  D.  1847. 
88  gears,  3  montbs,  anD  6  Dags. 

Mrs.  Naomi  Higley,  his  wife,  was  a  woman  of  vigorous  constitu- 
tion and  excellent  abilities.  It  will  be  remembered  that  she  was 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  Higley  and  second  cousin  to  her  husband, 
Judge  Brewster  Higley. 

She  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  January  i,  1761,  and  sur- 
vived her  husband.  She  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Gallipolis  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  and 


DESCENDANTS   OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY^D.  239 

lived  the  life  of  a  Christian  woman.  In  her  after  years  she  looked 
backward  to  days  well-spent,  and  forward  with  confident  hope  to 
the  joys  of  a  life  that  should  never  close.  Her  Bible  was  her  com- 
panion and  chief  study. 

She  was  a  real  existence  of  King  Solomon's  picture  of  the  model 
woman  of  olden  time,  "  who  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her  house- 
hold, and  ate  not  the  bread  of  idleness."  In  the  "willing  work 
of  her  hands,  she  sought  wool  and  flax,  laying  her  hands  to  the 
spindle  and  hold  of  the  distaff,"  and  "all  her  household  were 
clothed."  Her  granddaughter,  now  living,  well  remembers  that 
her  grandmother  once  hatcheled,  with  a  great  iron  comb,  a 
quantity  of  flax  which  she  spun  and  wove  into  sixty  yards  of  linen. 
The  comb  is  still  retained  by  her  descendants  as  a  valuable  heir- 
loom. 

Her  hospitality  knew  no  bounds  within  the  compass  of  their 
circumstances — "  the  latch-string  of  their  door  was  always  out"  to 
welcome  the  stranger,  friend,  or  neighbor.  For  years  after  they 
became  residents  of  Ohio,  the  wayfaring  traveler  depended  upon 
the  hospitality  of  the  private  homes  of  the  settlers,  there  be- 
.ing  then  no  taverns.  It  was  rarely  that  charges  were  made  to 
these  lodgers,  and  the  main  labor  of  their  entertainment  fell  upon 
the  women  of  the  household.  Naomi  Higley  was  a  woman  of  a 
kindly,  affectionate  temperament,  but  firm  in  what  she  believed 
to  be  right.  In  cases  of  illness  she  was  ever  ready  to  aid  her 
friends  and  neighbors  by  nursing  and  serving,  taking  their  afflic- 
tions and  pains  upon  her  own  heart. 

Through  the  long  period  of  her  married  life, — sixty-four  years 
and  six  months, — by  the  side  of  her  husband  she  bore  her  full 
share  of  its  unremitting  toil  and  cares.  In  the  repose  of  old  age 
she  sat  beside  him  recalling  the  times  when  their  souls  had  been 
tried  by  scenes  of  privation  and  peril,  and  enjoying  the  contempla- 
tion of  the  progress  and  prosperity  which  had  attended  (in  their 
own  times)  the  growth  and  development  of  their  beloved  country. 

As  the  weight  of  years  settled  upon  her  she  retained  to  a  fair 
degree  her  elasticity  and  vigor.  Her  memory  of  the  people  and 
scenes  of  her  childhood  remained  clear  as  long  as  she  lived. 

It  is  related  of  her  that  on  their  arrival  in  Ohio,  while  living 
with  their  young  children  in  the  rude  "shanty  "  near  Leading 
Creek,  she  daily  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  a  distance  of  three 
miles,  through  the  dense  and  tangled  forests,  to  the  site  where  the 
cabin,  which  was  to  be  their  future  home,  was  being  built  and  the 


240  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

field  cleared  for  cultivation  by  her  husband  and  older  sons,  carry- 
ing to  them  their  midday  meal.  Here  she  regularly  hitched  her 
horse  to  a  certain  young  mulberry  tree,  which  grew  near  the 
little  log  cabin. 

In  the  course  of  many  years  the  tree  spread  its  long  leafy 
branches  over  the  family  burial-ground,  the  same  spot  where 
once  had  stood  their  first  home  in  the  wilderness,  and  it  became 
a  highly  valued  relic  as  a  witness  of  their  early  days.  Sixty-six 
years  passed  by,  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  which  had 
emigrated  thither  had  one  by  one  put  life's  burdens  down  and 
lay  silently  sleeping  beneath  its  shade.  The  tree,  too,  died. 
Their  son,  Dr.  Lucius  Higley,  preserved  its  stump  in  the  form 
of  a  memorial,  imbedding  into  it  a  block  of  marble  bearing  this 
inscription  : 

"  SACRED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  MY  DEAR  MOTHER  WHO 
HITCHED  HER  HORSE  TO  THIS  TREE  IN  1799." 

The  side-saddle  she  used  in  those  days,  and  upon  which  she 
rode  horse-back  from  Castleton,  Vt.,  to  Ohio,  is  still  preserved  by 
Milo  H.  Higley.  Mrs.  Higley  was  feeble  and  tottering  during 
her  last  years,  and  though  the  scenes  and  events  of  her  younger 
life  were  fresh  in  her  mind,  she  was  forgetful  of  nearer  happen- 
ings about  her.  She  pathetically  inquired  each  day  for  her  hus- 
band, wishing  his  return,  seeming  to  forget  King  David's 
beautiful  grief-stricken  expression  :  "  But  now  he  is  dead — can  I 
bring  him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not  re- 
turn to  me." 

It  was  in  less  than  three  years,  during  which  time  she  was  ten- 
derly cared  for  by  her  son,  Dr.  Lucius  Higley,  and  his  family, 
that  she  joined  her  husband  in  his  eternal  home. 

She  departed  this  life,  Febuary  4,  1850,  aged  eighty-nine  years 
and  one  month,  and  was  laid  to  rest  by  his  side. 

"  So  willing  to  toil  and  suffer, 
To  care  and  watch  for  all, 
So  near  in  heart  to  the  Master, 
So  eager  to  follow  His  call  ; 
She  spent  her  soul  in  His  service  sweet, 
And  only  in  death  could  rest  at  His  feet." 

Brewster  Higley,  4th,  and  his  wife  Naomi  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  were  born  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  the 
seventh  near  Rutland,  O.  They  were  as  follows  : 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY, ^D.  241 

Brewster  Higley,  jt/i,    Susan,    Cyrus,    Theresa,   Harriet,  Lucius, 
and  Joseph  Trumbiill  Higley. 

For  descendants  of  Brewster  Higley,  $th,  see  chapter  xxxix. 


Continued  from  page  171. 

LOUISA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d, 
born  August  9,  1761,  married  Benajah  Guernsey  Roots,  the  son 
of  the  Rev.  Benajah  Roots  of  Simsbury,  Conn,  on  the  pth  of 
January,  1783.  They  settled  at  West  Rutland,  Vt. 

Their  children  were  : 

Alanson,  Esther,  Zeruah,  Polly,' Betsey,  Louisa,  and  Caroline. 

Louisa  Higley  Roots  died  May  16,  1832. 

ALANSON,  her  eldest  child,  removed  to  Ohio.  He  was  the  father  of  Guernsey  Y. 
Roots,  the  head  of  the  widely  known  commission  firm  of  Roots  &  Co.,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

ESTHER,  the  second  child,  died  unmarried.  ZERUAH  married  John  Jordon  ; 
POLLY  married  Bryant  Bartlett,  and  removed  to  Michigan  ;  BETSEY  died  unmarried  ; 
LOUISA  died  unmarried  ;  and  CAROLINE  married  the  Rev.  Mr.  Prince  of  Michigan, 
with  whom  Mrs.  Louisa  Higley  Roots  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life. 

PROFESSOR  CYRUS  GUERNSEY  PRINGLE,  A.  M.,  the  distinguished  American 
botanist,  the  great-grandson  of  Louisa  Higley,  has  performed  notable  public  service 
in  the  line  of  his  chosen  science.  He  has  made  extensive  reports  for  the  census 
of  1880,  upon  the  forests  of  some  of  the  New  England  States,  Northern  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  and  West  Virginia.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  a 
collector  of  plants  in  Northern  and  Central  Mexico.  He  worked  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Gray  of  Harvard  College,  until  the  death  of  the  latter,  and  since 
under  the  patronage  of  Professor  Sereno  Watson  of  Cambridge,  and  of  Professor 
Sargeant  of  the  Arnold  Arboretum.  He  has  discovered  hundreds  of  species,  many 
of  which  bear  his  name  ;  and  recently  Dr.  Watson  has  founded  a  new  genus — Neo- 
pringlia — in  his  honor.  His  plants  go  into  all  the  leading  herbaria  of  Europe  and 
America,  as  he  has  secured  a  very  high  reputation  among  botanists  for  his  accuracy 
of  observation,  and  for  the  neatness  and  completeness  of  his  specimens. 

ANNIE,  the  second  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  and 
Esther  Owen,  born  April  13,  1764,  married  Lieutenant  Samuel 
Campbell,  September  22,  1786,  and  was  the  mother  of  thirteen 
children,  viz  : 

John,  Annie,  Cyrus,  Phebe,  Attrtlia,  Samuel,  Amanda,  Esther, 
Chauncey,  Milo,  Minerva,  Harvey,  and  one  whose  name  is  not  given. 

They  resided  at  West  Rutland,  Vt.  Several  of  their  children 
removed  to  Ohio.  Annie  (Higley)  Campbell  died  January  20, 
1852.  Her  husband,  Lieutenant  Campbell,  died  1812. 

ZILPAH,  the  third  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  born 
December  8,  1766,  died  unmarried,  March  30,  1798. 


242  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  is  recorded  that  a  half  bushel  of  silver  coin,  a  part  of  the 
legacy  left  by  Brewster  Higley,  2d,  to  his  son  Brewster,  3d, 
was  received  by  the  latter  from  Connecticut  in  1794. 

A  part  of  this  money  was  spent  in  the  purchase  of  a  necklace 
of  gold  beads  for  each  one  of  the  eight  daughters  of  the  family  ; 
and  the  remaining  amount  was  used  in  furnishing  the  new  red 
frame  house,  and  in  taking  this  invalid  daughter,  Zilpah,  for  the 
benefit  of  her  health  to  the  newly  discovered,  and  now  famous, 
Congress  Spring  at  "Sarratogua. "  But  the  effort  to  recover  her 
health  proved  fruitless.  She  continued  to  decline  till  death 
released  her. 

DELIGHT,  the  fourth  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  born 
August  23,  1769,  married  Deacon  Enos  Merrill  of  Farmington, 
Conn.,  November  23,  1789.  They  settled  in  Castleton,  Vt., 
where  they  lived  long  and  useful  lives.  They  had  four  children.' 
The  family  possessed  musical  talent,  and  directed  the  singing  on 
all  of  the  social  occasions  of  the  church  for  a  great  many  years. 

Deacon  Enos  Merrill  died  at  Milton,  Vt,  August  9,  1858,  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  died  at  Castleton, 
October  13,  1800.  Their  children  were  : 

Lucy,  Allison,  Owen,  who  removed  to  Ohio  ;  Selah  Higley,  and 
Laura. 

Delight  (Higley)  Merrill's  two  sons  and  two  grandsons  were 
graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vermont. 

Of  their  daughter  LUCY'S  children  was  the  Rev.  Edwin  Hoyt  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich.,  who  was  graduated  in  1836  at  Middlebury.  His  son,  Judge  Birney  Hoyt, 
resides  in  Detroit,  Mich. 

Hon.  SELAH  HIGLEY  MERRILL,  the  second  son  of  Delight  Higley  Merrill,  was 
a  prominent  lawyer  in  Castleton;  register  of  Probate,  1814,  1823,  1829,  1837; 
representative  to  the  State  Legislature  1831-38  ;  and  States  attorney  1829-37.  He 
died  1839. 

LAURA,  her  youngest  daughter,  married  Professor  Henry  Howe,  who  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  Canandaigua  Academy,  New  York,  for  twenty-four  years.  He  died 
in  1865,  He  was  graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  in  1817. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

ERASTUS   HIGLEY. 
Continued  from  page  171. 

Erastus,  Brewster,  sd,   Brewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
By  Rev.  Henry  Post  Higley,  D.  D. 

Blessed  the  natures  shored  on  every  side 
With  landmarks  of  hereditary  thought ! 
Thrice  happy  they  that  wonder  not  life-long 
Beyond  near  succor  of  the  household  faith. 
The  guarded  fold  that  shelters,  not  confines  '. 
Their  steps  find  patience  in  familiar  paths, 
Printed  with  hope  hy  loved  feet  gone  before 
Of  parent,  child,  or  lover. 

— THE  CATHEDRAL. 

ERASTUS  HIGLEY  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  May  16,  1772. 
He  was  the  sixth  of  ten  children  born  to  Brewster,  3d,  and  Esther 
Owen  Higley — Brewster,  4th,  the  first  born,  and  himself  being 
the  only  sons.  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  the  father,  removed  with 
the  eight  children  then  born,  from  Simsbury,  Conn.,  to  Castleton, 
Vt.,  1779,  and  settled  upon  the  farm  that  was  to  have  the  Higley 
title  plowed  in,  by  a  little  more  than  a  hundred  years  of  occu- 
pancy, extending  from  himself  to  children  of  the  fifth  generation. 

Erastus  would  have  been  a  boy  of  seven  when  the  journey  was 
made  to  the  new  home.  He  was  not  old  enough  to  bear  any 
part  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  but  his  child-memory  reached 
back  to  those,  times.  Once,  when  the  family  were  removed  for  a 
little  while  from  home  for  their  safety,  he  carefully  hid  his  store 
of  beech-nuts  from  the  Britishers,  to  find  them  gone  when  he 
returned,  nicely  shelled  by  deermice. 

Following  the  example  of  his  father  and  the  two  preceding 
Brewsters,  Erastus  chose  an  Esther  to  be  queen  of  his  kingdom. 
October  9,  1798,  Erastus  Higley  and  Esther  Anna  Guernsey  were 
married.  He  was  twenty-six  years  of  age;  she  a  few  months 
older.  Erastus  Higley  was  called  "a  man  of  good  judgment,"  in 
after  years.  He  never  showed  it  more  plainly  than  in  the  choice 
of  his  wife.  Fifty-nine  years  of  married  life  followed,  wedded  to 
one  who  lives  in  the  memory  of  her  grandchildren,  as  nearly 

«43 


244  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

perfect  as  it  is  given  to  woman  to  attain.  In  stature  she  was 
rather  below  medium  height,  slight  and  yet  compact ;  in  manner 
quiet  and  self-contained  ;  a  gentle  spirit,  well  balanced  with  firm- 
ness, love,  and  truth,  to  which  was  joined  rare  common  sense; 
practical  skill  and  judgment  were  well-nigh  lost  sight  of  in  that 
deeper  spiritual  insight  which  only  they  attain  whose  lives  know 
the  same  companionship  that  marked  the  patriarch  Enoch.  What 
a  blessed  grandmother  she  was  ! 

Seven  years  after  this  marriage,  the  death  of  the  father  left 
Erastus  Higley,  at  thirty-three  years  of  age,  with  the  full  care 
of  a  varied  business  on  his  hands. 

Beside  farming  and  stock-raising,  they  had  two  years  before 
undertaken  a  carding  machine  and  fulling-mill  business,  and  a 
grist-mill  and  marble  sawing  were  added. 

He  was  one  of  the  company  that  built  the  dam  on  Castleton 
River  at  the  village.  He  sold  his  interest  in  the  water-power  to 
S.  H.  Langdon  in  1835.  Building  had  a  large  place  in  his  life. 
The  forests  were  cut  down  to  furnish  a  place  for  pasturage  and 
crops,  but  construction  turned  much  of  the  forests  into  per- 
manent shelter  and  use.  A  large  barn  was  built,  while  smaller 
barns,  sheds,  and  fences  filled  out  a  full  line  of  such  production. 
The  chief  work  of  all  was  the  substantial  and  spacious  brick  house 
completed  in  1812.  A  large  cider-mill  was  built,  and  a  still  pre- 
pared to  manufacture  cider-brandy,  but  the  opening  of  the  tem- 
perance reformation  won  his  approval,  and  mill  and  still  were 
never  used  save  as  the  former  became  a  barn. 

The  following,  taken  from  the  address  of  his  grandson,  Professor 
Edwin  Hall  Higley,  at  the  Higley  reunion  held  at  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  in  1890,  is  here  inserted  : 

"  The  quantity  of  self-denial  shown  in  thus  giving  up  the  cider  business  can  be 
appreciated  only  when  one  recalls  the  excessive  use  of  spirituous  beverages  which 
then  prevailed  among  all  people,  and  on  all  public  and  private  occasions.  The 
cellar  of  the  brick  house  which  Erastus  Higley  completed  in  1812,  was  designed 
with  especial  reference  to  the  reception  of  cider.  It  was  deep  and  cool  and  spa- 
cious, and  divided  into  numerous  rooms,  alcoves,  and  recesses.  It  was  all  floored  with 
broad,  smooth  slabs  of  slate-stone,  and  in  some  places  stone  shelves  stood  along  the 
walls.  Here  the  cider  and  the  other  preparations  of  apple-juice  were  to  be  stored, 
and  the  fame  of  Deacon  Brewster,  2d's,  large  cider  mill  and  distillery  was  to  be 
revived.  Fifty  barrels  was  the  regular  annual  supply  for  the  family.  This  amount 
was  not  consumed,  however,  by  the  Higleys  alone.  On  Sundays,  during  the  recess 
between  the  morning  and  afternoon  sermons,  all  the  church-goers  who  lived  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  meeting-house  used  to  repair  regularly  to  Deacon  Higley's  for  a  little 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ZD.  245 

bodily  refreshment.  Huge  pans  filled  with  doughnuts  (prepared  on  the  preceding 
Saturday)  and  mugs  of  cider  were  consumed  on  these  occasions.  Mrs.  Zeruah 
Caswell,  a  granddaughter  of  Brewster,  3d,  who  is  still  living  (1895),  well  remem- 
bers the  scene  when  these  large  companies  were  assembled  on  a  Sunday  noon, 
warming  their  mugs  of  cider  in  the  embers  of  the  enormous  fireplace.  That  no 
secular  thoughts  or  conversation  might  arise  to  disturb  the  sanctity  of  the  day, 
someone  always  read  aloud  from  a  volume  of  sermons  during  the  progress  of  these 
solemnities.  A  book  of  sermons  which  was  kept  for  this  use  is  still  preserved  in  the 
family.  When,  however,  as  above  stated,  the  New  England  conscience  became 
generally  aroused  to  the  dangers  resulting  from  strong  drink,  the  cider  was  given 
up,  and  the  huge  wooden  screws  and  other  timbers  for  the  presses  were  piled  away 
in  a  barn  where  we  boys  used  to  play.  The  barrels  still  remained  in  the  various 
rooms  and  alcoves  of  the  cellar,  barrels  of  different  sorts  and  sizes,  some  stout  and 
some  slender,  others  long  and  queer-shaped,  which  had  served  for  the  divers  brands 
of  cider,  cider  brandy,  and  apple-jack  in  the  old  days.  But  they  were  empty  and 
covered  with  dust  and  cobwebs,  and  we  grew  up  to  regard  them  as  a  conventional 
furnishing  for  a  cellar,  but  as  having  no  conceivable  use." 

The  brick  house  of  1812  has  been  the  Higley  home  for  more 
than  seventy-five  years.  Counting  children,  it  has  well  served 
four  generations,  who  have  known  its  shelter,  comfort,  rest,  and 
cheer;  its  condition  giving  promise  of  a  long  future  yet. 

No  notice  of  the  "  subject  of  this  sketch  "  would  be  complete 
that  did  not  recall  his  unusual  physical  strength.  He  was  a  well 
built  man  of  about  six  feet  in  height,  but  if  one  may  believe  the 
stories  told  of  him,  he  had  muscles  of  steel.  Such  items  as  these 
could  be  gleaned:  a  balky  horse  felled  by  a  blow  of  his  fist;  logs 
loaded,  by  himself  and  a  big  Irishman  in  his  employ,  as  other  men 
would  handle  rails  ;  medical  students  caught  plundering  his 
orchard  tossed  headlong  over  the  fence.  Rev.  John  Spaulding 
writes  of  him  "while  he  was  Sheriff  of  Rutland  County  a  man 
in  the  neighborhood  committed  a  crime  which  shocked  and  deeply 
stirred  the  vengeance  of  the  whole  community.  Armed  to  the 
teeth  the  criminal  fled  to  the  fields,  threatening  death  to  any- 
one who  should  lay  hands  on  him.  Sheriff  Higley  had  the  nerve 
to  tame,  and  the  muscular  strength  to  lodge  him  in  prison." 

The  estimate  of  his  fellow-citizens  was  shown  in  various  offices 
and  trusts,  which  he  filled  with  fidelity  and  honor.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1839  and  in  1840.  He  was 
made  Judge  of  Probate  in  1814  and  again  in  1821  and  in  1823. 

Whatever  his  early  training  may  have  been,  he  was  a  man  of 
substantial  culture,  by  virtue  of  his  associations,  his  reading,  and 
his  own  thinking.     Even  in  his  old  age  he  became  interested  and 
well  informed  in  the  then  advancing  science  of  geology. 
17 


246  THE  HIG LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

He  was  a  man  that  had  earnest  convictions  on  all  matters  of 
public  interest.  He  was  a  zealous  Whig — the  last  colt  raised  on 
the  farm  while  it  was  under  his  supervision  was  named  "  Zachary 
Taylor  "  ! 

He  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  with  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions. When  occasion  demanded  he  aided  with  the  business 
of  the  underground  railroad. 

In  a  great  revival  in  Castleton,  Erastus  Higley  and  Esther 
Anna,  his  wife,  with  their  sons,  Harvey  and  Nelson,  were  part 
of  a  company  of  ninety-one  who  confessed  Christ,  and  joined  the 
Congregational  Church,  an  February  2,  1817. 

In  1834,  he  was  chosen  deacon,  and  served  the  church  in  that 
office  till  his  death,  twenty-seven  years  after.  He  was  a  con- 
scientious and  intelligent  Christian,  a  liberal  supporter  of  the 
gospel,  an  earnest,  faithful,  and  judicious  officer  of  the  church. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley, 
in  the  fifteen  years  following  their  marriage.  The  mother  out- 
lived all  but  two  of  these,  and  the  father  all  but  one.  Thus  come 
trial  and  sorrow  as  well  as  blessing. 

"  Bits  of  brightening  and  of  darkening, 
Bits  of  weariness  and  of  rest, 
All  the  hoping  and  despairing, 
Of  the  full  or  hollow  breast. 
With  these  is  life  begun  and  closed, 
Of  these  its  strange  mosaic  composed." 

Financial  embarrassments  were  also  in  his  old  age  a  sore  dis- 
appointment to  this  strong,  and  for  that  period  successful,  man. 
Even  with  the  burden  of  increasing  years  he  chafed  at  any  limi- 
tation of  his  strength.  His  health  was  impaired  by  a  partial  sun- 
stroke, and  perhaps  by  the  too  little  caution  to  which  his  strength 
and  ardor  inclined  him.  From  this  cause  came  a  check  upon 
accumulation  ;  there  was  added  an  unfortunate  interest  in  a 
bank,  which  was  almost  wrecked  by  a  cashier  ;  a  root  (Root)  of 
trouble  that  it  took  in  the  end  a  good  part  of  the  farm  to  root 
out.  Yet  amid  these  clouds  of  life  there  was  a  silver  lining  in 
their  perfected  discipline:  very  clearly  it  shone  in  the  aged 
grandmother,  as  she  grew  ripe  in  faith  and  grace  and  beauty 
of  character  for  the  waiting  home  in  heaven.  Not  many  saw  a 
tender  side  to  Judge  Erastus  Higley.  Yet  a  grandson  remembers 
how  it  did  appear  even  in  the  midst  of  these  annoyances. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ^D.  247 

Speaking  of  this  bank  loss  the  old  man  said  :  "  I  ought  to  have 
heeded  your  grandmother  when  she  cried  and  begged  me  not  to 
mortgage  the  farm.  She  always  knew  best,  and  gave  me  sound 
advice.  I  thought  I  knew  better  than  she  about  such  business, 
fool  that  I  was  ;  I  was  mistaken,  and  she  was  right."  The  tears 
and  tones  of  these  words  made  them  a  tribute  to  a  faithful  wife, 
and  told  how  the  heart  of  her  husband  rested  in  her. 

Both  lived  to  pass  well  beyond  the  boundary  of  fourscore  years, 
going  from  useful  lines  to  the  welcome  and  reward  that  awaits 
those  who  had  sought  faithfully  to  serve  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Erastus  Higley  died  September  3,  1861. 

Esther  Anna  Higley,  his  wife,  died  November  13,  1857.  They 
rest  side  by  side  in  the  Castleton  cemetery. 


The  seven  children  born  to  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley 
were: 

Sarah  Maria,  Hervey  Owen,  Nelson,  Zilpah,  Esther  Ann,  Erne- 
line,  and  Columbus. 

SARAH  MARIA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  born  January  27,  1799,  married  Marquis 
de  Lafayette  Hooker  April  7,  1825.  He  was  born  February  22, 1792.  Mr.  Hooker 
was  a  widower  with  two  children  ;  he  was  a  descendant  of  the  noted  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  the  founder  of  Hartford,  Conn.  They  resided  in  Hampton,  N.  Y. 

Marquis  de  Hooker  died  August  18,  1831,  leaving  with  his  widow  five  children, 
three  of  whom  died  of  scarlet  fever  within  one  week.  Sarah  M.  (Higley)  Hooker 
married,  second,  March  9,  1841,  Joseph  Morse  of  Poultney,  Vt.,  where  she  resided 
the  remainder  of  her  life.  She  died  August  22,  1860. 

NELSON  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley,  was  born 
October  6,  1803,  and  prepared  for  college  in  the  Rutland  County  Grammar  School, 
Castleton,  Vt.,  the  oldest  chartered  school  in  the  State,  and  was  graduated  from 
Middlebury  (Vt.)  College  in  1826.  He  chose  the  ministry  for  his  profession. 
During  his  theological  studies  the  succeeding  three  years,  his  health  became  im- 
paired, which  he  never  recovered.  He  was  ordained  in  1829.  Though  the  hand  of 
death  was  visibly  upon  him,  his  spirit  was  firm  in  its  purpose  and  he  preached — 
supplying  destitute  churches — three  years  without  a  settled  parish.  His  strength 
then  succumbed.  He  died  March  19,  1832.  He  never  married. 

ZILPAH,  the  fourth  child  of  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley,  was  born 
November  5,  1805.  She  received  a  good  education  at  the  Rutland  Grammar 
School  in  Castleton.  On  May  12,  1835,  she  became  the  third  wife  of  Josiah  Per- 
kins, M.  D.,  who  was  then  the  Dean  of  the  Castleton  Medical  College,  and  a  physi- 
cian highly  honored  by  the  profession.  Her  married  life  covered  a  period  of  less 
than  one  year.  She  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  Mary  Amelia  Zilpah  Perkins,  dying 
in  childbirth,  March  25,  1836. 

Her  daughter  married  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  P.  Gilbert  of  Pittsford,  September 


248  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

29,  1860,  and  went  immediately  to  Santiago,  Chili,  where  five  daughters  were 
born  to  them.  The  date  of  her  death  has  not  been  given. 

ESTHER  ANN,  the  fifth  child  of  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 25,  1808,  and  died  aged  seventeen.  Her  father  writes  :  "She  had  a  strong 
and  retentive  memory,  which  rendered  her  capable  of  unusual  progress  in  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  in  whatever  branch  she  pursued." 

Without  extraordinary  advantages  she  excelled  in  the  studies  that  were  then 
commonly  taught  in  the  schools,  and  in  English  literature  ;  and  had  few  rivals  in  her 
style  of  English  composition.  With  little  assistance  she  acquired  French  so  that 
she  read  and  translated  it  into  English  with  much  facility.  Before  she  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  she  committed  to  memory  and  recited  the  Gospels  of  St.  Matthew, 
St.  Mark,  and  St.  John,  the  Acts,  Romans,  First  Corinthians,  and  a  part  of  Second 
Corinthians. 

In  her  fourteenth  year  she  made  public  profession  of  religion.  She  died  in  the 
Christian  faith,  March  4,  1825. 

EMELINE,  the  sixth  child  of  Erastus  and  Esther  Anna  Higley,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 22,  1810,  and  died  June  20,  1817. 

COLUMBUS,  the  seventh  and  youngest  child,  born  August  13,  1813,  died  April  12, 
1815. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

REV.    HERVEY    OWEN    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  247. 

By  his  son,  Professor  Edwin  Hall  Higley. 

Hervey  Owen,  Erastus,  Brewster,  3d,  Brewster,  ad,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
One  generation  passeth  away,  and  another  generation  cometh. — ECCLESIASTICUS  i,  iv. 

HERVEY  OWEN  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Erastus  and  Esther 
Anna  Higley,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vt.,  July  14,  1801.  His  first 
home  was  the  "  Southmayd  House,"  where  his  parents  had  made 
their  home  since  their  marriage  in  1798.  In  1805  occurred  the 
death  of  his  grandfather,  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  when  his  parents 
returned  to  the  "old  red  house,"  and  resided  with  the  mother 
till  1811,  when  the  new  brick  house  was  built,  in  which  members 
of  the  family  dwelt  until  1886. 

Hervey  was  the  second  child  of  his  parents.  He  was  of  a  quick 
and  thoughtful  disposition,  and  possessed  of  a  retentive  memory 
from  his  earliest  years.  He  had  a  distinct  remembrance  of  his 
grandmother,  Guernsey,  who  died  when  he  was  but  three  years 
old.  He  vividly  remembered  a  reproof  for  wastefulness  which 
the  old  lady  gave  him,  warning  him  that  God  looked  with  dis- 
favor upon  those  who  wantonly  destroyed  any  of  his  good  crea- 
tions. Seventy  years  after  he  recounts  this  early  lesson,  suggest- 
ing that  the  impression  then  received  might  have  been  the  origin 
of  an  overcautiousness  about  "  saving  the  fragments  that  nothing 
be  lost."  Other  reminiscences  which  he  recorded  of  his  child- 
hood show  him  to  have  been  peculiarly  sensitive  to  anything 
involving  rebuke  or  humiliation.  Owing  to  his  father's  positive 
and  incisive  character,  opportunities  for  such  impressions  were 
doubtless  somewhat  frequent. 

In  1874,  commenting  upon  some  of  his  early  memories,  Hervey 
wrote:  "  Parents  should  as  much  beware  of  exposing  their  child 
to  too  deep  a  sense  of  shame  on  the  one  hand,  as  of  cultivating 
vanity  on  the  other." 

Partly  as  a  result  of  the  home  influences,  and  partly  no  doubt 
as  an  inheritance,  his  disposition  was  early  shy,  shrinking,  and 

249 


250  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

bashful,  characteristics  which  he  felt  to  be  a  burden  throughout 
his  whole  life.  His  boyhood,  however,  was  a  happy  one,  and  en- 
livened with  much  social  visiting  and  intercourse  among  the 
numerous  cousins — the  Roots,  Campbells,  Merrills,  Guernseys, 
Denisons,  the  Porter  and  Cross  families,  who  all  dwelt  in  or  near 
Castleton. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1811,  just  as  the  new  brick  house — the 
old  Higley  homestead — was  commenced,  he  planted  near  the  west 
door  a  maple  tree,  which  has  grown  to  large  proportions,  and  is 
still  standing  (1892). 

In  1817  a  deep  religious  interest  spread  over  Castleton,  and  on 
February  2  eighty-six  persons  united  with  the  church — the  Con- 
gregational. Among  these  were  Erastus  Higley  and  his  wife  and 
their  three  eldest  children,  Sarah,  Hervey,  and  Nelson. 

Some  two  or  three  years  later  Hervey  was  pursuing  his  studies 
in  the  Rutland  County  Grammar  School  in  Castleton,  and  was 
urged  by  his  preceptor,  Henry  Howe,  to  prepare  for  college. 

In  those  days  a  religious  lad  rarely  went  to  college  unless  with 
the  view  to  becoming  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  And  after  much 
prayerful  consideration,  he  decided  to  study  for  the  sacred  pro- 
fession. 

He  entered  college  at  Middlebury,  Vt.,  in  1822  as  a  sophomore, 
and  was  graduated  in  1825.  He  was  distinguished  for  scholar- 
ship during  his  college  course,  and  received  the  valedictory  honor 
at  graduation. 

A  fine  critical  discernment  in  philological  and  literary  matters 
was  his  prominent  intellectual  trait,  which  he  retained  to  after 
years.  He  carried  the  habit  of.  self-criticism  to  an  extreme 
which  he  believed  to  have  hindered  him  in  his  subsequent  labors. 
"How  often,"  he  writes,  "have  I  detected  myself  hesitating, 
when  addressing  a  public  assembly,  to  speak  the  word  in  mind, 
questioning  if  another  word  would  not  be  more  appropriate  or 
felicitious." 

He  formed  many  close  friendships  during  his  college  life  with 
men  whom  he  ever  afterward  held  in  high  esteem  and  affection, 
and  some  of  whom,  in  after  years,  attained  great  eminence. 

In  March,  1825,  shortly  before  his  graduation,  the  family  life 
was  saddened  by  the  death  of  his  sister,  Esther  Ann,  seventeen 
years  of  age  and  of  unusual  promise,  as  her  sprightly  letters  and 
essays  show. 

Hervey  was  much  affected  by  this  parting,  and  writes  of  "the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY^D.  251 

views  he  then  had  of  the  vanity  and  worthlessness  of  earthly 
good,  and  the  inexpressible  value  of  true  religion." 

After  leaving  college  he  taught  in  the  Academy  at  St.  Albans, 
Vt,  with  pleasure  and  success.  He  then  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Andover.  Dr.  Ebenzer  Porter,  the  senior  professor 
at  Andover,  was  a  brother  of  Jared  Porter,  who  had  married 
Harley  Higley,  an  aunt  of  Hervey,  and  Professor  Porter,  through 
this  relationship,  was  led  to  take  a  special  interest  in  him  during 
his  studies  at  Andover. 

These  studies  were  entered  upon  and  continued  with  delight. 
Concerning  them  he  afterward  wrote:  "The  Hebrew  language, 
while  it  was  the  treasure-house  of  such  important  truths,  was 
rich  enough  in  rhetorical  and  philological  beauties  to  make  every 
lesson  a  feast."  He  found,  too,  an  "absorbing  interest  in  the 
exegesis  of  the  New  Testament,  pursuing  the  precise  sense  and 
meaning  of  the  words  used  by  evangelist  and  prophet." 

At  this  time  he  made  an  index  to  one  of  Professor  Porter's 
published  works,  for  which  a  note  of  acknowledgment  from  Dr. 
Porter  is  preserved. 

In  his  senior  year  his  classmate  Henry  Little  (afterward  the 
well  known  Home  Mission  Secretary  of  Indiana),  invited  him  to 
join  him  in  a  sleigh  ride  of  fifty  miles  to  his  home  at  Bascomen, 
N.  H.  The  invitation  was  accepted.  Some  seven  miles  from 
the  house  they  stopped  at  a  ladies'  school  which  Henry  Little's 
sister  Sarah  was  attending  ;  the  sister  was  persuaded  to  become  a 
third  inmate  of  the  sleigh  and  accompany  them  to  the  homestead. 

Thus  a  pleasant  acquaintance  was  commenced,  and  the  days  of 
the  furlough  seemed  too  short.  The  acquaintance  was  continued 
by  correspondence,  and  a  marriage  engagement  ensued. 

After  he  was  graduated  at  Andover,  Hervey  Owen  Higley  was 
ordained  as  an  evangelist  by  the  Newburyport  Presbytery,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1829,  at  Boston. 

Fifteen  others  commissioned  for  home  and  foreign  missionary 
work  were  ordained  at  the  same  time.  The  choice  of  a  field  for 
future  labor  had  received  much  thought.  He  felt  strongly  the 
claim  of  the  foreign  field,  and  his  facility  in  acquiring  a  new 
language  was  urged  by  his  friends  as  an  indication  of  his  fitness 
for  such  labor. 

But  after  much  prayer  and  consultation  with  his  parents  and 
friends,  he  decided  for  home  missionary  work  in  the  sparsely 
settled  State  of  Ohio. 


252  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1829,  he  was  married  to  Sarah 
Gerrish  Little,  and  after  a  visit  to  his  parents  they  set  out  on 
their  three  weeks'  journey  to  Ohio.  They  went  by  stage  from 
Poultney,  Vt,  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  thence  to  Schenectady,  where 
they  embarked  on  the  "safe  waters  of  the  Erie  Canal."  This 
brought  them  to  Lockport,  whence  they  journeyed  by  stage  via 
Niagara  Falls  to  Buffalo.  At  Buffalo  they  took  a  sailboat  to 
Cleveland,  O.  There  they  again  took  a  canalboat  going  to  Mas- 
silon,  O.,  and  from  thence  by  stage  to  Granville,  Licking  County, 
where  their  brother,  Jacob  Little,  was  already  established. 

During  the  next  seven  years  Mr.  Higley  became  familiar  with 
all  the  hardships  and  experiences  of  home  missionary  life  in  a 
new  country.  Long  rides  on  horseback  over  muddy  roads, 
through  swollen  rivers  and  dense  forests  ;  preaching  in  rude 
structures  of  logs,  and  laboring  among  a  rough  and  heteroge- 
neous population,  made  up  his  daily  life. 

His  first  parish  was  Georgetown,  near  the  Ohio  River.  The 
inhabitants  were  largely  from  Kentucky,  without  much  receptivity 
for  Yankees  or  New  England  ideas  on  temperance,  Bible  classes, 
or  general  decorum,  and  still  less  for  their  notions  about  taste 
and  refinement. 

Mr.  Higley  labored  among  this  inharmonious  people  for  a  year 
with  moderate  success,  and  then  removed  to  Hartford,  Licking 
County,  where  he  saw  his  church  increase  under  his  ministration 
from  twenty-four  to  one  hundred  within  three  years. 

In  1835  his  health  succumbed  to  the  continued  fever  and  ague 
contracted  during  the  first  year  at  Georgetown.  He  made  a 
journey  to  Peoria,  111.,  whither  another  brother-in-law  had  gone, 
and  for  a  time  the  question  of  going  to  this  farther  and  newer 
region,  or  of  returning  to  Vermont  for  a  season  of  rest  and 
recruiting,  hung  in  the  balance.  The  decease  of  his  brother 
Nelson,  his  brother-in-law  Hooker,  and  sister  Zilpah,  leaving  his 
father  and  mother  quite  bereft,  decided  the  question,  and  in  the 
early  summer  of  1836  he  returned  to  the  Castleton  home.  Here 
he  dwelt  until  his  death  in  1878.  His  health  was  partially  restored 
after  his  return  to  Vermont,  but  it  was  never  strong. 

The  influence  of  his  life  in  the  home,  the  church,  and  the  social 
and  intellectual  world  about  him  cannot  be  adequately  chronicled. 
Who  can  make  a  summary  of  the  good  accomplished  in  forty 
years  of  noble  Christian  living  ? 

The  "hired  men  "  employed  in  his  service  were  usually  con- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY.ZD.  253 

verted  during  their  stay  with  him,  and,  if  capable,  were  encouraged 
to  make  effort  for  more  education  and  fit  themselves  as  useful 
members  of  society.  He  filled  and  magnified  the  office  of  super- 
intendent of  the  Castleton  schools.  Many  teachers  would  bear 
testimony  to  his  helpfulness  in  their  work.  He  was  clerk  of  the 
Castleton  Congregational  Church  for  thirty  years.  In  1847  ne 
accepted  the  office  of  deacon,  an  office  which  had  been  held  in 
the  same  church  by  his  father,  grandfather,  and  two  great-grand- 
fathers before  him. 

It  is  altogether  probable  that  all  the  successive  pastors  with 
whom  he  served  would  concur  in  the  statement  of  the  Rev.  Lewis 
Francis  at  the  Church  Centennial  in  1884  ;  Mr.  Francis  spoke 
thus  of  Deacon  Higley: 

"  A  more  faithful,  godly,  and  able  officer  no  church  could  desire.  A  man  of 
scholarly  ability,  and  educated  for  the  ministry,  he  accepted  the  office  of  deacon,  and 
in  his  kindly  sympathy,  in  his  generous  appreciation  of  his  pastor's  work,  in  his 
untiring  faithfulness,  every  pastor  had  reason  to  rejoice." 

Deacon  Higley  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Castleton  Seminary,  and  was  constantly  watchful  of  its  progress 
and  interests.  He  contributed  occasional  pithy  articles  to  the 
religious  newspapers,  wrote  papers  for  the  Rutland  County 
Conference  of  Ministers,  delivered  interesting  temperance  and 
Sunday  school  addresses,  and  aided  in  all  good  causes  as  much  as 
his  health  would  permit. 

His  classics  never  grew  rusty.  A  knotty  page  of  Latin  was 
sure  of  a  graceful  translation  at  any  call,  and  his  Greek  Testa- 
ment was  a  portion  of  his  daily  reading. 

He  died  after  a  brief  illness,  by  a  sudden  attack  of  pneumonia, 
April  4,  1878,  and  was  interred  in  Castleton  cemetery,  where  a 
suitable  monument  marks  the  spot. 

His  classmate  and  lifelong  correspondent,  the  Rev.  John 
Spaulding,  D.  D.,  writes:  "The  analysis  of  such  a  character 
strongly  reveals  the  noble  virtues  of  sincerity,  integrity,  faith- 
fulness, and  usefulness."  The  following  lines  are  from  the  poem 
by  Rev.  George  F.  Hunting,  delivered  at  the  Castleton  Cen- 
tennial, 1884: 

"  And  lo,  another,  long  revered, 
Stanch  Deacon  Higley,  calm  and  wise  ; 
I  mark  his  slow,  deliberate  speech, 
And  see  the  kindness  in  his  eyes. 


254  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

He  stood  beside  the  stream  of  life, 
A  sturdy  oak,  so  strong  of  limb 
That  we,  who  sported  on  the  tide, 
And  drifted  over  to  his  side, 
Knew  we  could  moor  our  little  boat, 
And  lie  in  safety,  tied  to  him  !  " 


CHILDREN   OF    THE    REV.    HERVEY    O.    AND  SARAH   GERRISH  (LITTLE) 

HIGLEY. 

EMMA  LITTLE  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Hervey  O.  and 
Sarah  Gerrish  Higley,  was  born  at  Hartford,  Licking  County,  O., 
March  12,  1834. 

Her  birth  took  place  during  the  brief  period  of  the  missionary 
labors  of  her  father  while  her  parents  were  residing  in  the  then 
"backwoods  State." 

On  their  return  to  Vermont  in  the  summer  of  1836,  while  she 
was  yet  the  baby  of  the  household,  she  was  brought  to  Castleton, 
where  she  was  reared  in  the  ancient  Higley  homestead. 

The  seminary  at  Castleton  was  the  scene  of  her  school-life. 
The  inspiration  for  the  "love  of  study,"  for  which  that  honored 
institution  was  famed  in  those  days,  reached  in  her  a  mind 
capable  of  comprehension — and  well  balanced.  She  developed 
into  a  good  and  true  woman,  and  a  teacher  of  fine  ability. 

She  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1852.  In  1868-69  she  taught 
in  the  seminary  from  which  she  was  graduated,  and  soon  after 
one  of  her  pleasing  experiences  was  the  teaching  of  a  select 
school  of  twelve  girls.  For  a  period  covering  fifteen  years 
previous  to  her  removal  to  Middlebury,  Vt.,  Miss  Higley 
occupied  various  spheres  as  a  teacher,  both  in  the  Southern  and 
Middle  States.  Acquainted  with  life  in  its  various  phases,  she 
has  done  much  by  her  wide  experience  and  thoroughness  of  pur- 
pose for  the  advancement  of  the  young,  uplifting  many  a  life  to 
an  elevated  plane,  and  making  it  of  greater  value. 

But  music  was  Miss  Higley's  natural  gift.  From  an  early  age 
it  was  her  genius.  In  this  science  she  has  attained  a  high  degree 
of  excellence,  in  which  her  pleasant  and  agreeable  disposition 
has  proved  a  valuable  factor  in  her  calling. 

The  proof  of  her  well  attested  merits  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  she  occupied  the  position  of  instructor  of  vocal  music 
in  the  Middlebury,  Vt.,  public  schools  for  twenty  successive 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ID.  255 

years — from  1871.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  her 
name  will  exercise  a  lasting  influence  upon  her  music-loving 
pupils. 

Nothing  in  this  connection  of  her  life  is  more  pleasing  to 
observe  than  the  marked  and  deferential  love  which  the  young 
people  and  children,  especially  her  boy  pupils  approaching  man- 
hood, greet  her  as  she  walks  about  the  town. 

The  town  of  Middlebury,  Vt.,  has  been  her  permanent  home 
for  the  past  ten  years.  Soon  after  her  father's  decease  in  1878, 
she  purchased  here  a  pleasant  cottage  home,  where  she  has  made 
gardening  and  fruit-raising  somewhat  of  a  study,  and  where  she 
is  the  companion  of  her  aged  mother. 

For  several  years,  amid  the  daily  pressure  of  her  profession 
and  cares,  she  engaged  in  collecting  a  quantity  of  genealogical 
material  which  has  been  cheerfully  contributed  to,  and  proved  of 
much  value  in  the  compilation  of  this  work,  in  connection  with  her 
own  branch  of  the  Higley  Family;  she  has  also  been  one  of  the 
leading  movers  in  founding  a  subscription  library  in  the  town,  to 
which  she  devotes  much  of  her  time  and  personal  attention. 

She  became  a  member  of  the  Hawthorne  Club  in  1879,  a 
literary  society  whose  membership  comprises  the  best  talent  and 
culture  of  the  village,  together  with  members  of  the  faculty  of 
Middlebury  College.  Miss  Higley  possesses  a  heart  full  of  gener- 
ous impulses  and  human  tenderness,  and  in  her  nature  there  is 
an  unfailing  fountain  of  juvenility  and  good  spirits,  with  a  strong 
sense  of  humor. 

It  was  in  1851  that  she  enrolled  herself  among  the  list  of 
members  of  the  church  home, — the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  Castleton, — where  for  four  generations,  since  1793,  the  Higley 
Family  of  that  town  have  helped  most  efficiently  to  make  the 
church  a  power  for  good. 

LEAVITT  NELSON  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  the  Rev.  Hervey 
O.  and  Sarah  Gerrish  (Little)  Higley,  was  born  September  19, 
1836,  and  died  November  26,  1837. 

HENRY  POST  HIGLEY,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  the  third  child  and  eldest 
surviving  son  of  the  Rev.  Hervey  Owen  and  Sarah  G.  (Little) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  February  i,  1839.  His 
earliest  associations  were  with  scholarly  people,  and  he  undoubt- 
edly inherited  impulses  for  study.  He  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  long-useful  and  still  efficient  Castleton  Seminary,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  at  seventeen;  in  the  meanwhile,  without  neglecting 


256  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

his  studies,  he  was  taught  to  be  industrious  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  learning  to  perform  the  detail  of  out-of-door  work 
promptly  and  efficiently.  In  his  response  to  an  after-dinner 
toast  at  the  Castleton  school  centennial  some  years  later  in 
life,  he  remarked:  "I  owe  more  than  some  who  have  preceded 
me  to  Castleton  schooling,  for  I  took  lessons  in  open-air  elo- 
cution on  yonder  side  hill,  driving  oxen.  That  picture,  to  the 
southeast,  framed  between  these  two  maples,  showing  just  where 
the  wood-road  enters  the  timber,  reminds  me  what  great  shouts 
it  took  to  get  safely  down  that  hill." 

His  out-of-door  exercise  bore  good  fruit  in  developing  a  fine 
physique,  mental  vigor,  and  a  strong  constitution,  giving  him  also 
a  large  and  broad  comprehension  of  the  real  affairs  of  life,  which 
proved  valuable  toward  his  marked  success  in  his  future  calling. 

In  due  course  of  time  young  Higley  entered  Middlebury  Col- 
lege, taking  the  entire  course,  and  was  graduated  in  1860;  and  in 
1865  he  was  graduated  from  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary, 
Auburn,  N.  Y. 

On  the  completion  of  his  theological  studies  he  was  asked  to 
supply  temporarily  the  then  vacant  pulpit  of  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Beloit,  Wis.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
church  recognized  in  its  temporary  supply  the  man  qualified 
to  become  her  permanent  pastor,  and  accordingly  measures  were 
adopted  which  terminated  in  his  installation  the  following  year, 
1866.  During  the  interval  he  accepted  for  a  few  months  a  small 
charge  at  Vevay,  Ind. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1866,  he  married  Lillie  Maria  Condit 
of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Condit,  who  was  at 
one  time  pastor  at  Longmeadow,  Mass.,  afterward  professor  of 
rhetoric  at  Amherst,  and  later  professor  in  the  Auburn  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  Miss  Condit  was  born  July  29,  1837.  She 
inherited  the  peculiar  charm  of  native  grace  and  gentleness 
which  was  a  chief  characteristic  of  her  honored  father's  life. 
Gifted  with  wisdom,  tact,  and  sympathy,  she  was  a  true  "help- 
meet" in  Dr.  Higley's  peculiar  sphere  of  usefulness — "a  model 
wife  of  a  model  pastor." 

By  the  favor  of  Middlebury  College,  Henry  Post  Higley,  M.  A., 
received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  in  1886. 

Dr.  Higley  remained  in  the  pastorate  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Beloit  twenty-five  years.  The  small  member- 
ship of  90  which  gave  him  an  earnest  welcome  in  1866  increased 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ID.  257 

and  grew.  The  church  building  was  of  necessity  twice  enlarged, 
and  at  the  close  of  his  pastorate,  of  the  633  he  had  received  into 
membership,  420  were  on  profession  of  faith,  many  of  whom  Dr. 
Higley  had  baptized.  To  this  number  might  be  added  a  large 
number  of  persons  who  regularly  attended  divine  services,  but 
who  did  not  enter  the  communion. 

Dr.  Higley's  public  teaching  was  Biblical,  meeting  the  purpose 
of  life  :  it  was  clear,  earnest,  effective,  and  to  the  heart.  The 
result  was  life  and  vitality  in  the  church. 

His  influence  outside  the  parish  was  most  valuable.  In  Beloit 
few  ministers  had  so  many  outside  calls  upon  their  time  and  sym- 
pathy. He  was  on  the  side  of  every  good  cause,  and  while  he,  in 
some  cases,  maintained  an  active  and  armed  protest  against 
virulent  forms  of  evil,  he  preserved  the  love  and  respect  of  his 
fellow-citizens. 

Dr.  Higley  was  a  stanch  friend  and  supporter  of  Beloit  Col- 
lege. His  educational  impulses  enabled  him  to  enter  with  keen 
interest  into  its  development  and  prosperity,  serving  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  for  eighteen  years,  and  much  of  that 
time  being  the  secretary.  His  loyalty  to  the  college  was  only 
equaled  by  his  loyalty  to  his  church;  his  deep  interest  was  never 
found  wanting,  and  his  wise  counsels  and  words  of  advice  will  ever 
prove  to  have  been  of  substantial  value  to  the  institution. 

His  association  and  influence  with  the  Wisconsin  Congrega- 
tional Union,  in  the  proceedings  of  which  he  was  an  active  and 
valuable  member,  will  remain  among  the  pleasant  memories  of  his 
associates. 

There  was  a  strange  commingling  of  joy  and  unfeigned  sorrow 
in  the  hearts  of  his  parishioners,  as  well  as  in  the  hearts  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens, on  the  approach  of  the  two  silver  anniversaries, — 
June  10,  1891 — the  quarter  of  a  century  of  Dr.  Higley's  pastor- 
ate, and  July  26,  1891 — the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Higley;  both  dates  coming  near  each  other. 
Because  of  Mrs.  Higley's  enfeebled  state  of  health,  he  had, 
after  much  serious  deliberation,  decided  that  he  was  compelled 
to  relinquish  his  charge  and  seek  a  more  congenial  climate, 
hoping  for  her  restoration. 

Among  the  social  events  that  had  occurred  in  Beloit  the  last 
twenty-five  years,  none  exceeded  in  interest  the  banquet  which 
celebrated  the  joyful,  yet  sorrowful,  occasion.  It  was  a  social 
gathering  in  its  truest  sense — a  church  family  gathering.  With 


258  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Dr.  Higley's  own  parishioners  came  many  invited  guests  from  far 
and  near,  including  clergyman  and  their  wives,  and  honored  men 
from  other  cities.  The  festive  event  was  made  all  that  perfect 
arrangements  and  extensive  provision,  with  excellent  manage- 
ment, coupled  with  sincere  affection  for  the  pastor  and  his  wife, 
could  make  it. 

It  was  a  happy  moment  to  the  friends  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Higley 
when  they  could  congratulate  them  on  their  silver  marriage  anni- 
versary, and  wish  them  many  happy  returns  of  the  event,  but 
there  was  genuine  sorrow  that  the  hour  of  "  good-by  "  had  come, 
when  they  should  leave  the  church  and  city  where  they  were  so 
much  loved.  At  the  close  of  a  long  and  interesting  programme 
of  proceedings  which  extended  far  into  the  night,  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  stepping  forward  with  a  bag  containing 
a  goodly  quantity  of  silver  coin,  said  in  part  :  "I  have  the 
pleasure,  dear  pastor,  in  behalf  of  this  church  and  society  to 
hand  to  you  this  our  united  tribute  of  affectionate  regard.  We 
ask  you  to  accept  it  not  because  it  measures  our  love  and  esteem 
for  you,  but  because  it  is  a  tribute  made  up  from  the  dimes,  the 
quarters,  the  halves,  and  the  dollars  of  those  who  will  ever  hold 
you  in  kindly  remembrance.  It  comes  from  the  aged,  the 
middle-aged,  the  youth,  the  boys  and  girls,  and  our  infant  class, 
together  with  those  who  have  gone  from  our  midst.  The  band 
then  struck  up  : 

"  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again." 

Dr.  Higley  responded  in  a  few  appropriate  remarks,  and  with 
much  feeling  dismissed  the  large  company  with  his  benediction. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  are  sojourning  at  present  (1893),  in  the 
salubrious  climate  of  Southern  California.  They  have  no 
children. 

PROFESSOR  EDWIN  HALL  HIGLEY,  A.  B.,  A.  M.,  the  fourth 
child  of  Hervey  Owen  and  Sarah  G.  (Little)  Higley,  was  born  at 
Castleton,  Vt,  February  15,  1843.  He  received  his  name  in 
honor  of  his  father's  friend,  Professor  Edwin  Hall.  After  the 
usual  common  school  course,  he  was  sent  to  the  Castleton  Seminary 
in  1856,  under  the  administration  of  the  Rev.  E.  J.  Halleck. 
Among  his  instructors  were  the  Rev.  Stephen  Knowlton  and  Mr. 
Watts,  men  whose  exact  scholarship  and  personal  interest  in  their 
pupil  left  an  abiding  influence. 

In  1858  he  became  a  member  of  the  Castleton  Congregational 


PROF.   EDWIN    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  3Z>.  259 

Church.  He  entered  Middlebury,  Vt,  College,  September,  1860; 
but  inspired  by  a  noble  patriotism,  when  the  trumpet  note  of  battle 
sounded  the  following  year,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War, 
he  withdrew  from  his  studies  while  a  sophomore  and  enlisted. 

At  a  farewell  dinner  given  by  his  classmates  at  the  Addison 
House  on  the  ad  of  October,  1861,  in  honor  of  the  departure  of 
Mr.  Higley  and  his  two  comrades,  John  Williamson  and  H.  D. 
Smith,  for  the  field  of  contest,  in  reply  to  a  parting  address,  Mr. 
Higley  said  in  part:  "Classmates,  there  is  a  divinity  which  shapes 
our  ends.  I  think  there  is  more  work  for  me  to  do  after  the  war 
is  over  ;  I  do  not  go  with  the  expectation  of  never  coming  back. 
I  rely  on  God;  if  he  wills  that  I  survive  the  conflict,  well;  if  not, 
'tis  well — I  am  ready  to  die.  If  any  praise  is  due  for  this  act  of 
mine,  give  it  not  all  to  me;  my  mother  deserves  it.  Listen  to  the 
letter  she  sent  me.  She  says  : 

"  '  I  have  a  good  deal  of  sympathy,  my  son,  with  your  feeling  that  fifty  years  hence 
you  will  be  ashamed  to  say  that  neither  of  my  three  sons  lifted  a  finger  in  the  hour 
of  our  country's  peril.  Though  you  know  very  little  of  the  hardships  before  you, 
doubtless  you  can  bear  them  as  well  as  others.  If  you  feel  it  your  duty  to  go,  I 
should  be  sorry  to  stand  in  your  way  ;  Go,  and  may  God  bless  youy  keep  you,  and 
bring  you  safely  back — but  especially  may  you  be  kept  from  the  evil  influences 
around  you,  and  may  you  never  allow  a  spirit  of  revenge  to  dwell  for  a  moment  in 
your  breast.' 

"I  go,  classmates,"  said  Higley,  "feeling  that  I  am  attended 
by  my  mother's  blessing." 

He  was  mustered  into  service  with  the  ist  Regiment,  Vermont 
Cavalry,  November  19,  1861,  a  regiment  made  up  almost  entirely 
of  native  Vermonters.  The  regiment  attained  a  notable  history, 
fully  deserving  the  encomiums  it  received,  and  sustaining  the 
characteristics  of  the  Vermonters  pointed  out  in  the  old-time 
geographies: 

"  Vermont  is  famous  for  men 
And  women,  and  horses,  and  sugar. 
The  first  are  strong,  the  third  are  fleet, 
The  second  and  fourth  exceedingly  sweet, 
And  all  exceedingly  hard  to  beat." 

Edwin  Hall  Higley  was  elected  orderly  sergeant  of  Company 
R  at  the  outset.  He  was  early  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant, and  later  on  received  his  commission  as  captain.  He  was 
finally  breveted  major  of  his  regiment  for  meritorious  conduct. 

He  took  part  in  many  battles  and  finally  found  himself  a  prisoner 


260  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  war  incarcerated  in  the  famous  Libby  Prison  at  Richmond,  Va. 
Of  his  direful  experiences  here  during  nine  weary  months,  dragged 
out  through  almost  hopeless  days,  little  will  be  learned  from  these 
pages,  interesting  as  the  narrative  would  prove  to  be.  The  dark 
battle-cloud  then  covering  this  nation  has  fully  cleared.  Heaven's 
descending  dew  of  peace  and  reconciliation  has  fallen  upon  every 
section  of  our  country — fallen  alike  upon  the  "  Blue  and  the  Gray, " 
all  having  taken  hands  again  in  fraternal  union  and  expressions 
of  sympathy  between  the  victors  and  the  vanquished  ;  and 
Professor  Higley,  true  to  the  wise  admonitions  of  his  beloved 
mother,  "  never  to  allow  a  spirit  of  revenge  to  dwell  for  a  moment 
in  his  breast,"  bears  no  ignoble  prejudice  or  bitterness  in  his 
memory  of  the  scenes  in  Southern  prison  life — he  will  not  nar- 
rate them. 

After  having  taken  honorable  part  in  the  entire  campaign  of 
the  war,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service,  May,  1865.  He  re-entered 
Middlebury  College  the  same  year,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1868. 

Immediately  after  completing  his  college  course,  he  became  a 
teacher  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  where  he  continued  till  1872,  and 
during  this  period,  on  the  2d  of  June,  1870,  he  married  Jane 
Shepard  Turner  of  Middlebury.  She  was  born  February  12, 

1845. 

In  1872  he  became  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  Middlebury 
College,  Professor  of  Greek  and  German,  remaining  in  this 
position  till  1882,  when  he  went  to  Leipsic,  Germany,  where  for 
three  years  he  added  to  his  earlier  achievements  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  language.  Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1885, 
Professor  Higley  was  appointed  Master  of  Greek  and  German  in 
Groton  School,  near  Worcester,  Mass.,  which  position  he  con- 
tinues acceptably  to  fill  (1895),  taking  rank  as  a  superior 
instructor. 

In  recognition  of  his  scholarly  attainments,  Middlebury 
College,  in  1871,  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts. 

Professor  Higley  has  devoted  himself  to  a  very  considerable 
degree  to  music,  enjoying  a  high  reputation  among  those  possess- 
ing unusual  attainments. 

Music  is  in  him.  Among  the  Americans  who  have  won  honors 
in  Germany  his  composition  has  excited  favorable  attention. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  performed  on  the  organ  during  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY ,%D.  261 

services  in  the  church  at  Castleton,  and  for  many  years  was  the 
organist  and  musical  director  of  the  Central  Church  in  Worcester, 
Mass. 

It  was  a  high  day  in  Castleton,  Vt.,  June  7,  1884,  when  on  the 
completion  of  a  century  of  church  life  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  that  town  celebrated  the  epoch. 

For  four  generations,  since  Deacon  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  became 
associated  with  the  founding  of  the  church  in  1793,  the  Higley 
family  had  been  represented  in  its  board  of  deacons.  Brewster 
Higley,  3d,  was  the  second  deacon  elected;  his  son  Judge  Erastus 
Higley  was  for  twenty-seven  years,  from  1834  to  1861,  an  officer 
of  the  church,  and  from  1847  to  1878,  Hervey,  the  son  of  Judge 
Erastus,  served  as  deacon;  then  the  mantle  fell  upon  the  youngest 
son  of  Hervey,  Alfred  Higley  of  the  present  generation. 

For  this  most  interesting  occasion,  Professor  Edwin  Hall 
Higley  composed  the  following  centennial  hymn  with  the 
music,  which  was  sung  by  both  choir  and  congregation,  and 
afterward  published  for  preservation  in  the  Historical  Com- 
memoration Proceedings.  On  announcing  the  hymn,  the  presid- 
ing member  "counted  it  most  fortunate  that  a  son  of  the  church 
was  moved  to  be  the  psalmist  of  the  occasion." 

"  In  vain  the  watchman  waketh, 

And  keepeth  constant  ward. 
Unless  Jehovah  taketh 

The  city  in  his  guard. 
This  lesson  from  the  Psalter 

Our  fathers  heeded  well, 
And  built  to  God  an  altar 

When  here  they  came  to  dwell. 

"  Here  'midst  the  forest's  rudeness 

Amid  the  eternal  hills 
They  joined  to  bless  the  goodness 

Of  Him  who  all  things  fills. 
The  voice  of  exhortation, 

Of  prayer  and  praise  was  heard. 
They  laid  their  homes'  foundations 

Upon  God's  Holy  Word. 

"  Thou  whom  the  Fathers  trusted, 

Still  for  their  children  care  ! 
Their  armor  yet  unrusted 
May  we  with  courage  wear  ! 

H 


262  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

O  may  we  never  falter 

To  face  the  self-same  foe, 
With  those  who  built  this  altar 

A  hundred  years  ago  !  " 

Professor  Higley  was  called  to  preside  over  the  after-dinner 
exercises,  which,  on  calling  the  gathering  to  order,  he  opened  by 
a  happy  speech. 

During  the  reminiscences  given,  the  fact  was  brought  out  that 
forty  years  before  (1844)  the  Sunday  school  was  marched  as 
a  cold  water  army,  with  badges  and  banners,  from  the  church  to 
seats  and  a  collation  under  Judge  Higley's  wide-spreading  butter- 
nut trees;  the  badges  bearing  the  words:  "Here  we  pledge  per- 
petual hate  to  all  that  can  intoxicate."  An  immense  roll  of 
signatures  to  the  temperance  pledge  was  'displayed  in  the  show 
window  of  a  jewelry  store  in  the  town. 

At  the  general  reunion  of  the  Higley  Family  at  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  August,  1890,  Professor  Edwin  Hall  Higley  added  much 
to  the  pleasurable  success  of  the  occasion  by  his  power  in  music, 
as  well  as  by  an  interesting  historical  paper  he  furnished. 

In  person  he  is  tall,  robust,  of  fine  physique,  with  a  face  glow- 
ing with  genial  feeling,  and  possessing  a  fine  sense  of  humor,  yet 
unassuming  and  retiring,  seeking  no  public  honors,  and  prone  to 
hide  his  gifts. 

ALFRED  ERASTUS  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  and  youngest  son  of 
Hervey  O.  and  Sarah  G.  (Little)  Higley,  was  born  September  26, 
1844,  at  Castleton,  Vt.  His  early  schooldays  were  spent  in  his 
native  town.  At  sixteen  he  went  to  the  Castleton  Academy, 
which,  he  declared  in  an  after-dinner  speech  at  the  school  cen- 
tennial, August  10,  1887,  "were  golden  days — when  he  serenaded 
the  girls  and  climbed  the  balconies,  and  was  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  best  and  strongest  teachers  of  his  time."  To  his 
principal,  Miss  Harriet  N.  Haskell,  he  paid  a  happy  tribute  of 
respect,  speaking  of  her  as  "  his  ideal  teacher." 

At  this  school,  which  he  entered  in  1860,  and  from  which  he 
was  graduated  1864,  he  was  fitted  for  college. 

He  then  entered  Middlebury  College  and  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1868. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1869,  he  married  Jane  Anne  Van  Vleet,  a 
lady  of  bright  attainments  and  attractive  manner,  who  was  also  a 
pupil  at  the  Castleton  Seminary.  She  was  born  June  22,  1848. 

To  Alfred  Erastus  fell  in  succession  the  Higley  homestead  at 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEYt%D.  263 

Castleton,  of  which  he  took  charge  in  1868,  and  where  he  re- 
sided with  his  family  till  the  year  1886.  Following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father  of  forty  years  before  (1839-46),  he  was 
made  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Castleton  Seminary, 
1885  ;  and  also  was  his  father's  successor  as  deacon  in  the  Castle- 
ton church,  being,  as  has  been  stated,  of  the  fourth  generation  of 
Higleys  which  have  served  in  this  official  relation,  taking  an  un- 
flagging interest  in  the  church's  prosperity  and  workings  since  its 
early  organization.  On  that  memorable  historic  occasion — the 
one-hundredth  anniversary  of  this  church,  he  rendered  efficient 
service  on  the  committee  of  arrangements. 

In  1886  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Benson,  Vt.,  remaining 
till  the  year  1890,  his  practical  farming  proving  an  excellent 
proof  that  a  college  education  does  not  unfit  a  man  for  becom- 
ing a  thoroughly  capable  agriculturist.  Indeed,  Mr.  Higley  gave 
evidence  in  this  special  vocation- of  the  .value  of  a  trained  mind. 
For  several  years  he  turned  his  attention  particularly  to  raising 
high-blooded  stock. 

In  1891  he  received  an  appointment  to  the  United  States  Ar- 
senal at  Watertown,  Mass.,  where  he  was  engaged  for  some 
time.  Later  on  he  built  an  attractive  residence  near  his  mother 
in  Middlebury,  Vt,  where  he  now  resides  (1895). 

Mr.  Higley  is  of  fine  personal  character,  has  a  genial  tempera- 
ment, and  full  of  excellent  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Alfred 
Erastus  and  Jennie  Van  Vleet  Higley  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  viz.:  Edna  Van  Vleet  Higley,  born  July  18,  1872  ;  Mary 
Gerrish  Higley,  born  March  2,  1874. 

EDNA,  the  eldest,  was  graduated,  1890,  from  the  Castleton,  Vt.,  State  Normal 
School.  After  pursuing  three  years  of  musical  study  in  the  New  England  Con- 
servatory in  Boston,  from  which  she  was  graduated,  she  continued  for  two  years 
her  violin  study  in  Berlin.  The  "  glory  of  the  music  "  which  she  produces  from 
her  favorite  instrument,  since  the  pursuit  of  her  study  abroad,  ranks  her  among  those 
who  have  attained  very  high  excellence,  and  cannot  fail  to  distinguish  her  future  in 
the  musical  world. 

MARY,  the  youngest  daughter,  was  graduated  from  the  State  Normal  School  in 
Castleton,  Vt.,  spent  three  years  at  the  Loring  School,  Chicago,  and  entered 
Middlebury  College,  Middlebury,  Vt.,  '94.  She  is  taking  the  full  college  course. 


264  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


ESTHER    HIGLEY    GUERNSEY. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxxi,  p.  171. 
Esther,  Brewster,  3d,  Biewster,  2d,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

ESTHER,  the  sixth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  was  born  July 
29,  1775,  and  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  20,  1797,  married 
Sylvanus  Guernsey,  the  Rev.  Lemuel  Haynes  of  West  Rutland 
officiating.  The  elder  daughters  of  the  family  had  all  had  the 
marriage  ceremony  performed  by  their  father,  Deacon  Brewster 
Higley,  3d.  Erastus  Higley  and  Esther  Ann  Guernsey  were 
"best  man"  and  bridesmaid.  After  the  wedding  ceremony  was 
over  and  the  festivities  were  near  closing,  the  bride  and  brides- 
maid, who  had  long  been  bosom  friends,  wished  a  little  private 
chat  together.  The  house  was  full,  and  the  weather  too  cold  for 
muslin-robed  lassies  to«6tand  outside  the  door.  So  they  cuddled 
among  the  wraps  in  a  sleigh  standing  with  the  horses  hitched 
near  the  door.  Dr.  Gridley's  sharp  eyes  noticing  their  move- 
ments, he  quickly  loosed  the  hitching  strap,  sprang  into  the 
sleigh,  seized  the  lines  and  drove  the  team  to  Landlord  Moulton's 
Inn,  some  two  miles  away,  where  he  traded  the  young  ladies  for  a 
mug  of  cider.  The  discovery,  pursuit,  and  bringing  them  back, 
which  created  great  merriment,  were  not  long  delayed,  and  no 
ill-will  was  entertained  against  the  joke-loving  doctor. 

Esther's  daughter,  Mrs.  Zeruah  Caswell,  who  is  now  living, 
says  that  her  grandfather,  Brewster,  3d,  walked  to  Hartford 
and  purchased  for  Esther  a  brass  kettle,  a  silk  dress,  and  white 
muslin  for  her  bridal  trousseau.  For  both  Esther  and  lola  he 
purchased  red  broadcloth  cloaks  trimmed  with  "  thag." 

ZERUAH  CASWELL,  daughter  of  Esther  (Higley)  Guernsey,  was  born  October  31, 
1805.  She  is  the  only  survivor  of  her  generation,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Castle- 
ton,  Vt.,  where  the  main  part  of  her  life  has  been  spent.  She  was  one  of  six 
grandchildren  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  who  were  all  born  the  same  season  and 
brought  home  at  Thanksgiving,  During  the  family  gathering  the  six  babies  were 
placed  upon  a  blanket  which  was  spread  upon  the  floor  in  front  of  the  grandmother 
as  she  sat  in  her  great  armchair,  to  the  great  delight  and  admiration  of  all  present. 

Zeruah  married  Memri  Caswell  of  Middletown,  Vt.,  March  5,  1846,  and  has 
lived  to  a  bright  old  age, — ninety  years, — a  woman  of  strong  character  and  rare 
ability,  a  most  interesting  link  with  the  long  past.  Throughout  her  life  she  has 
been  greatly  beloved  by  her  kindred  and  friends ;  she  still  superintends  her  house- 
hold affairs,  and  retains  her  memory  and  lively  faculties  to  a  very  remarkable  degree. 

A  pleasant  reminiscence  in  connection  with  her  younger  days  is  told  of  the  first 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY, ZD.  265 

Sunday  school  held  in  Castleton.  This  was  in  the  year  1819,  and  on  "  Frisby 
Hill,"  held  in  a  little,  old-fashioned,  unpainted  schoolhouse.  "  The  two  young 
girls,  Zilpah  and  Esther  Ann  Higley,  having  read  about  the  Sunday  school  started 
by  Robert  Raikes  in  England,  talked  with  their  schoolmates  and  begged  the  con- 
sent of  their  parents  to  the  plan  of  starting  one  in  the  schoolhouse  on  the  hill. 
Having  obtained  the  permission  they  sought,  and  promises  from  the  boys  and  girls 
in  the  district  to  be  present,  they  made  an  urgent  request  to  Miss  Margaret  Merrill, 
who  was  teacher  of  the  day  school,  to  be  also  the  teacher  of  the  new  Sunday  school. 

Mrs.  Caswell,  who  was  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  children,  well  remembered 
how  the  young  teacher  knelt  upon  the  bare  floor  to  ask  God's  blessing  upon  this 
first  Sunday  school  in  Castleton.  The  lesson  given  the  scholars  was  the  first  ten 
verses  of  the  first  chapter  in  Genesis,  to  be  perfectly  learned  and  repeated  to  Miss 
Merrill  at  the  close  of  one  hour. 

Weeks  passed,  and  the  news  of  the  little  Sunday  school  on  "  Frisby  Hill  "  spread 
among  the  children  in  the  schools  of  the  other  districts,  and  soon  other  Sunday 
schools  were  born.  The  good  work  went  quietly  on  in  the  little  schoolhouses  here 
and  there,  till  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  the  village  thought  it 
time  to  organize  a  Sunday  school  in  connection  with  the  church  ;  he  therefore 
visited  all  the  schools  in  the  out-districts  and  invited  them  to  unite  in  one  to  be  held 
in  the  town  academy.  One  hundred  and  fifty  children  gathered,  not  one  over 
twenty-one  being  found  among  the  number.  In  1821  it  was  decided  to  remove  the 
school  to  the  church  building,  where  it  has  now  remained  for  seventy-four  years,  the 
nursery  of  the  church. 

Esther  (Higley)  Guernsey  died  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  May  7,  1831.  Her  hus- 
band, Sylvanus  Guernsey,  died  April  3,  18 — ,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  They  had 
four  children,  viz.  : 

Soloman  Kasson,  Horace  Roots,  Calvin  Owen,  and  Zeruah. 

SOLOMON  K.  was  born  September,  1798,  and  died  May  6,  1821.  ZERUAH,  as 
before  stated,  was  born  October  31,  1805,  and  is  still  living  (1895). 

SARAH  GUERNSEY,  daughter  of  Calvin,  is  now  (1895)  filling  an  important  posi- 
tion in  the  missionary  field  in  the  Indian  Territory.  Except  her  aged  aunt  she  is 
the  only  descendant  of  this  branch  of  the  family. 


TOLA,  the  seventh  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d's,  children,  was  born 
May  i,  1778.  She  married  Deacon  William  Denison  of  Lyme, 
Conn.,  on  the  25th  of  March,  1800.  They  resided  at  West  Rut- 
land, Vt.  Their  children  were :  Eliza,  who  married  Henry 
Post  ;  Fanny,  who  married  John  F.  Duncan  ;  lola,  who  married 
Hoyt  Guernsey;  and  William  Cowper,  Francis  Le  Count,  Edward 
Higley,  and  Mary. 

Their  youngest  daughter,  Mary,  married  the  Rev.  Horace  Ly- 
man,  and  went  to  Oregon  in  the  early  history  of  that  Territory, 
while  it  was  yet  little  known,  and  when  it  was  reached  only  by 
ships  passing  around  Cape  Horn. 

Mrs.  lola  (Higley)  Denison  died  March  26,  1821. 


266  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

HARLEY,  the  eighth  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  was 
born  October  9,  1781.  She  married  Jared  Porter,  son  of  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Porter  of  Tinmouth,  Vt,  on  the  8th  of  June, 
1804.  They  settled  in  Tinmouth,  where  their  children  were  all 
born,  and  where  they  resided  until  August,  1831,  when  they 
joined  their  children,  who  had  removed  that  year  to  Redford, 
Wayne  County,  Mich. 

Mrs.  Harley  (Higley)  Porter  died  at  the  residence  of  her 
eldest  son  at  the  above  place,  October  16,  1831,  aged  fifty  years. 

Her  husband,  Jared  Porter,  died  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  May  2, 
1837,  aged  fifty-six  years  and  five  months.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter 
had  three  children,  viz. : 

Zachariah,  born  June  4,  1805  ;  Thomas  Rodney,  born  January  3, 
1810  ;  Brewster  Higley  Porter,  born  January  2,  1820. 

The  latter  now  resides  in  Indiana. 

Professor  Edward  D.  Porter,  son  of  Zachariah,  and  grandson  of 
Mrs.  Harley  (Higley)  Porter,  is  Dean  of  the  College  of  Agricul- 
ture of  the  University  of  Missouri,  and  resides  at  Columbia,  Mo. 

ZERUAH,  the  youngest  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  3d,  born  Au- 
gust 18,  1784,  married  Ebenezer  Cross  January  i,  1812.  They 
removed  to  Oxford,  O.,  September,  1817,  with  their  three  daugh- 
ters. Their  three  sons  were  born  after  their  removal  to  that 
State.  Their  children  were  : 

Eliza,  Maria,  Laura,  Owen,  Kasson,  and  Ebenezer. 

Zeruah  Higley  Cross  died  at  Marion,  Ind.,  September  24,  1854. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

DESCENDANTS    OF    BREWSTER    HIGLEY,    4TH. 

Brewster  Higley,  sth,   Brewster,  4th,  Brewster  3d,  Brewster,  2d,   Brewster,  ist,   Capt.   John 
Higley. 

Continued  from  page  241. 

But  who  is  this  by  the  half  opened  door, 
Whose  figure  casts  a  shadow  on  the  floor  ? 

— MATTHEW  ARNOLD. 

BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  5th,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vt.,  March  30, 
1784,  and  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Ohio  when  he  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  In  1805  he  returned  to  his  native  State  to 
attend  school,  and  remained  two  years.  He  performed  this  jour- 
ney the  entire  distance  afoot.  Just  as  he  was  leaving  his  home 
on  the  long  and  lonely  pilgrimage,  he  provided  himself,  from  a 
forest  tree  near  at  hand,  with  a  stout  cane,  upon  which  he  notched 
the  height  of  each  child  of  the  household.  This  cane  has  been 
preserved,  and  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Alfred  E.  Higley,  Esq., 
of  Middlebury,  Vt,  a  descendant  of  his  grandfather,  Brewster 
Higley,  3d. 

In  1814  he  married  Achsah  Evarts  of  Rutland,  O.,  where  *hey 
settled.  Here  their  three  children  were  born,  viz. : 

Louisa,  Zeruah,  and  Brewster  Higley ',  6th. 

Brewster  Higley,  5th,  died  August  19,  1823,  aged  39  years.  He 
was  interred  in  the  Family  burial-ground  on  the  old  home  farm 
at  Rutland,  O. 

His  wife  removed  with  her  children  to  Dunlapsville,  Union 
County,  Ind.,  and  resided  with  her  brother,  Dr.  Sylvanus  Everts. 
She  died  in  1828. 

Her  two  youngest  children  were  taken  back  to  Rutland,  O.,  to 
their  kind  and  generous  grandparents. 

DESCENDANTS   OF    BREWSTER    HIGLEY,  5TH. 

LOUISA,  the  eldest  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  5th,  and  his  wife, 
Achsah  Everts,  was  born  March  16,  1815,  and  in  1833  married 
Dr.  Robert  Cogley  of  Dunlapsville,  Ind. 

Her  second  marriage  was  to  John  F.  Allinson,  a  merchant  of 

•if 


268  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Union  Mills,  Ind.,  who  died  in  1857  in  Irvington,  la.,  where 
they  then  resided.  Mrs.  Cogley  became  a  student  of  medicine 
and  received  a  medical  diploma.  She  practiced  her  profession 
successfully  for  several  years  in  Wichita,  Kans.,  where  she  lived 
the  last  fifteen  years  of  her  life.  She  died  December  5,  1887. 

She  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  by  her  first 
marriage  are  living,  and  one  by  the  second. 

THOMAS  S.  COGLEY,  her  eldest  son,  is  a  practicing  lawyer,  residing  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  He  joined  the  forces  in  the  late  Civil  War,  serving  as  orderly  sergeant  in 
the  2gth  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteers,  General  Buell  commanding. 

MARY  JANE  COGLEY,  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  and  Louisa  (Higley)  Cogley, 
was  born  in  Rutland,  O.,  in  1845.  She  married,  December,  8,  1864,  George  D. 
Ewing  of  La  Port,  Ind.,  where  she  resided  many  years.  Mr.  Ewing  is  a  photog- 
rapher by  profession.  They  now  reside  in  Walkerton,  St.  Joseph  County,  Ind. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz.  : 

Lydepham,  born  December,  29,  1868,  who  is  in  mercantile  pursuits,  residing  in 
Winamac,  Ind.  ;  Maud,  born  April  25,  1874,  who  is  preparing  herself  as  a 
teacher  of  the  piano  ;  and  Earl,  born  May  8,  1880. 

CHARLES  R.  ALLINSON,  her  youngest  child,  born  in  1854,  of  the  second  marriage, 
resides  in  Van  Buren,  Ark. 

Zeruah,  the  second  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  5th,  was  born  at 
Rutland,  O.,  August  26,  1817.  She  married  James  E.  Sanderson 
September  17,  1835,  witn  whom  she  lived  nearly  thirty  years, 
until  her  husband  was  removed  by  death,  May  8,  1865.  He  was 
interred  at  Bremen,  Fairfield  County,  O.  She  now  resides  with 
her  son  Charles  C.  Sanderson  at  Union  Mills,  La  Porte  County, 
Ind.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  viz. : 

Sidney,  Amanda,  William  Brewster,  Mary  Luzetta,  Harriet,  Mary 
Augusta,  George  R. ,  James  H. ,  Josie  A. ,  Charles  C. ,  and  Horton  E. 

SIDNEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  September  26,  1835,  and  married  John  English. 
They  reside  in  Copp,  Potter  County,  S.  D.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  viz.  : 

Mary,  who  married  Francis  Kirby  ;  and  Harriet.  The  sons  were  Melvin  and 
Harry  Higley,  a  bright  and  promising  boy  of  twelve,  who  died  March,  1891. 

Mrs.  Sidney  English  died  of  pneumonia  December  27,  1891,  four  days  after  the 
decease  of  her  son.  Her  body  was  taken  to  Union  Mills,  Ind.,  for  interment. 

AMANDA,  the  second  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson,  born 
April  26,  1838,  married  A.  Washbury.  They  have  three  children,  viz.  :  Fin  ley  ; 
William,  who  died  at  seventeen  ;  and  Ina.  Mr.  Washbury  died  August  21,  1877, 
aged  forty-six. 

The  family  reside  in  M'Carthur,  Vinton  County,  O. 

WILLIAM  BREWSTER,  the  third  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sander- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  4777.  269 

son,  was  born  September  n,  1840,  and  entered  the  war  on  the  15th  of  August, 
1862.  He  did  not  long  survive  the  hardships  he  encountered.  He  died  at 
Young's  Point,  Miss.,  February  7,  1863. 

MARY  LUZETTA,  the  fourth  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson, 
born  November  n,  1842  ;  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

HARRIET,  the  fifth  child,  born  May  12,  1845,  married  Otis  Hathaway.  They 
have  three  children  :  Gtty,  who  died  at  three  years  ;  Dallis,  and  George.  They 
reside  in  Sheldon,  Iroquois  County,  111. 

MARY  AUGUSTA,  the  sixth  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson,  was 
born  March  13,  1847.  She  is  unmarried  and  resides  in  Copp,  Potter  County,  S.  D. 
She  is  a  teacher  in  the  Copp  School. 

GEORGE  R.,  the  seventh  child,  born  March  24,  1849  ;  died,  aged  three  years. 

JAMES  H.,  the  eighth  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson,  born 
July  16,  1852  ;  married  Lizzie  Fielding.  They  have  no  family.  They  reside  in 
Copp,  Potter  County,  S.  D. 

JOSIE  A.,  the  ninth  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson,  born 
September  17,  1854  ;  married  Othello  Higley.  No  dates  given.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  daughters,  Bessie  and  Mabel.  They  reside  in  Union  Mills,  La 
Porte  County,  Ind. 

CHARLES  C.,  the  tenth  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley  Sanderson,  born 
April  25,  1839  •  niarried  Emma  Tice.  They  reside  with  their  widowed  mother, 
Mrs.  Zeruah  Sanderson,  in  Union  Mills,  La  Porte  County,  Ind.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  sons,  viz.  : 

Clarence,  Lewis  E.,  James  E.,  and  one  whose  name  is  not  given. 

HORTON  E.,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  James  E.  and  Zeruah  Higley 
Sanderson,  was  born  April  26,  1860.  He  resides  in  Copp,  Potter  County,  S.  D. 
He  is  unmarried. 

BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  6th,  M.  D.,  the  third  child  of  Brewster 
Higley,  5th,  and  Achsah  Everts,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O., 
November  30,  1823,  three  months  after  the  decease  of  his  father. 
On  the  decease  of  his  mother  he  resided  with  his  grandfather, 
Judge  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  and  afterward  with  his  sister. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
village  of  New  Plymouth,  O.  His  first  medical  practice  was  in 
Pomeroy,  O.  In  the  spring  of  1848  he  removed  to  La  Porte, 
Ind.,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  Everts.  From 
the  medical  college  located  at  La  Porte,  he  took  his  medical 
degree  February  22,  1849.  He  also  became  a  member  of  the 
Northwestern  Academy  of  Natural  and  Medical  Science.  He 
practiced  his  profession  in  La  Porte  twenty-six  years.  ^ 

Dr.  Brewster  Higley  married,  October,  1850,  Maria  B.  Winchell, 
who  bore  one  child,  born  September,  1851,  a  son,  who  died  a  few 
days  old.  His  wife  fell  a  victim  to  a  prevailing  epidemic  in 
May,  1852.  August,  1853,  Dr.  Higley  married  Eleanor  Page, 


270  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

who  bore  one  son,  Brewster  Higley,  7th.  His  second  wife  died 
soon  after  the  birth  of  this  child.  His  third  marriage  was  in  1857 
to  Catherine  Livingston.  From  this  marriage  there  were  born 
two  children — JEstelle^'bom  April  4,  1859,  and  Arthur  Herman, 
born  September  3,  1861,  both  living  ;  but  his  wife  met  with  an 
injury,  of  which  she  died,  June  2,  1864. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  Dr.  Higley  removed  to  Smith  County, 
Kans.,  where  he  married,  March  8,  1875,  Sarah  E.  Clemans. 
To  them  four  children  were  born,  viz.  : 

Sandford,  who  died  in  1878;  Achsah,  born  1877;  Everett,  born 
July  26,  1880;  and  Theo.,  a  daughter,  born  September  10,  1882. 

While  living  in  Smith  County,  Kans.,  Dr.  Brewster  Higley,  6th, 
was  elected  and  served  one  term  as  clerk  of  the  court  of  the 
fifteenth  judicial  district  for  his  county. 

The  climate  of  Kansas  proving  too  severe  for  his  health,  he 
sold  his  farm  in  1886,  and  removed  to  Van  Buren,  Crawford 
County,  Ark.,  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  retired  from  pro- 
fessional life,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit-growing. 

BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  7th,  the  only  son  of  Dr.  Brewster  Higley,  6th,  and  his  wife, 
Eleanor  Page,  was  born  1854,  and  married  Mary  Daniels.  Brewster  Higley,  7th, 
M.  D.,  resides  in  Nebraska,  where  he  has  a  lucrative  medical  practice. 

They  had  two  sons,  William  and  Frederick,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

Continued  from  page  241. 

SUSAN,  the  second  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  and  his  wife 
Naomi,  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  1786,  and  resided  with  her 
parents  after  their  removal  to  Meigs  County,  Ohio,  until  her 
decease.  She  never  married.  She  died  March  23,  1848,  aged 
sixty-two. 

CYRUS  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  and 
his  wife  Naomi,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vt,  July  26,  1787,  and 
was  a  boy  of  ten  years  when  his  parents  removed  to  Ohio.  He 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  near  the  town  of  Rutland,  O. 

He  married  Electa  Bingham  of  Athens,  O.,  February  13,  1816. 

Cyrus  Higley  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  volunteering  as 
a  cavalryman,  and  furnishing  his  own  horse.  He  was  at  one  time 
among  the  troops  stationed  on  the  border  near  where  Dayton,  O., 
is  now  situated,  doing  guard  duty  against  the  hostile  Indians. 

In  religious  faith  he  was  a  Presbyterian.  The  Home  and  Foreign 
Record,  an  organ  of  that  denomination,  makes  allusion  to  Cyrus 
Higley  as  "one  of  the  most  valuable  co-workers"  of  the  society. 


JULIUS   B.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  ±TH.  271 

His  wife  Electa  (Bingham)  Higley,  died  October  6,  1826. 
Cyrus  Higley  died  July  30,  1854,  at  Rutland,  O.  The  Pomeroy 
Telegraph  contained  the  following  with  the  announcement  of  his 
decease. 

"As  he  lived,  so  he  died,  in  the  faith  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
Our  beloved  brother  was  long  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Rutland,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  the  troubles  which 
so  long  affected  the  church,  and  was  very  devoted  in  his  attach- 
ment to  old  school  views." 

As  he  neared  his  final  close  of  life,  of  which  he  was  conscious, 
he  expressed  his  desire  "  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is 
far  better."  Of  him  it  may  be  said,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  that 
die  in  the  Lord." 

Cyrus  and  Electa  B.  Higley  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
viz.  : 

Lucy  P. ,  Julius  B. ,  and  Elizabeth. 

LUCY  P.  HIGLEY.  their  eldest  child,  born  February  17,  1818,  and  married  Dr. 
William  Hooper,  November,  1841.  They  resided  at  Rutland,  O.,  where  she  died, 
October,  1876. 

JULIUS  BICKNELL  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Cyrus  and  Electa  Bingham 
Higley,  was  born  November  9,  1822,  at  Rutland,  O.  He  married,  March  14, 
1844,  Maria  Louisa  Fuqua  of  Greenup  County,  Kentucky.  They  resided  on  the  old 
home  farm  at  Rutland,  on  which  he  had  grown  to  manhood,  till  November,  1866, 
when  with  his  family,  then  consisting  of  his  wife  and  eight  children,  he  emigrated 
to  Greenwood,  Jackson  County,  Mo.,  settling  on  a  farm  where  he  resided  for  six- 
teen years.  The  greater  number  of  his  children  having  by  this  time  left  the 
paternal  home,  and  settled  at  different  points  in  the  great  West,  he,  with  his  wife, 
in  1882  removed  to  a  farm  in  Reno  County,  Kansas,  where  they  remained  till  the 
year  1889,  when  they  went  to  Sterling,  Rice  County.  Here  the  decease  of  his 
wife,  Maria  Louisa  Higley,  took  place,  February  28,  1892,  after  a  tranquil  and 
happily  spent  married  life  of  forty-eight  years. 

One  of  his  sons  writes  of  his  father  as  follows  : 

"  He  is  at  the  present  time  (1895)  in  the  Territory  of  Oklahoma.  It  is  his 
nature  to  live  in  a  new  country.  He  has  frequently  been  heard  to  remark  that 
nothing  would  gratify  him  more  than  to  again  aid  in  building  up  an  unsettled 
country,  if  he  were  only  a  younger  man,  and  equal  to  the  activities  required,  yet  he 
to-day  possesses  more  vitality  than  many  men  of  fifty,  which  he  is  proud  to  claim 
is  the  result  of  his  very  temperate  and  careful  habits  of  life. 

"  I  realize  my  incompetency  to  do  justice  to  the  character  of  my  father  ;  we  are 
glad  to,  place  on  record  something  of  his  noble  worth — one  has  only  to  know  him 
to  speak  his  praise. 

"  From  his  early  years  he  has  lived  the  life  of  the  Christian,  devoted  wholly  to  the 
cause  of  his  Master,  Jesus  Christ,  as  has  been  evidenced  at  all  times  by  his  daily 
walk  and  conversation. 


272  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"  At  the  age  of  thirty-two  years  he  was  ordained  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Rutland,  O.,  in  which  capacity  he  served  many  years.  By  force  of 
circumstances  he  and  his  wife  and  some  of  his  children  became  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Greenwood,  Mo.,  in  which  he  served  many  years  as  a 
deacon.  Mr.  Higley  is  very  liberal  and  progressive  in  his  views ;  he  studies  and 
thinks  for  himself,  and  since  his  connection  with  the  Congregational  body  he 
finds  that  he  prefers  it  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  on  account  of  its  church 
government  and  more  liberal  teachings  on  the  doctrine  of  predestination.  He  is 
at  present  an  honored  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Sterling,  Kans. 

"  At  all  business  meetings  of  the  church  his  advice  and  counsel  are  eagerly  sought, 
and  received  with  marked  respect  and  attention. 

"  At  the  weekly  prayer  meeting  he  is  ageneral  favorite,  and  a  regular  attendant." 
The  children  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  L.  Fuqua  Higley  were  : 
S.  Fnqua,  Frances  E.,  Cynthia,  Dennis  B.,  Artemas  J.,  Addie  L.,  Stephen  W,, 
Huburt  L. 

S.  FUQUA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  January  25,  1845. 
He  is  a  typical  Higley  in  every  sense  of  the  name  ;  broad-shouldered,  weighing 
230  pounds,  clever,  active,  cheery  in  disposition,  and  energetic.  In  politics  he  holds 
strong  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party.  He  resides  in  Hutchinson,  Kans.,  and 
is  engaged  in  the  profitable  business  of  school  supplies  of  all  kinds. 

FRANCES  E.,  the  second  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louisa  Higley,  was  born 
September  24,  1846,  and  married  Charles  L.  Campbell  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Mo., 
April,  1867.  She  died  March  8,  1868. 

CYNTHIA,  the  third  child,  born  February  17,  1848,  married  Ira  F.  Davenport  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  August  14,  1884.  They  reside  at  Greenwood,  Mo. 

DENNIS  B.  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louisa  Higley,  was 
born  at  Rutland,  O.,  September  28, 1849,  and,  married  Carrie  E.  Nobles  of  Hamp- 
ton, la.,  April  28,  1884.  They  reside  in  Sterling,  Kans.,  where  Mr.  Higley  is  a 
citizen  of  excellent  standing,  engaged  in  a  successful  business — "  Loans  and  Invest- 
ments." Besides  being  the  owner  of  a  pleasant  home  in  the  town,  he  has  large 
real  estate  investments  in  Sterling. 

ARTEMAS  J.  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louisa  Higley,  was 
born  near  Rutland,  O.,  October  I,  1851.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  removed  with  his 
father's  family  to  Greenwood,  Jackson  County,  Mo.,  where  he  resided  five  years, 
working  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  attending  school  in  winter.  The  last 
winter  in  pursuit  of  his  education  in  Missouri  he  studied  at  the  Lincoln  Academy 
in  Greenwood,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  at  Beloit  College,  Wisconsin,  he 
then  traveled  one  year,  and  returned  to  Missouri  and  engaged  in  farming. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1876,  he  married  Emma  E.  Howe  at  Kewanee,  111., 
daughter  of  the  late  General  J.  H.  Howe.  Mr.  Higley  continued  an  agricultural 
life  till  the  year  1879.  Its  dull  routine,  however,  not  suiting  his  tastes,  and  afford- 
ing little  opportunity  for  the  higher  intellectual  attainment  to  which  his  ambition 
led  him,  he  removed  to  Hutchinson,  Kans.,  where  after  studying  law  in  the  office 
of  Houck  and  Brown, — Mr.  Brown  being  at  that  time  a  Member  of  Congress, — he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  After  practicing  his  profession  for  some  time  he  became 
engaged,  with  nattering  success,  in  investing  money  for  Eastern  capitalists.  Devot- 
ing his  energies  to  this  business,  he  has  placed  a  greater  amount  of  money  among 
the  farmers  and  business  men  of  Western  Kansas  than  any  other  investment  com- 
pany of  his  town.  His  opinions  on  business  enterprises  are  considered  of  much 
value  by  those  seeking  to  invest  capital.  He  possesses  an  abiding  faith  in  the 
future  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson  ;  some  of  its  most  prominent  buildings  are 
standing  witnesses  of  his  push  and  energy.  The  Higley  Block,  built  by  Mr. 
Higley,  is  the  finest  office  building  which  Hutchinson  now  contains. 

Mr.  Higley  is  entirely  devoted  to  his  family,  which  consists  of  his  wife,  two  sons, 
and  two  daughters,  and  can  almost  always  be  found  at  his  home  when  not  at  his 
place  of  business.  His  children  : 


MARIA   L.   FUQUA   HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS   OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  47Y7.  273 

Florence,  born  January  2,  1878  ;  Clyde  S.,  born  September  28,  1880  ;  John,  born 
April,  1885,  and  an  infant  whose  name  is  not  given. 

ADDIE  L.,  the  sixth  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louisa  Higley,  born  March 
13,  1855,  married  Albert  B.  Clark,  November  27,  1886,  at  Kearney,  Neb.,  where 
they  resided.  The  date  of  Mr.  Clark's  decease  is  not  given. 

STEPHEN  W.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louisa  Higley, 
born  May  3,  1857,  married  Sarah  E.  Henson  of  Socarro,  N.  M. ,  December  9, 
1885.  They  reside  at  Perry,  Oklahoma  Territory.  Their  son,  Claude  Higley,  was 
born  February  6,  1887. 

HUBURT  L.  HIGLEY,  the  eight  child  of  Julius  B.  and  Maria  Louise  Higley,  born 
August  19,  1864,  resides  a:  Riley,  Oklahoma. 

,        Continued  from  page  271. 

ELIZABETH,  the  third  child  of  Cyrus  and  Electa  Bingham  Higley,  born  Decem- 
ber 30,  1824,  married  David  D.  Allen,  April,  1846.  They  resided  at  Rutland,  O., 
where  she  died  December  30,  1846,  in  less  than  one  year  after  her  marriage. 

Continued  from  page  241. 

THERESA  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th, 
and  Naomi  his  wife,  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt. ,  May  n,  1791, 
and  married  Josiah  Simpson,  July  23,  1829.  They  resided  near 
Rutland,  O.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  marriage.  Mary, 
who  married  Thomas  Kirker  and  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah  ;  and  Adeline,  who  married  S.  W.  Higley  of  Rutland,  O. 
Theresa  Higley  died  May  12,  1863,  and  was  interred  in  the  public 
cemetery  at  Rutland. 

HARRIET  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th, 
and  Naomi  his  wife,  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  1793,  and  was 
brought  to  Ohio  by  her  parents  when  four  years  of  age.  She 
married  Alvin  Bingham  of  Rutland,  February  12,  1816.  Here 
they  settled,  and  became  prosperous  farmers.  Mrs.  Bingham 
died  May  18,  1872.  She  was  laid  in  the  Family  burial  plot  on 
the  old  homestead  farm. 

Alvin  and  Harriet  Higley  Bingham  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  viz. : 

Lucy;  Lucius  If.,  born  June  28,  1819.  Amanda,  born  April  3,  1821,  married 
S.  R.  Cavender.  She  died  P'ebruary  24,  1892 ;  he  died  December  28,  1891. 

Clarissa,  born  March  6,  1823,  married Carpenter  ;   she   died    March    14, 

1892.     Alvina,  born  November  7,  1826;  and  Samuel  N.,  born  August  14,  1831. 
Lucius  H.  Bingham,  the  eldest  son,  served  in  the  Civil  War. 

Lucius  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Judge  Brewster  Higley, 
4th,  and  Naomi,  his  wife,  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  October 
24,  1796.  He  was  not  yet  one  year  old  when  his  parents  removed 


274  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

from  his  native  State  to  Ohio,  taking  this  infant  boy  with 
them. 

He  married  Nancy  Shepherd,  November  26,  1821,  and  resided 
for  more  than  four  score  years  upon  the  farm  that  his  father 
opened  in  the  wilderness  in  1799.  He  was  a  witness  to  remark- 
able changes  in  the  progress  of  civilization,  his  life  being  pro- 
longed until  he  became  one  of  the  few  living  links  connecting  the 
present  times  with  the  early  beginnings  of  Ohio.  He  was  familiar 
with  that  part  of  the  State  in  which  he  settled  before  the  plow- 
share had  turned  the  soil  of  the  heavy  forest-covered  land,  or 
the  hum  of  human  industry  was  heard  in  the  almost  uninhabited 
wilderness.  It  was  with  intelligent  and  unceasing  interest  that 
his  eyes  looked  upon  the  development  of  the  country,  the  whole 
face  of  which  changed  in  his  day. 

A  great  State,  taking  its  place  as  the  third  in  the  Union,  was, 
since  his  boyhood,  hewn  out  of  that  section  of  the  Northwest 
Territory;  new  counties  were  organized  and  old  boundaries  rear- 
ranged; section  after  section  of  cultivated  field  was  covered  with 
towns  and  villages,  corduroy  roads  and  depths  of  mud  into  which 
the  vehicles  sank  to  the  hub  were  followed  by  the  macadamized 
road,  and  then  the  railway  ;  postal  communications  were  es- 
tablished, and  the  newspaper  and  telegraph  came. 

Centers  of  mental  activity  were  established  ;  educational  facili- 
ties were  brought  to  a  high  development  ;  church  spires  point- 
ing heavenward  arose  in  every  direction,  bearing  strong  testi- 
mony to  the  declaration  that  "  Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation." 
It  was  the  backwoods  no  longer. 

Lucius  Higley  was  a  man  who  noted  these  great  passing  events 
of  real  life,  and  who  co-operated  in  the  accomplishment  of  these 
rapid  changes.  Throughout  his  long  career  he  was  highly  re- 
pected  for  his  personal  worth  and  solid  character. 

He  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Gallipolis 
while  yet  a  young  man.  Personally  he  was  social  in  habit,  and 
exceedingly  fond  of  music.  During  his  green  old  age  he  re- 
tained his  health  and  spirits.  The  final  day  came  August  8, 
1881,  when  his  freed  spirit  was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  and  his 
mortal  remains  were  placed  beside  theirs  and  those  of  his  beloved 
wife  in  the  Family  burial-place  under  the  mulberry  tree.  He 
departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years  and  ten  months. 

When  his  days  here  closed,  the  last  New  England  pioneer  of 
this  branch  of  the  family  had  passed  away. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  47W.  275 

"  Our  life's  history,"  once  remarked  his  aged  uncle  in  a  letter, 
"consists  chiefly  in  entrance  and  exit — the  intervening  space  is 
passed  at  a  step,  and  we  fly  away." 

Nancy  (Shepherd)  Higley,  his  wife,  was  born  near  Maysville, 
Ky.  Her  father  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Meigs  County, 
Ohio,  settling  near  the  Higleys  during  the  Indian  troubles. 

By  her  energy  and  perseverance  she  obtained  a  fair  education 
for  those  times,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  she  began  teaching 
school,  continuing  until  her  marriage. 

She  was  a  woman  of  a  strong,  well-balanced  mind,  was  gifted 
with  an  unusually  retentive  memory,  and  considerable  musical 
attainment.  The  cheerful  evenings  by  the  home  fireside,  which 
it  was  the  habit  of  their  father  and  mother  to  enliven  by  singing 
together,  are  among  the  happy  recollections  of  their  children. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Rutland, 
O.,  from  its  first  organization,  and  was  ever  a  warm  friend  and 
counselor  to  the  poor.  Her  husband  in  writing  to  a  relative 
some  months  after  her  decease  exclaims: 

"The  beloved  wife  of  my  bosom  departed  this  life  Jan.  2ist 
[1862].  Her  name  is  melodious  in  my  ear — I  have  lost  my 
parents,  my  brothers  and  sisters,  but  there  was  no  such  void  as 
when  this  wife  of  my  bosom  went  from  me.  We  were  brought 
up  near  to  each  other,  attended  the  same  school,  and  have  walked 
side  by  side  many  a  year." 

Nancy  Higley  died  in  the  Christian  faith,  in  the  sixty-sixth 
year  of  her  age.  Lucius  and  Nancy  (Shepherd)  Higley  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  viz. : 

Susan,  Lucius  M.,  Nancy  A.,  Naomi,  Mary,  Ransom  Br cluster, 
Charles  W. ,  Milo  H. ,  and  L.  Sardine. 

SUSAN,  the  eldest  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd  Higley,  born  August 
22,  1822,  married  the  Rev.  William  H.  Bay.  They  reside  in  Marietta,  O. 

Lucius  M.  HIGLEY,  M.  D.,  the  second  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd 
Higley,  was  born  in  the  ancestral  homestead  near  Rutland,  O.,  November  5,  1823, 
and  married  Elizabeth  B.  Morton,  September  19,  1848.  They  reside  on  a  part  of 
the  old  home  farm.  Dr.  Lucius  Higley  was  a  student  at  Chester,  Meigs  County, 
O.,  attending  a  collegiate  school  which  was  successfully  established  in  1842.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  Dr. 
Richard  Morton  of  Springfield,  Ky.,  in  which  town  he  afterward  practiced  his  pro- 
fession twelve  years.  In  1861  he  turned  his  attention  to  business  pursuits  in  the 
mercantile  line,  in  Middleport,  O.,  which  he  relinquished  after  three  years  of  experi- 
ence, and  in  1868,  on  the  decease  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Charles  W.  Higley,  at  Rutland, 
he  returned  to  that  town  and  again  took  up  medical  practice.  He  is  now  retired 


276  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

from  active  life.  Dr.  Lucius  Higley  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for 
near  twenty  years,  and  has  given  attention  to  matters  of  a  legal  kind,  together  with 
devoting  considerable  attention  to  literary  pursuits. 

He  is  President  of  the  Meigs  County,  Ohio,  Pioneer  and  Historical  Society, 
and  President  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

Dr.  Lucius  M.  and  Elizabeth  B.  (Morton)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  several  chil- 
dren who  died  in  infancy.  Their  living  children  are  as  follows  : 

Nancy  H.,  born  May  22,  1852,  who  is  unmarried  and  resides  with  her  parents  ; 
William  M.,  born  March  30,  1860  ;  Pratt  //.,  born  January  2,  1862,  who  married 
January  i,  1891,  Luella  Cornwell  of  Gillespeville,  O.;  Lillie  £.,  born  September 
2,  1872. 

WILLIAM  M.  HIGLEY  resides  with  his  parents  near  Rutland,  when  not  engaged 
in  teaching. 

NANCY  ALICE,  the  third  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd  Higley,  born 
March  5,  1825,  married  George  W.  Moulton.  They  reside  in  Arkansas  City, 
Cowley  County,  Kans. 

NAOMI,  the  fourth  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd  Higley,  born  April  I, 

1826,  married  Judge  A.  Logue.     They  reside  in  Cheshire,  Gallia  County,  O. 
MARY,  the  fifth  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd  Higley,  born  August  27, 

1827,  married  Captain  Joel  Phelps  Higley,  September  14,  1848.     She  resides  at 
Middleport,   Meigs  County,   O.      (See  sketch  of  Captain   Joel    Phelps  Higley, 
page  1 83.) 

RANSOM  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd 
Higley,  born  in  Rutland,  O.,  January  6,  1829,  married  July  7,  1857,  Amanda  Smith, 
who  was  born  February  7,  1829 ;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Livingston  Smith,  a  first 
cousin  to  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  on  the  maternal  side. 

Ransom  B.  Higley  was  engaged  in  gold  mining  in  the  early  days  of  California 
gold  hunting,  going  to  that  State  in  1851.  His  perilous  passage  by  steamer  to 
Panama,  and  long  delay  and  discomfort  at  that  point  in  the  torrid  heat,  together  with 
a  leaky  ship  on  the  Pacific,  and  finally  a  shipwreck  upon  the  coast  of  Mexico,  is  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  swift,  luxurious  journey  across  the  continent  as  it  is  now 
accomplished.  He  remained  in  California  six  years,  returning  to  Rutland,  O.,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  took  place  January  22,  1870.  His  wife  is  still 
living.  Their  children  were  as  follows  : 

Brewster  O.,  Emma  N.  and  Ella,  twins,  and  Homer  R. 

PROFESSOR  BREWSTER  O.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Ransom  B.  and  Amanda 
(Smith)  Higley,  and  the  eighth  Brewster  in  the  line,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O., 
January  24,  1859. 

Having  received  his  early  education  at  a  district  school  in  his  native  town,  he 
entered  the  university  at  Athens,  O.,  and  completed  a  college  course,  class  of  '92, 
degree  B.  Ph.  During  the  course  of  his  studies  he  engaged  in  teaching.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Tau  Fraternity,  a  society  whose  growth  is  on  the  increase 
and  becoming  influential.  He  is  now  the  associate  professor  in  the  department  of 
United  States  history  and  political  science  in  the  Ohio  University. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1891,  he  married  Amelia  H.  Shutt,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  Shutt  of  Middleport,  O.  She  was  a  successful  and  enterprising  teacher 
in  the  Middleport  Schools,  an  educational  institution  of  the  higher  grade. 

They  reside  at  Rutland,  Meigs  County,  O.  They  have  one  child,  Brewsler  S. 
Higley  (the  gth  Brewster),  born  June  5,  1894. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  47W.  277 

EMMA  N.,  the  only  surviving  daughter  of  Ransom  B.  and  Amanda  (Smith) 
Higley, — her  twin  sister,  Ella,  died  in  childhood, — was  born  July  6,  1861.  Emma 
N.  married,  September  2,  1888,  Elmer  L.  Bingham,  son  of  Samuel  N.  Bingham, 
and  grandson  of  Harriet  (Higley)  Bingham.  He  was  born  May  4,  1861. 

They  reside  at  Rutland,  O. 

HOMER  R.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Ransom  B.  and  Amanda  (Smith) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  September  3,  1864. 

He  entered  the  Ohio  University  at  Athens  in  1888,  where  he  is  at  present  taking 
a  scientific  course,  as  well  as  a  special  course  in  electrical  engineering.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Delta  Tau  Fraternity,  and  has  been  a  successful  teacher. 

He  resides  at  Rutland,  O. 

DR.  CHARLES  W.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shepherd 
Higley,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  June  17,  1831.  He  married  Sarah  Williams. 
He  became  a  medical  practitioner  of  unusual  ability  at  Rutland,  where  he  had  an 
extensive  practice.  He  died  February  9,  1866. 

Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Sarah  Williams  Higley  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
viz.: 

William  C.,  Rodney  A.,  James  B.,  and  Julia. 

WILLIAM  C.  HIGLEY,  their  eldest  son,  born  June  28,  1855,  married  Ella  Lewis, 
October  9,  1878.  They  have  three  children,  viz.: 

Carl,  born  September  30,  1879  ;  Cora  E.,  born  June  IO,  1882  ;  and  Clara,  born 
December  23,  1884. 

Mr.  Higley  is  a  druggist  and  resides  in  Coolville,  Athens  County,  O. 

RODNEY  A.  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Sarah  Williams 
Higley,  married  Mary  Lowery.  (No  dates  furnished.) 

They  have  two  children  :  Artie  and  Ethel. 

JAMES  B.  HIGLEY,  the  third  son,  married  Mary  Clark.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Charles  and  Bessie. 

JULIA,  the  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Sarah  Williams  Higley,  married 
F.  M.  Grover. 

MILO  H.  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  and  fourth  son  of  Lucius  Higley  and  his  wife 
Nancy  Shepherd  Higley,  was  born  November  18,  1832,  at  Rutland.  O. 

His  entire  life  has  been  associated  with  agricultural  pursuits.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools  in  his  native  township,  attending  later  on  a 
select  school  in  Pomeroy,  O. 

His  bent  when  quite  a  boy  was  for  musical  study,  and  at  an  early  age  he  availed 
himself  of  all  the  opportunities  within  his  reach  to  follow  this  ambition. 

His  progress  under  competent  teachers  was  satisfactory,  and  at  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  became  an  instructor.  In  1848  he  formed  a  choir,  the  first  organized 
choir  in  Meigs  County,  and  became  its  conductor.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a 
teacher  of  the  science,  and  the  leading  conductor  of  music  on  the  public  occasions  of 
his  town. 

On  Tune  17,  1855,  he  married  Mary  V.  Pankey.  Mr.  Higley  resides  in  the 
ancestral  homestead  which  his  grandfather,  Brewster  Higley,  4th,  built,  and  which 
has  come  down  through  two  generations.  His  wife,  Mary  V.  (Pankey)  Higley, 
died  of  la  grippe,  January  I,  1892. 

Milo  H.  and  Mary  V.  (Pankey)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
four  children,  viz.: 

James  L.,  Edward  S.,  Kate  E.,  and  Burt  P.,  all  of  whom  were  born  near  Rut- 
land, O. 

19 


278  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

JAMES  L.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Milo  and  Mary  V.  Higley,  born  November 
13,  1856,  married  Lenie  Lamb  of  Barlow,  Washington  County,  O.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Middleport,  O.,  High  School.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  on  the 
ancient  home-farm. 

EDWARD  S.  HIGLEY,  M.  D.,  the  second  son  of  Milo  H.  and  Mary  V.  Higley, 
born  September  28,  1862,  received  his  early  education  at  the  Middleport  High 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  at  ninteeen.  In  1882  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  Hahnemann  College,  Chicago,  from  which  he  took  a  medical 
diploma  in  1886,  and  the  following  year  he  took  a  special  course  in  the  Chicago 
Homeopathic  College,  also  receiving  a  medical  diploma  from  that  institution.  He 
was  appointed  after  competitive  examination  as  Interne  to  Cook  County,  111., 
Hospital.  Since  then  he  has  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Chicago,  111. 

He  married  Cora  Van  Zant  of  Rutland,  O.,  December  29,  1886.  They  have  one 
child,  a  daughter. 

KATE  HIGLEY,  the  only  daughter  of  Milo  H.  and  Mary  V.  Higley,  was  born  at 
Rutland,  September  28,  1862.  She  died,  unmarried,  April  7,  1888. 

BURT  P.  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  and  youngest  child  of  Milo  H.  and  Mary  V.  Higley, 
was  born  January  2,  1872.  He  is  a  young  man,  bright,  of  marked  intelligence, 
and  full  of  good  spirits,  making  many  friends  wherever  he  goes.  He  began  teach- 
ing a  district  school  when  eighteen  and  has  fully  sustained  his  marked  ability  as  a 
teacher.  He  is  taking  a  college  course  at  Marietta  College,  Ohio. 

His  home  is  with  his  parents. 

L.  SARDINE  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  and  youngest  child  of  Lucius  and  Nancy  Shep- 
herd Higley,  was  born  at  Rutland,  O.,  January  22,  1837.  He  never  married. 

He  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  in  the  ?th  Ohio  Battery,  and  departed  on  February 
23,  1862,  with  the  troops  for  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  they  were  furnished  with 
arms  and  equipments.  He  fought  bravely  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  which  raged  nearly 
two  days  ;  was  at  the  capture  of  Memphis;  and  in  the  siege  and  fight  at  Corinth, 
Miss.,  and  at  the  taking  of  Vicksburg. 

From  exposure  in  the  service  during  the  late  summer  of  1863,  he  was  brought 
down  with  fever  and  lingered  for  some  weeks  in  an  army  hospital.  When  it  was 
clear  that  there  was  little  hope  that  his  life  could  be  saved,  he  was  granted  a  fur- 
lough at  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  sent  northward,  making  a  courageous  effort  to  reach 
his  home.  But  with  all  his  courage  and  endurance  his  strength  did  not  rally  suffi- 
cient for  the  entire  journey.  He  succeeded  in  reaching  Portsmouth,  O.,  the  home 
of  his  sister,  where  he  survived  but  two  weeks,  and  died  October  22,  1863. 

He  showed  great  fortitude  throughout  his  entire  illness,  and  expressed  noble 
acquiescence  to  the  fact  that  he  was  yielding  up  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  country. 
With  great  calmness  he  settled  all  his  affairs.  As  he  neared  his  close  he  fre- 
quently repeated  the  familiar  stanza  : 

*'  Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are, 
While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head, 
And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there." 

It  was  his  expressed  wish  to  be  laid  to  rest  under  ' '  the  old  mulberry  tree  "  in  the 
Family  cemetery  on  the  ancestral  farm  near  Rutland,  beside  "  the  old  patriarchs," 
as  he  called  them — his  grandparents  and  kindred.  To  him  it  was  a  Machpelah. 

Sardine  Higley  possessed  a  fine  tenor  voice,  and  was  exceeding  fond  of  singing. 
Full  of  humor,  kind  and  sociable,  no  comrade  in  his  company  was  better  liked. 
He  was  declared  to  be  "  the  life  of  the  camp." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  47V7.  279 

Contin  uedfrom  page  241. 

JOSEPH  TRUMBULL  HIGLEY,  M.  D.,  the  seventh  child  of 
Brewster  Higley,  4th,  and  Naomi  his  wife,  was  the  only  child  in 
the  family  who  was  born  after  the  removal  of  the  parents  from 
Vermont.  His  birth  occurred  in  the  year  1800.  He  was  noted 
in  his  younger  years  for  his  poetical  talent,  a  vein  of  which  runs 
through  different  branches  of  the  Higley  family. 

He  married  Emily  Reed,  and  in  1835  removed  to  Rushville, 
Rush  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  a  medical  practitioner  of  good 
standing.  He  died  there  in  1838.  After  his  decease  his  wife, 
with  her  children,  returned  to  Rutland,  O.,  where  she  died. 
They  had  three  children,  viz. : 

Lucinda,  born  1831,  who  died  aged  twenty;  Joseph,  born  1833, 
who  died  in  1879;  and  Marion,  who  died  in  1875. 

There  are  no  living  descendants  of  this  family. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

DAVID    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii. 

David,  ist,  Brewster,  tst,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Speak  of  me  as  I  am,  nothing  extenuate,  nor  set  down  aught  in  malice. — SHAKSPERE. 

DAVID  HIGLEY,  ist,  the  second  son  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  and 
Esther  Holcombe,  was  born  1712,  and,  according  to  the  "  Record," 
married  Anna  Owen,  " Aprrille  the  3:  A.  D.  1735."  Their  home 
was  in  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury,  Conn. 

David  Higley  held  a  place  of  social  distinction  in  the  com- 
munity, and  was  honored  by  the  title  of  "  Mr.,"  a  form  of 
address  which  was  not,  in  those  days,  a  mere  title  of  courtesy  to 
every  adult  male  citizen,  but  bore  a  special  significance. 

He  possessed  a  comfortable  property,  which  was  increased  at 
the  decease  of  his  father  and  his  mother  by  legacies  from  their 
estates.  In  1785,  his  "list  for  the  year "  for  the  Society 
amounted  to  £10  145. 

The  pages  of  an  old  account  book  furnish  evidence  that  his 
larder  was  supplied  with  the  usual  stores  for  the  table  furnished 
in  the  average  colonial  home;  among  the  articles  named  are 
goodly  quantities  of  cheese  and  pork.  And  like  the  greater 
number  of  his  brother  church  laymen  of  his  day,  the  product  of 
the  rude  old-time  country  cider-mill  appealed  to  his  tastes;  and 
the  sight  of  a  barrel  of  cider,  or  a  jug  of  the  more  enlivening  and 
richer  distilled  product, — cider  brandy, — from  his  brother  Deacon 
Brewster's  still,  contained  a  fountain  of  irresistible  pleasure  in 
which  he  indulged  as  he,  sat  with  the  old  cider  connoisseurs 
before  the  fire-heap  of  logs  blazing  on  his  broad  hearthstone. 

The  following  entries  were  made  the  winter  of  1768-69: 


Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

1768 
1768 
1768 
1769 
1760 

David 
ii 

Higley  Dr  

4  qts.  Brandy. 
4  Quarts  Brandy. 
2  Quarts     do 
2  Quarts  Brandy, 
i  Ot.  Brandy. 

„ 

a 

March. 

ii 

380 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  1ST.  281 

During  the  month  of  September,  1775,  five  gallons  of  brandy 
are  charged. 

David  Higley,  ist,  was  well  known  in  town  affairs,  receiving 
responsible  appointments.  As  "surveyor  of  highways"  and 
member  of  the  school  committee,  he  rendered  long  public  service, 
while  his  popularity  and  efficiency  as  tything-man'  is  shown  by 
the  repeated  appointments  he  received  to  that  office,  covering  a 
period  of  several  years  from  1752. 

He  must  have  been  a  man  of  exceptionally  fine  physical 
development,  his  exhibitions  of  manly  power  having  been  so 
excellent  that  they  gave  him  fame  throughout  the  colony.  As  an 
athlete  he  was  champion  in  the  foot-race,  an  attainment  of  high 
distinction  in  those  times.  Few  equaled  him.  Tradition  has  it 
that  in  running  races  with  horses,  running  from  Salmon  Brook 
to  Westfield,  he  was  always  the  victor. 

For  this  skill  he  was  often  called  to  the  front  when  emer- 
gencies arose  in  Indian  and  deer  hunting. 

A  minute  recorded  on  the  church  records,  Turkey  Hills  parish, 
states:  "February  i6th,  1777:  David  Higley  ye  ist  entered  into 
full  communion  with  ye  church,"  and  the  records  show  him  to 
have  been  ever  afterward,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  church  society. 

His  wife,  who  is  entered  upon  the  church  roll  of  membership 
as  "  Jehannah,  wife  of  David  Higley  ye  first,"  was  admitted  to  the 
full  communion  of  the  same  church,  July  6,  1777.  She  was  then 
sixty-five  years  old. 

The  year  following  their  marriage  David  and  Anna  Higley 
buried  an  infant  son  who  bore  the  name  of  his  father.  Their 
other  children  were  as  follows : 

Anne,  Elizabeth,  David,  Deborah,  and  Tirzah. . 

ANNE,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  August  19,  1738  ;  married  Daniel  Halliday  of 
Suffield,  "ye  yth  day  of  Jan.  1760."  They  settled  in  Turkey  Hills,  and  were 
admitted  to  the  church  the  same  day  with  her  father. 

There  is  no  account  preserved  of  ELIZABETH,  the  second  child,  born  February  13, 
1742/3.  She  may  have  died  in  infancy. 

DAVID,  2d,  was  the  only  son  who  lived  to  maturity.     (See  sketch.) 

DEBORAH,  the  third  daughter,  born  October  15,  1747,  was  twice  married  ;  her 
first  husband,  James  Carr,  was  an  Irishman.  He  died  previous  to  1778.  They 
had  two  children.  August  17,  1780,  Deborah  Higley  Carr  married  Stephen  Griffen, 
and  became  the  mother  of  four  more  children.  She  was  admitted  to  full  com- 

1  See  footnote  i,  p.  141. 


282  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

munion  in  the  Turkey  Hills  Church,  October  18,  1778.     She  outlived  Mr.  Griffen, 
who  died  in  1821. 

TIRZAH,  born  July  25,  1752,  married,  1779,  Benjamin  Wright  of  Egremont,  Mass. 

Anne,  the  wife  of  David  Higley,  ist,  died  after  they  had 
walked  in  life  side  by  side  for  fifty-one  years.  The  stone  which 
marks  her  grave  in  the  EastGranby  cemetery  is  still  standing  and 
is  inscribed  thus: 

1Tn  memory  of  flfcrs  Bnnab,  wife  of  Ob*  Davfo 
wbo  oieo  December  &  3lst  &2>  1786. 
fln  g«  75  12ear  of  1ber 


David  Higley  died  about  the  year  1790,  the  exact  time  of  his 
decease  not  being  known.  He  is  last  mentioned  at  the  close  of 
the  year  1787;  moneys  were  "allowed  to  his  heirs"  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  estate  of  his  brother  in  1794. 

It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  was  interred  near  his  wife 
in  the  Turkey  Hills  cemetery;  but  the  precise  spot  cannot  be 
identified. 

Wherever  it  was,  the  little  strip  of  green  earth  where  his  hands 
lay  crossed  was  tenanted  by  a  man  who  left  this  life  not  empty  of 
its  earthly  honor,  for  he  bore  the  esteem  of  the  people. 

DAVID  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  only  son  of  David,  ist,  and  Anna  (Owen)  Higley,  was 
born  in  Turkey  Hills,  July  6,  1745. 

He  married  his  second  cousin,  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Higley  and  his 
wife  Mary  Thompson.  She  was  born  in  Turkey  Hills,  June  9,  1750.  The  mar- 
riage took  place  near  the  time  that  her  family  were  thrown  into  sudden  bereave- 
ment by  the  accidental  drowning  of  her  father  in  the  Farmington  River,  just  above 
Tarrifville,  Conn.,  1771.  (See  sketch,  chapter  Ix.) 

From  the  year  1781,  David,  2d,  was  active  in  the  town  and  the  church  society, 
receiving  many  appointments  for  various  services.  In  1782  he  took  up  the  work 
of  the  "school  committee,"  a  service  in  which  his  father  had  faithfully  engaged  ; 
and  at  the  town  meeting  held  in  Granby,  the  first  Monday  in  December,  1790, 
that  office  of  strange  importance  —  the  tything-man,  was  conferred  upon  him.  Our 
knowledge  as  to  where  he  spent  the  latter  years  of  his  life  is  somewhat  imperfect. 
That  he  emigrated  about  the  close  of  the  century  seems  quite  evident,  but  whether 
to  Vermont  or  to  the  Western  Reserve,  in  Ohio,  is  not  clear.  It  was  probably  the 
latter.  He  may  have  accompanied  one  of  his  children  when  they  emigrated  from 
the  State. 

The  date  of  his  death  is  therefore  missing.  His  wife,  Mary  Higley,  appears  to 
have  died  previous  to  1795,  as  she  is  not  mentioned  in  her  mother's  will,  which  was 
executed  that  year. 

David,  2d,  and  Mary  Higley  had  children  as  follows  : 

David,  3d.  born  June  14,  1773  ;  Huldah,  born  March  20,  1777,  and  baptized  at 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,\ST.  283 

the  Turkey  Hills  Church  the  25th  of  the  May  following  ;  twin  sons,  born  Febru- 
ary 1 8,  1779,  one  of  whom  died  soon  after  birth  on  the  same  date  ;  the  other,  named 
Elisha,  died  February  19,  1779. 

DAVID  HIGLEY,  3d,  the  eldest  child,  married  Olive  Allen  and  removed  from 
Connecticut.  A  statement  is  found  in  writing  that  he  emigrated  with  his  family 
to  Vermont,  but  there  is  no  trace  to  be  found  of  them  in  that  State.  It  is  altogether 
probable  that  they  went  to  Central  New  York,  with  other  Higley  families. 

HULDAH  HIGT.EY,  the  only  daughter  of  David,  2d,  and  Mary  Higley,  married 
David  King.  They  emigrated  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  and  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Kinsman,  Trumbull  County,  where  their  descendants  now  reside. 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  TOO. 
Joseph,  ST.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Hold  fast  your  Puritan  heritage, 
But  let  the  free  thought  of  the  age 
Its  light  and  hope  and  sweetness  add 
To  the  stern  faith  the  fathers  had. 

— WHITTIER. 

JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  Sr.,  was  the  third  child  and  third  son  of 
Brewster  Higley,  ist,  and  Esther  Holcombe.  He  was  born 
October  21,  1715,  and  baptized  when  two  months  old.  His  life 
and  experience  was  passed  in  Higley-town,  Simsbury,  the  place 
of  his  birth  being  the  same  as  that  of  his  death. 

His  home  estate  lay  next  adjoining  his  brother  Brewster 
Higley,  zd's,  farm.  He  was  old  enough  to  enter  into  the  active 
relations  of  life  while  several  of  the  families  of  the  first  gener- 
ation were  yet  in  their  prime. 

The  Higleys  of  Higley-town,  by  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  and  during  Joseph's  day,  were  strong  in  numbers,  cour- 
ageous in  spirit,  and  of  great  influence  in  the  community.  There 
were  now  no  less  than  twenty-seven  families  settled  on  their  own 
estates  at  Simsbury  and  its  adjoining  parishes,  whose  heads  were 
the  sons,  grandsons,  and  granddaughters  of  Captain  John  Higley. 

These  had  intermarried  with  many  of  the  old  well-known 
families  of  that  vicinity, — the  Holcombes,  Cases,  Barbers, 
Humphreys,  and  other, — still  everybody  in  those  parts  seemed 
related  or  connected  by  marriage  with  everybody  else. 

Joseph  Higley  was  a  prominent  figure  among  them.  He  was 
the  owner,  by  inheritance  and  purchase,  of  a  considerable  amount 
of  landed  property,  the  deeds  of  which  are  found  upon  the  Sims- 
bury  records,  and  was  well-to-do  in  the  world.  His  family  lived 
in  substantial  comfort. 

Civilization  in  the  colony  had  now  reached  a  stage  of  advance, 
though  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  people  were  in  keeping 
with  the  simple  mode  of  living  which  belonged  to  the  times. 

284 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  1ST.  285 

Like  the  elder  Higleys,  Joseph  Higley,  Sr.,  took  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  At  the  town  meeting  held 
in  December,  1756,  he  was  "chosen  Surveyor  of  highways  "  for 
the  year  ensuing,  and  sworn  into  office.  To  this  official  relation 
he  was  re-elected  annually  for  a  number  of  years.  He  filled 
appointments  as  "District  Committeeman"  as  well  as  other 
public  offices,  which  furnish  commendation  to  his  ability  and 
faithful  discharge  of  duties. 

There  are  many  marks  of  distinction  left  upon  record  to 
indicate  that  his  social  position  was  dignified  and  on  an  elevated 
plane.  His  name  was  prefixed  by  the  title  of  "Mr.,"  till  a 
military  title  was  conferred  upon  him,  showing  that  his  rank 
was  fully  recognized  as  among  the  notable  citizens.  His  pew 
in  the  Simsbury  Church,  "No  4,  front  pew,"  re-assigned  to 
"Ensign  Joseph  Higley"  on  the  27th  of  December,  1768,  by  a 
town  committee  appointed  for  "  ye  seating  of  ye  meeting,"  was 
in  a  location  which  evidences  that  the  committee  carefully  con- 
sidered his  consequence.  These  church  sittings  were  always 
distributed  with  "respect  to  persons." 

Joseph  Higley  was  not  less  conspicuous  in  the  Colonial  militia 
than  others  of  Captain  John  Higley's  sons  and  grandsons  who 
made  soldiers'  records. 

The  following  action  of  the  General  Legislature  is  found 
recorded  under  date,  "  October  session  1762  "  : 

"This  Assembly  do  establish  Mr.  Joseph  Higley  to  be  the  Ensign  of  the  First  Com- 
pany or  train-band  of  Symsbury,  in  the  first  register  in  this  Colony." l 

At  the  May  session,  1769,  he  was  promoted  to  the  honorable 
rank  of  captain. 

Captain  Joseph  Higley  was  no  exception  among  his  brothers 
and  neighbors  who  were  fond  of  their  flip,  apple-jack,  and  the 
cider-mug,  his  name  being  entered  upon  the  pages  of  Deacon 
Brewster  Higley,  2d's,  accounts,  among  thirty  other  accounts 
against  different  Higley's  living  in  the  neighborhood,  concerning 
"Creditors  bringing  cider  to  the  Still." 

Captain  Joseph  Higley  was  three  times  married.  Soon  after 
passing  his  twenty-second  birthday  he  married  Ruth  Holcombe, 
April  i,  1737.  His  wife  died  in  childbirth  the  following  July,  and 
the  infant  followed  his  mother  to  the  grave,  one  month  after, 
August  26,  1737.  A  stone  still  marks  the  place  where  they  were 
laid  in  the  Turkey  Hills  cemetery,  East  Granby. 

1 "  Public  Records  of  Connecticut,"  vol.  xiii. 


286  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

About  1740  he  married  Sarah  Case,  with  whom  he  lived  till 
separated  by  death,  on  the  i2th  of  June,  1756.  After  a  lapse  of 
about  seven  years  he  married  Mrs.  Eunice  (Smith)  -  ,  a 
widow  '  with  five  children,  with  whom  he  lived  a  happy  united 
life  for  twenty-seven  years. 

By  his  second  and  third  marriages  he  became  the  father  of  ten 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  childhood,  March  26,  1759. 

The  children  of  whom  his  wife,  Sarah  Case,  was  the  mother 
were  : 

Joseph,  Jr.  (or  2d),  Micah,  Asa,  Ozias,  Simeon,  and  Sarah. 

His  wife,  Eunice  Smith  -  was  the  mother  of  three  of  his 
children  —  all  daughters,  viz.  : 

Naomi,  Ruth,  and  Susannah. 

Of  the  sons  and  their  descendants  sketches  will  be  found  on 
pages  following. 

SARAH,  his  eldest  daughter,  who  was  born  1753,  married  James  Rudd,  November 
13.  1773.  an<i  removed  to  Becket,  Mass.  Here  she  resided  during  her  brief  married 
life.  Upon  her  tombstone  is  the  following  inscription  : 

Okies.  Sarab  1RuD& 

fcte&  Bpril  19«>  1777 

In  tbe  24*b  gear  of  ber  age. 


NAOMI,  who  was  born  January  I,  1761,  married  February  25,  1783,  her  cousin 
Brewster  Higley,  4th,  then  of  Vermont.  They  removed  to  Meigs  County,  Ohio. 
She  died  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-nine.  Further  particulars  of  her  life  are  recorded 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  her  husband.8 

RUTH,  born  about  1763  or  1765,  married  Judah  Case.  She  was  living  when  her 
mother's  will  was  probated,  1797. 

SUSANNAH,  born  1769,  married  Alexander  Campbell  Humphrey  of  Simsbury. 
She  died  in  1859,  aged  ninety  years. 

Captain  Joseph  Higley  died  at  Simsbury,  May,  1790,  in  his 
seventy-fifth  year.  His  will  was  offered  to  the  Court  of  Probate, 
July  17,  1790. 

He  appointed  his  sons,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Asa,  Ozias,  and  Simeon 
executors  of  his  estate,  and  to  his  youngest  son,  Simeon,  he 
devised  his  home  farm.  The  will  provides  for  his  "  beloved  wife 
Eunice  Higley."  To  his  son,  Joseph  Higley,  Jr.,  he  gave  "  the  lot 
on  which  he  now  dwells  in  Becket,  Massachusetts  Common- 
wealth"; and  to  his  two  grandsons,  Micah  and  Benjamin,  the 
children  of  his  son  Micah,  then  deceased,  he  gave  lands  in  the 

1  The  Editor  failed  to  discover  the  name  of  Eunice  Smith's  first  husband.  *  See  p.  238. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.          287 

same  vicinity.  The  lands  bequeathed  to  Asa  and  Ozias  lay  in 
Simsbury.  Legacies  were  left  to  his  daughters.  The  inventory 
amounted  to  ^1008  145.  6d.  His  wife,  Eunice  Smith  Higley,  sur- 
vived him  seven  years.  Her  will,  which  is  upon  the  Simsbury 
records,  was  received  at  court,  June  15,  1797,  and  mentions  in 
a  bequest  to  her  daughter,  Susannah  Humphrey,  "my  cow." 
She  left  her  property  to  her  own  children  by  her  two  marriages. 
The  children  of  her  husband,  Captain  Joseph  Higley,  by  his  former 
wife  are  not  mentioned  in  the  will.  She  had  property  in  her  own 
right  received  from  her  father Smith's  estate. 


JOSEPH    HIGLEY,   2D,   AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 
Joseph,  2d,  Captain  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  eldest  son  of  Captain  Joseph  Higley 
Sr.,  and  his  second  wife  Sarah  (Case)  Higley,  was  born  at  Higley- 
town,  Simsbury,  May  22,  1741.  He  married  Azubah  -Gillette, 
December  3,  1772,  a  descendant  in  direct  line  of  one  of  the 
oldest  Connecticut  families,  her  ancestor,  Jonathan  Gillette, 
having  come  from  England  with  the  Rev.  John  Wareham  and  the 
emigrating  church  in  1630,  and  a  few  years  later  settled  in  Wind- 
sor. She  was  born  February  27,  1749. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  they  went  to  reside  at  Becket,  Mass., 
being  among  the  early  settlers  in  the  rugged  and  beautiful  Berk- 
shire hills,  which  at  that  time  were  covered  with  woods  and  brush. 
Their  homestead  appears  to  have  been  held  by  the  father,  Cap- 
tain Joseph  Higley,  till  his  death,  eighteen  years  later,  when  by 
the  provisions  in  his  will  he  gave  to  Joseph,  2d,  "  the  lot  on  which 
he  now  dwells  in  Becket,  Massachusetts  Commonwealth."  Here 
they  lived  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Azubah,  the  first  year  of 
her  marriage,  busied  herself  in  teaching  the  town  school,  and,  as 
was  the  custom  of  that  day,  her  husband  collected  her  earnings. 
On  the  Becket  town  records  is  the  following  item  : 

"  Voted — November  i  ith  1773  to  pay  Joseph  Higley's  account  for  his  wife  keep- 
ing school  the  sum  of  £\,  IDS." 

He  filled  the  office  of  town  surveyor  for  several  years,  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century. 

Joseph  Higley,  2d,  died  December  17,  1823.  His  wife,  Azubah 
(Gillette)  Higley  died  fourteen  months  later — February  13,  1825, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  They  were  interred  in  the  old  burial- 


288  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ground  at  Becket,  where  tombstones,  bearing  the  simple  inscrip- 
tion of  the  names  and  dates  of  decease,  mark  the  spot  where  they 
were  laid.  Children  of  Joseph  and  Azubah  Gillette  Higley  : 

Joseph  Higley,  3d,  born  April  25,  1774.  Sarah,  born  March 
18,  1778;  died  October  28,  1782.  Isaac,  born  May  30,  1776;  died 
June  15,  1776.  Silas,  born  September  23,  1780.  Philena,  born 
November  6,  1787.  Minerva,  born  April  19,  1791  ;  died  April  6, 
1825. 


The  following  genealogical  sketches  of  the  descendants  of 
Joseph  Higley,  3d,  were  mainly  prepared  by  the  Hon.  Brainard 
Spencer  Higley  of  Youngstown,  O. 

JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  3d,  was  the  first  child  and  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
Higley,  2d,  and  Azubah  Gillette.  He  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass., 
April  25,  1774.  Being  a  faithful  student  he  obtained  an  education 
beyond  the  average  young  man  of  those  times,  and  became  a 
teacher  whose  praise  was  on  the  lips,  in  long  after  years,  of  those 
to  whom  he  was  instructor.  He  also  practiced  surveying. 

His  marriage  is  thus  recorded  : 

"December  4th  1803.  This  day  I  joined  in  matrimony,  Joseph  Higley  Jun.  and 
Sybil  Coggswell,  both  of  Becket.  "  NATHANIEL  KINGSLEY,  Justice." 

Sybil  Coggswell  was  born  March  15, 1776.  Leaving  Becket  with 
a  family  at  that  time  numbering  six  children,  they  emigrated  in 
October,  1815,  to  Windham, — then  Sharon, — Portage  County,  O., 
arriving  on  the  i9th  of  the  month.  Here  they  joined  the  colony 
of  relatives  and  connections  who  had  preceded  them  a  few  years 
before  (1811)  from  Becket.  Mr.  Higley  cleared  the  heavily 
timbered  land  of  lot  54,  the  farm  upon  which  he  resided  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  and  which  is  still  owned  by  his  son, 
John  Larkin  Higley.  He  became  a  citizen  highly  esteemed 
and  influential.  He  actively  sustained  the  church,  entered  into 
military  duties,  and  took  part  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  best 
welfare  of  the  community. 

He  died  of  a  fever,  October  18,  1825,  and  was  interred  in  the 
Windham  cemetery. 

His  wife,  Sybil  (Coggswell)  Higley,  was  a  woman  of  iron  con- 
stitution and  of  remarkable  enterprise  and  industry.  She  died 
December  i,  1864,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 

Joseph,  3d,  and  Sybil  (Coggswell)  Higley  were  the  parents  of 


HON.  BRAINARD   S.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  289 

eight  children,  six  of  whom  were  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  and  the 
two  youngest  in  Windham,  viz. : 

Sybil  Rosella,  born  September  21,  1804;  Joseph  Nelson,  born 
September  6,  1806;  Sarah  Melissa,  born  November  6,  1808;  Ezra 
Coggswell,  born  August  22,  1810;  Eliza  Dewey,  born  April  22, 
1812;  Henry  Allen,  born  February  21,  1814;  John  Larkin,  born 
January  17,  1816;  and  Oliver  Brewster,  born  March  18,  1818. 

SYBIL  ROSELLA,  the  oldest  child  of  Joseph  Higley,  3d,  and  Sybil  Coggswell, 
was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  September  21,  1804;  married,  about  1832,  David 
P.  Robison,  who  was  born  January  15,  1805.  The  resided  in  Freedom,  O.,  for 
many  years,  then  in  Danville,  la.,  and  again  in  Windham,  O.,  where  they  died  ; 
she  died  April  27,  1879,  ne  died  January  22,  1880.  His  second  wife  was  Eliza 
Dewey  Higley  Earl,  sister  to  his  first  wife.  They  married  September  17,  1879. 
No  children  by  either  marriage. 

JOSEPH  NELSON,  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph  Higley,  3d,  and  Sybil  Coggswell, 
was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  September  6,  1806.  He  married  in  Aurora,  Portage 
County,  O.,  May  2,  1832,  Susan  White  Spencer,  daughter  of  Deacon  Brainard 
Spencer  and  Amy  Camron  (pioneers  of  the  Western  Reserve).  She  was  born 
September  8,  1810,  in  Aurora.  They  resided  at  different  periods  in  Windham, 
Aurora,  Twinsburg,  Harmon,  and  Youngstown,  O.  He  was  a  hardworking  man, 
and,  although  of  limited  education,  was  quite  a  reader  and  well  informed.  He 
died  in  Youngstown,  March  17,  1879.  After  his  death  his  widow  resided  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Harriet  Allen,  in  Harmar,  O.,  where  she  died,  June  23,  1890. 

Children  -.Joseph  Brainard,  born  November  n,  1833,  died  July  18, 1834  ;  Brain- 
ard Spencer,  born  September  i,  1837,  in  Windham,  O.;  Harriet  Anna,  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1843,  i*1  Aurora,  O. 

[The  following  sketch  of  the  Hon.  Brainard  Higley  is  chiefly 
taken  from  the  "  History  of  Trumbull  and  Mahoning  Counties," 
Ohio. — THE  EDITOR.] 

Brainard  S.,  Joseph  Nelson,  Joseph,  3d,  Joseph,  2d,  Captain  Joseph,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain 
John  Higley. 

BRAINARD  SPENCER  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  surviving  son  of  Joseph 
Nelson  Higley  and  his  wife,  Susan  White  Spencer,  was  born  in 
Windham,  O.,  September  i,  1837.  He  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Aurora,  O.,  in  1840,  and  thence  to  Twinsburg,  O.,  in  1849. 
Here  he  received  his  preparation  for  college  at  the  Twinsburg 
Literary  Institute,  and  entered  the  Western  Reserve  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1859  with  third  honors  of  his 
class.  He  studied  law  at  the  Cleveland  Law  College,  also  with 
the  Hon.  Sherlock  I.  Andrews,  and  the  law  firm  of  "  Hitchcock, 
Mason,  and  Estep,"  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Wooster, 
O.,  July  2,  1860. 


290  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1861,  he  married,  at  Twinsburg,  O., 
Isabella  R.  Stevens,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  G.  Stevens,  who  was 
born  in  Nelson,  O.,  August  15,  1838.  They  established  their 
home  at  Youngstown,  O.  Here  Mr.  Higley  was  soon  recognized 
as  a  painstaking  and  reliable  counselor  and  attorney,  qualities 
which  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  the  settlement  of  estates  and  the 
management  of  causes  growing  out  of  business  transactions. 

In  1863,  during  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Higley  became  a  member 
of  the  National  Guard,  of  which  there  were  three  companies  in 
Youngstown.  In  April,  1864,  Governor  Brough  ordered  the 
whole  force  of  Ohio  National  Guard  to  report  on  May  10,  for 
active  service  for  one  hundred  days.  The  Youngstown  com- 
panies became  a  part  of  the  i55th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Colonel  H.  H.  Sage.  B.  S.  Higley  was  corporal  of  Company  D. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Dennison,  and 
immediately  afterward  sent  to  Martinsburg,  Va.  Subsequent 
orders  took  it  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  White  House  Landing,  City 
Point,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Norfolk,  and  other  points,  making  a 
raid  through  the  Dismal  Swamp  to  Elizabeth  City,  N.  C. 

While  at  Norfolk,  on  garrison  duty  in  an  entrenched  camp, 
the  whole  regiment,  and  particularly  the  Youngstown  troops, 
sickened.  The  climate  seemed  deadly  to  them.  Very  few 
escaped  illness,  many  died,  and  large  numbers  were  disabled. 
When  the  Youngstown  companies  were  mustered  out  of  service, 
August  27,  and  returned  home,  they  excited  and  received 
commiseration  from  the  hearts  of  the  entire  community. 

Brainard  S.  Higley's  health  was  permanently  impaired  by  the 
ordeal  through  which  he  had  passed. 

"Just  before  entering  service  he  had  been  elected  mayor  of 
Youngstown;  a  new  marshal  and  council  had  also  been  chosen. 
These  all  enlisted  for  the  war  before  assuming  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices,  leaving  the  town  to  be  governed  temporarily  by 
the  old  officials  whose  terms  had  expired.  On  the  return  of  the 
regiment 'the  incumbents-elect  took  their  places.  Mr.  Higley 
filled  the  office  of  mayor  two  years,  1864-65. 

"In  1867  he  entered  into  a  business  enterprise  at  Marietta,  O., 
to  which  place  he  removed  with  his  family  and  resided  eight 
years.  The  business  proving  a  failure  and  the  stockholders 
suffering  considerable  loss,  Mr.  Higley  returned  to  Youngs- 
town in  1875,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  closely  to  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  With  two  exceptions  he  is  the  oldest 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  291 

member  of  the  present  bar.  He  is  a  lawyer  rather  than  an 
advocate,  and  is  particularly  successful  in  causes  requiring  careful 
preparation  and  close,  tedious  study.  As  a  citizen  and  man  he 
is  held  in  high  esteem." 

Children  of  Brainard  Spencer  and  Isabella  (Stevens)  Higley: 
John  Stevens  Higley,  born  October  20,  1861,  died  December  18, 
1865;  Belle,  born  May  27,  1863,  died  September  17,  1863;  Ruth 
Isabella,  born  May  22,  1866,  died  October  8,  1871;  Joseph  Nelson, 
born  September  i,  1868;  Brainard  Spencer,  Jr.,  born  January  13, 
1871;  George,  born  February  3,  1872;  Henry  Brewster,  born 
April  30,  1873,  died  November  24,  1873;  Almon  Knox,  born 
February  14,  1878,  died  January  20,  1880. 

JOSEPH  NELSON  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  surviving  child  of  Brainard  Spencer  Higley, 
finished  his  course  of  study  at  the  Rayen  School,  Youngstown,  O.,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  June  18,  1889. 

As  valedictorian  of  his  class  he  made  himself  a  record  by  the  delivery  of  an 
oration  which  was  worthy  of,  and  received  the  highest  plaudits  from,  the  large 
number  of  citizens  who  filled  the  Opera  House  on  the  occasion.  His  subject  was 
"  Uncle  Sam." 

He  has  chosen  the  legal  profession,  and  is  now  pursuing  the  study  of  law  under 
his  father. 

Continued  by  the  Hon.  Brainard  S.  Higley. 

HARRIET  ANNA  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Joseph  Nelson  Higley  (4th),  was 
born  in  Aurora,  O.,  September  29,  1843  ;  married  April  7,  1870,  to  George  Luman 
Allen,  who  was  born  October  29,  1844.  Since  marriage  they  have  resided  in 
Harman,  Washington  County,  O. 

Children  :  Charles  Ethan  Allen,  born  February  21,  1871;  Florence  May  Allen, 
born  August  26,  1872. 

SARAH  MELISSA  HIGLEY,  third  child  of  Joseph  Higley,  3d,  and  his  wife  Sybil 
Coggswell (page  289),  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  November  6,  1808,  married,  December 
IO,  1829,  Elijah  Adams  Scott,  who  was  the  son  of  John  Scott,  and  born  in  Becket, 
Mass.,  November  28,  1800.  She  died  March  18,  1836.  He  died  November  n, 
1880,  having  on  March  i,  1837,  married,  as  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Ann  Under- 
wood, who  survived  him. 

Children  of  Sarah  Melissa  (Higley)  and  Elijah  Adams  Scott  : 

JOSEPH  STILLMAN  SCOTT,  born  in  Freedom,  O.,  December  22,  1830;  married 
Ann  Eliza  Purdy,  December  25,  1850.  They  have  one  son,  Frank  Ellsworth, 
born  July  20,  1862.  They  live  in  Donaldsonville,  Marshall  County,  Ind. 

JULIA  ELIZA,  born  in  Freedom,  O.,  December  17,  1833.  Married  Josiah  B. 
Whippy,  December  18,  1880;  no  children.  They  reside  in  Atwater,  O. 

SARAH  MELISSA,  born  in  Freedom,  O. ,  February  24,  1836.  Married  Isaac  N. 
\Vilcox,  May  26,  1857.  They  live  in  Windham,  O. 

"  In  answer  to  the  first  call  for  troops  in  April,  1861,  Lieutenant  Isaac  N.  Wil- 


292  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

cox  enlisted  in  Company  F,  7th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  three 
months  as  second  lieutenant.  He  afterward  raised  a  cavalry  company  which  was 
attached  to  the  6th  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  served  as  first  lieutenant  till  near 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  received  a  captain's  commission. 

"  Lieutenant  Wilcox  took  an  active  part  in  the  famous  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
and  in  many  other  battles  under  General  Grant,  and  in  marches  from  the  Rapidan 
to  the  James  River."  * 

Their  children  : 

Ida  Melissa,  born  July  17,  1858;  married,  May  II,  1886,  Aaron  B.  Pinney;  live 
in  Windham,  O.  Scott  Stillman,  born  June  14, 1864.  Wesley  Walter,  born  August 
31,  1881. 

EZRA  GOGGSWELL  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Joseph  Higley,  3d,  and  his  wife 
Sybil  Coggswell,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  August  22,  1810.  Married,  October 
28,  1835,  Amanda  A.  Messenger.  She  died  March  14,  1886. 

In  1838,  three  years  after  his  marriage,  he  was  induced  to  go  to  the  then  far 
West,  accompanying  his  father-in-law,  Hiram  Messenger,  on  a  visit  to  Iowa. 
Finding  the  broad  prairies  awaiting  the  husbandman,  they  decided  that  that 
should  be  their  future  home.  The  spring  of  1839  found  Ezra  and  his  family 
in  Danville,  Des  Moines  County,  la.,  where  he  resided  till  his  death.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  and  most  substantial  men  who  pioneered  that  State.  He 
and  his  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  October  28,  1885.  His  wife  died 
March  14,  1886.  Ezra  C.  Higley  died  January  24,  1892,  aged  eighty-one  years 
and  five  months. 

Their  children  : 

Sybil  A.,  Harriet  M.,  Henry  H.,  Emily  M.,  Mary  P.,  born  in  Danville,  la., 
May  9,  1855;  died  December  7,  1868. 

SYBIL  A.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  in  Windham,  O.,  September  5, 
1836.  Married,  October,  1859,  William  H.  Stewart.  They  have  always  resided  in 
Danville,  la.  Their  children  : 

Edward  E.  Stewart,  born  October  3,  1860;  married,  December  23,  1884,  Blanche 
Bodeboun,  and  lives  in  Oberlin,  Kans. ;  have  one  daughter,  Edna  Day,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1886.  Alice  M.  Stewart,  born  October  9,  1862  ;  married,  December 
23,  1885,  William  Hunt;  resides  in  Burlington,  la.;  they  have  two  daughters, 
Clara  L.  and  Helen  E.  Clara  B.  Stewart,  born  January  i,  1867;  married  William 
Hanna,  November  5,  1890. 

HARRIET  M.  HIGLEY,  second  daughter  of  Ezra  C.  and  Amanda  A.  Higley,  was 
born  in  Windham,  O.,  February  5,  1838.  Married,  January  29,  1868,  Judson  A. 
Scovel.  She  died  May,  1874,  leaving  the  following  children  : 

Luman  W.  Scovel,  born  January  15,  1871,  lives  in  Tucasto,  la.;  EJfie  D.  Scovel, 
born  December  I,  1873,  died  October,  1874. 

HENRY  H.  HIGI.EY,  eldest  son  of  Ezra  C.  Higley,  was  born  in  Danville,  la., 
April  4,  1842.  Married,  January  30,  1867,  Mary  E.  Minson.  Has  always  lived  in 
Danville,  la.,  and  is  a  farmer. 

Henry  H.  Higley  enlisted  August  25,  1862,  in  the  i$th  Iowa  Infantry,  and 
was  with  his  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Was  with  General  Sherman 
from  the  time  he  left  Grand  Junction,  through  the  seige  of  Vicksburg  and  Grand 
Gulf.  Thence  went  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  was  in  both  battles,  22d  and  28th  ; 
and  then  in  the  flank  movement  that  forced  Hood  to  surrender  ;  was  with  Sherman 
on  his  march  to  the  sea.  Was  in  Raleigh  when  Lee  surrendered.  He  was  in 
eighteen  battles.  He  was  honorably  discharged  August  5,  1865,  at  the  close  of 
the  war. 

1 "  History  of  Portage  County,  Ohio,"  p.  924. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  293 

His  children  are  : 

Nellie  A.,  born  March  I,  1869  ;  died  October  23,  1878.  Twin  girls,  born  July 
22,  1876.  Frank  //.,  born  August  2,  1880.  Pearl  M.,  born  May  15,  1887. 

EMILY  M.  HIGLEY,  fourth  child  of  Ezra  C.  Higley,  was  born  in  Danville,  la., 
September  19,  1846,  and  resided  with  her  father  on  the  home  farm. 

ELIZA  DEWEY  HIGLEY,  fifth  child  of  Joseph,  3d,  and  Sybil  Coggswell  Higley, 
was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  April  22,  1812.  Married  in  Windham,  O.,  June  15, 
1834,  James  Earl,  who  was  born  November  25,  1807.  He  died  November  28, 
1846.  Her  second  husband  was  David  P.  Robison,  whom  she  married  September 

17,  1879.   •  He  died  January  22,  1880.     Mrs.  Robison  died  1888.     She  was  a  re- 
markable woman.     Left  a  widow  upon  a  farm,  with  three  children,  the  eldest  only 
eight  years  of  age,  the  youngest  an  invalid,  incurable,  and  often  helpless,  and  her 
aged  mother,  who  soon  became  weak  mentally  and  a  serious  charge,  she  managed 
her  farm  and  business  successfully,  acquired  a  competence,  educated  and  reared  her 
children  to  adult  years,  and  tenderly  cared  for  and  nursed  her  mother  until  she  died, 
aged  over  eighty-eight  years.     Notwithstanding  all  her  labors  and  cares,  Mrs. 
Robison  lived  an  active  life  till  her  decease  in  1888.     Her  children,  all  of  first 
marriage,  are  : 

ORLANDO  LYCURGUS  EARL,  born  July  22,  1838.  He  enlisted,  September  20, 
1861,  as  private  in  Company  A,  42d  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel 
James  A.  Garfield  (subsequently  President  of  the  United  States)  commanding  ;  was 
in  Camp  Chase  twelve  weeks.  The  regiment  was  a  part  of  the  force  sent  in  Decem- 
ber, 1861,  up  the  Big  Sandy,  Virginia.  Took  part  in  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek, 
January  10,  1862  ;  went  down  the  Ohio  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  then  to  Cumberland 
Gap.  From  the  Gap,  supplies  being  cut  off,  was  forced  to  retreat,  and  reached  the 
Ohio  River  at  Greenupsburg  in  the  fall  of  1862  ;  went  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  was 
with  Sherman  in  his  unsuccessful  attack  upon  Vicksburg  ;  was  in  Grant's  army  dur- 
ing the  campaign  that  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Vicksburg.  During  the  rest  of  his 
term  of  service  he  was  on  or  near  the  Mississippi  River  ;  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Columbus,  O.,  September  30,  1864,  never  having  received  a  wound  or  been  ill 
one  day.  He  married,  December  n,  1865,  Emily  J.  Cutts,  who  was  born  April 

18,  1842.     He  lives  in  Windham,  O.,  and  has  the  following  children  : 

Edwin  C.,  born  July  6,  1868  ;  Mabel  A.,  born  June  I,  1870;  Enise  B.t  born 
September  II,  1873. 

EDWIN  D.  EARL,  second  son  of  James  and  Eliza  Higley  Earl,  born  June  17,  1841, 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  I7ist  Regiment  Ohio  National  Guard,  in  April,  1864  ; 
ordered  to  Johnson's  Island  to  guard  Confederate  prisoners  there.  During  Mor- 
gan's raid  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Kentucky,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
killed  at  Keller's  Bridge,  in  the  engagement  June  II,  1864.  Windham  never  had 
a  young  man  who  was  more  highly  esteemed,  more  loved,  and  more  generally 
lamented. 

ELIZABETH  A.  EARL,  born  March  n,  1846;  died  February  3,  1870. 

HENRY  ALLEN  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Joseph,  3d,  and  Sybil  Coggswell  Hig- 
ley, born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  February  21,  1814,  married,  May  7,  1840,  Mary  E. 
Seeley,  who  was  born  October  16,  1821,  and  died  October  4,  1866.  His  second 
wife  was  Marion  M.  Udall,  born  April  16,  1842.  This  marriage  took  place  Novem- 
ber 7,  1867.  His  wife  died  October  7,  1870.  His  third  wife  is  Sarah  Joslyn,  who 
20 


294  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

was  born  April  6,  1825,  and  to  whom  he  was  married  August  24,  1871.  He  has 
lived  in  Windham  since  1815,  is  a  farmer,  and  one  of  the  substantial  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  the  town.  He  has  repeatedly  held  offices  of  trust.  His  chil- 
dren are  as  follows  ;  all  of  them  by  first  marriage  except  the  last,  who  is  of  the 
second  : 

Henry  James.  Charles  Olin,  born  March  5,  1852  ;  died  January  II,  1862. 
Nettie  M.,  born  May  25,  1855,  resides  in  Cleveland,  O.  Frank  S.,  born  March  7, 
1869,  resides  in  Windham. 

HENRY  JAMES  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  in  Windham,  O.,  June  30,  1849  ; 
married,  December  I,  1870,  Virginia  A.  Little.  He  is  a  painter  by  trade,  and  re- 
sides in  Windham,  O.  Children: 

Warren  William,  born  July  7,  1874  ;  died  October  23,  1877.  James  Little, 
born  August  II,  1880.  Thomas  William, \yon\  March  4,  1882.  George  Henry, 
born  September  22,  1884. 

JOHN  LARKIN  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Joseph,  3d,  and  Sybil  Coggswell 
Higley,  was  born  in  Windham  O.,  January  17,  1816,  and  married,  March  2,  1841, 
Elizabeth  K.  Frary,  who  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  November  12,  1820. 

Mr.  Higley  bears  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  of 
the  township.  His  farm  is  the  original  land  which  his  father,  Joseph  Higley, 
3d,  settled  upon  on  his  arrival  in  Windham  in  1815.  He  has  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  held  other  town  offices.  Windham  has  no  more  reputable  or 
worthy  citizen  than  he.  During  the  Civil  War  he  did  a  noble  work  by  faithfully 
rendering  very  efficient  aid  to  the  families  of  soldiers  who  were  at  the  front.  He 
is  an  honored  and  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Children  of  John 
Larkin  and  Elizabeth  K.  Frary  Higley  : 

Infant  son,  born  and  died  March  12,  1842  ;  Ophelia  L.,  Joseph  Larkin,  Emma 
E.,  Halbert  D.,  born  November  II,  1853  ;  lives  in  Windham.  Belle  A.,  born 
April  26,  1857.  Francis  S.,  born  July  16,  1859. 

OPHELIA  L.,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  October  4,  1843,  resides  in  Windham. 

JOSEPH  LARKIN,  eldest  son  of  John  Larkin  and  Elizabeth  Frary  Higley,  was 
born  January  23,  1847  ;  married,  October  31,  1876,  Jennie  A.  Scott,  who  was  born 
March  12,  1858.  He  is  engaged  in  business  in  Canton,  O.  Children  : 

Ethel,  born  May  3,  1880  ;  died  January  22,  1883.     Etta,  born  September,  1883. 

EMMA  E.,  daughter  of  John  Larkin  and  Elizabeth  Frary  Higley,  was  born  in 
Windham,  O.,  May  25,  1849  ;  married,  August  12,  1880,  N.  S.  Kellogg,  and  resides 
on  a  farm  in  Claridon,  Geauga  County,  O.  Children  : 

Gertrude  Belle,  born  February  7,  1882.    John  Sherman,  born  August  14,  1883. 

OLIVER  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  and  youngest  child  of  Joseph,  3d,  and 
Sybil  Coggswell  Higley,  was  born  in  Windham,  O.,  March  18,  1818  ;  married, 
August  1 8,  1846,  Eunice  D.  Johnson,  who  was  born  March  5,  1824.  They  resided 
in  Danville,  la.,  where  on  August  15,  1847,  there  was  born  to  them  a  son,  Milton 
B.  Mrs.  Eunice  D.  Higley  died  Angust  18,  1847.  Oliver  B.  Higley  married,  June 
4,  1849,  his  second  wife,  Betsy  Case,  who  was  born  June  4,  1827.  About  this  time 
he  removed  to  \Vindham,  O.,  where  he  died,  February  19,  1866.  He  was  an  indus- 
trious and  thrifty  citizen,  a  worthy  member  of  society.  His  widow  resides  with  her 
son,  Edwin  E.  Higley,  in  Windham.  The  children  by  second  marriage  are  : 

Charles  W.,  born  May  30,  1850.     Mary  Francis,  born  August  20,  1851  ;  died 


WILLIAM    E.   HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  295 

September  23,  1888  (unmarried).  Julia  A.,  born  May  27,  1854  ;  died  August  13, 
1858.  Clinton  A.,  born  July  13,  1859,  a  printer,  resides  in  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Edwin  E.,  born  March  13,  1864. 

MILTON  B.  HIGLEY,  the  only  child  by  the  first  marriage,  was  born  in  Danville, 
la.,  August  15,  1847;  married,  September  21,  1875,  Celia  Castle,  who  was  born 
Febuary  n,  1855.  He  is  employed  in  a  factory  in  Ashtabula,  O.  Their  children  : 

Ettie  M.y  born  September,  19,  1878.     Flossy  M.,  born  June  5,  1884. 

CHARLES  W.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Oliver  B.  and  Betsey  Case  Higley,  born 
May  30,  1850 ;  married,  December  7,  1872,  Lovena  A.  Weed,  who  was  born 
August  12,  1850.  He  is  a  farmer  and  resides  in  Windham,  O.  Their  children: 

Verna  M.,  born  December  7,  1874.     Lena  M.,  born  June  20,  1876. 

EDWIN  E.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son,  born  March  13,  1864  ;  married,  January  19, 
1886,  Lucy  Barnum,  who  was  born  May  12,  1863.  He  is  a  farmer  and  resides  in 
Windham,  O.,  in  the  house  formerly  owned  by  his  father,  Oliver  B.  Higley. 


SILAS   HIGLEY    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Silas,  Joseph,  2d,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Continued  from  page  288. 

We  now  return  to  the  direct  line  of  Joseph  Higley,  ad,  son  of 
Captain  Joseph,  ist. 

SILAS  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Joseph  Higley,  2d,  and 
Azubah  Gillette,  was  born  at  Becket,  Mass.,  September  23,  1780. 
He  lived  and  died  in  Becket.  On  the  3oth  of  October,  1805,  he 
married  Deborah  Messenger,  who  was  born  October  15,  1783. 
The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  "  George  Conant, 
Justice." 

Silas  Higley  died  June  9,  1864,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  His 
wife  died  March  9,  1857.  They  had  six  children,  as  follows: 

Silas  Orlando,  Deborah  Laverna,  twins,  born  August  28,  1806. 
Edwin  Wood,  born  August  15,  1808;  died  March  7,  1844.  Lueian 
Arthur,  born  April  13,  1810;  died  November  14,  1844.  William 
Dwight,  born  January  n,  1812;  died  November  28,  1817.  Emily 
Aurelia,  born  September  27,  1813;  died  May  21,  1839. 

Of  the  above  family  SILAS  ORLANDO,  who  was  known  altogether 
by  his  middle  name,  Orlando,  married  Lucinda  Davis,  May  13, 
1831.  They  reside  in  Becket.  They  had  one  child,  George  Edwin, 
born  April  23,  1862,  who  died  the  following  September. 

DEBORAH  LAVERNA,  his  twin  sister,  married  Myron  B.  Maltoon 
of  Lenox,  Mass.  Their  children  were :  George  Myron,  born 
October  9,  1834;  Catherine  Laverna,  born  June  20,  1837;  Charles 
Giddings,  born  April  i,  1839.  Deborah  (Higley)  Maltoon  died  in 
Lenox,  Mass.,  January  30,  1882. 


29  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

LUCIAN  ARTHUR,  the  fourth  child  of  Silas  Higley,  married 
Morilla  N.  Church  of  Middlefield,  Mass.,  October  n,  1831. 
They  resided  in  Becket,  Mass.  He  died  November  14,  1844.  His 
wife  died  January  18,  1870. 

Their  children :  Charles  Wright  and  William  Edward. 

CHARLES  WRIGHT  HIGLEY,  born  January  15,  1835,  married 
Ann  Miller  of  Lenox,  Mass.,  November  21,  1858.  He  died  June 
22,  1863. 

WILLIAM  EDWARD  HIGLEY  was  born  September  23,  1837.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools.  His  father 
dying  when  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age,  the  care  and  solicitude 
of  the  family  came  upon  the  mother.  William  was  thus  early 
initiated  into  the  responsibilities  of  life.  Employment  was  found 
for  him  on  a  farm  at  Middlefield.  When  a  youth  of  sixteen  he 
went  to  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  tailoring,  and 
afterward  opened  a  tailoring  establishment  in  Middlefield. 
Later  on  he  removed  to  Becket,  where  he  conducted  a  merchant 
tailoring  business  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Higley  displayed  originality  and  ability  in  the  art  of  cut- 
ting garments,  and  became  widely  and  popularly  known  in  his  line 
of  business.  He  wrote  a  series  of  articles  for  Scott's  Mirror  of 
Fashion,  and  other  trade  periodicals,  which, attracted  very  con- 
siderable attention,  and  were  republished  in  the  columns  of  The 
Tailor  and  Cutter,  in  London.  The  many  inquiries  that  came  to 
him  from  these  articles,  instigated  him  to  originate  and  patent  a 
system  of  cutting,  the  best  points  of  which  have  been  adopted  in 
nearly  all  of  the  systems  of  cutting  garments  now  in  use. 

In  1880  Mr.  Higley  opened  a  grocery  house,  and  later  he  pur- 
chased an  apothecary  store,  in  which  business  he  is  now  engaged. 

William  E.  Higley  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Becket,  which  he  has  served  for  many  years  as  collector  and 
treasurer.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Music  happily  being  one  of  his  delights,  he  entered  its  realm, 
devoting  a  considerable  amount  of  time  to  its  practice.  He  is  a 
successful  instructor,  teaching  in  private  schools,  and  for  thirty- 
two  years  he  played  a  Boehm  flute  at  the  church  services,  and  con- 
ducted the  singing. 

The  cause  of  education  has  long  laid  upon  Mr.  Higley's  heart, 
in  which  he  takes  practical  interest,  having  served  for  some  time 
as  chairman  of  the  school  board  of  his  town. 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1860,  William  E.  Higley  married  Maria 


CHARLES   W.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.          297 

A.  Miller  of  Stockbridge,  Mass.     They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  viz. : 

Charles  William,  born  November  18,  1864;  Arthur  Lucian,  born 
April  4,  1868;  and  Anna  Morilla,  born  January  4,  1870. 

CHARLES  WILLIAM  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of 'William  E.  and  Maria  A.  (Miller) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  November  18,  1864.  His  early  education  was 
obtained  at  a  private  school  in  that  town  ;  later  on  he  attended  the  high  school  at 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  and  afterward  was  a  student  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy, 
Wilbraham,  Mass.  During  the  year  1882  he  took  the  responsibility  of  becoming  a 
teacher,his  mental  power  advancing  him  at  an  early  age.  He  accepted  a  position  in 
the  school  at  West  Becket.  The  following  year,  on  obtaining  a  State  scholarship, 
he  entered  the  Worcester  (Mass.)  Polytechnic  Institute,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
July,  1886,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 

The  same  year  he  entered  the  engineering  department  of  the  Boston  Bridge 
Works.  By  nature  and  habit  industrious,  he  has  proved,  in  this  connection,  thor- 
oughly efficient,  his  ability,  energy,  and  activity  challenging  the  respect  and  admira- 
tion of  the  company.  He  now  holds  a  responsible  position,  being  its  representative. 

In  his  early  boyhood  Charles  W.  Higley  developed  a  bent  for  music,  in  which  he 
was  indulged,  and  his  development  was  such  that  he  performed  on  the  organ  at  the 
church  services  in  his  native  town  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  continuing  as  organist  for 
three  years. 

He  resides  in  Boston,  Mass. 

ARTHUR  LUCIAN  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  qf  William  E.  and  Maria  A.  (Miller) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  January  4,  1868.  Scarcely  one  year  of  his  life 
had  passed  when  he  was  made  deaf  by  the  effects  of  an  attack  of  measles.  Every 
effort  has  been  made  by  his  parents  to  make  the  life  of  this  most  promising  child 
both  enjoyable  and  useful. 

He  received  an  excellent  education  at  the  Clarke  Institution  for  the  Instruction 
of  Mutes,  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  a  student  ten  years.  Here  he 
learned  the  cabinetmakers'  trade,  making  himself  a  reputation  for  his  clever  work- 
manship, and  showing  himself  thoroughly  possessed  of  mechanical  genius. 

He  resides  with  his  parents  in  Becket,  following  his  trade,  in  which  he  excels  in 
turning  out  fine  and  beautiful  work.  To  all  who  meet  him,  his  bright,  intelligent 
face  and  attractive  bearing  at  once  give  evidence  of  his  unusual  natural  abilities. 

ANNA  M.  HIGLEY,  the  third  and  youngest  child  of  William  E.  and  Maria  A. 
(Miller)  Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  January  4,  1870. 

Her  first  school  days  were  at  a  private  school  in  Becket.  She  pursued  her  studies 
and  was  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  Wilbraham,  Mass.  She  afterward 
taught  for  ten  school  terms. 

On  the  igth  of  March,  1891,  she  married  Fred  M.  Burleigh  of  Chester,  Mass.,  in 
which  town  they  now  reside. 

Continued  from  pagt  a88. 

PHILENA  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Joseph  Higley,  2d,  and  Azu- 
bah  (Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  November  6, 
1787.  She  married,  July  5,  1813,  John  Milton  Brewster,  M.  D., 


298  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

who  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  October  22,  1789.  Dr.  Brewster 
was  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  of  his  State. 

The  following  sketch  was  furnished  by  a  descendant  : 

Philena  Higley  inherited  the  sterling  qualities  of  her  ancestry. 
Reared  in  a  quiet  New  England  town,  improving  the  advantages 
of  the  village  school,  and  imbibing  the  religious  sentiment  of  a 
Christian  home,  the  foundations  of  a  strong  character  were  laid. 

The  delicate  physique  and  refined  face  of  the  young  girl  con- 
cealed her  power  of  endurance.  When  Philena  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  her  mother  became  abed-ridden  invalid,  and  Philena 
was  called  to  fill  her  place.  Right  cheerfully  did  she  accept  the 
trust.  To  this  young  housekeeper  soon  came  another  charge — 
a  child  to  claim  her  care.  She  adopted  this  niece  (a  twin  daugh- 
ter of  her  brother  Silas),  who  was  ever  after  as  an  own  daughter. 

The  year  1813  brought  another  change  to  this  young  woman. 
Dr.  John  M.  Brewster,  a  native  of  the  same  town,  and  a  promising 
young  physician,  claimed  her  as  his  bride  and  took  her  to  their  new 
home,  the  adopted  niece  going  with  them. 

This  proved  an  eminently  Christian  home,  noted  for  its  hos- 
pitality and  resources  :  the  sick  were  relieved  ;  the  slave  found 
refuge;  and  the  sorrowful  were  always  comforted;  there  was 
always  room  for  the  stranger,  and  few  were  the  months  extending 
through  a  long  life  when  some  needy  person  was  not  sharing  Mrs. 
Brewster's  attention. 

There  are  to-day  many  men  of  prominence  who  speak  of  her  as 
"  mother,"  because  they  owe  their  success  in  life  to  her  encourage- 
ment and  advice. 

Her  daily  life  of  patience,  hope,  love,  and  charity  was  her  best 
teaching  ;  and  although  never  robust,  she  was  spared  to  her 
loved  ones  until  she  had  numbered  eighty-eight  years,  when  she 
passed  as  peacefully  away  as  a  little  child  lies  down  to  its  sleep. 
"Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed." 

Mrs.  Philena  Higley  Brewster  died  at  her  home  in  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  January  21,  1876.  Her  husband,  Dr.  John  M.  Brewster, 
died  May  3,  1869. 

Children  of  Dr.  John  M.  and  Philena  Higley  Brewster  : 
Flavia  Jerusha,  born  June  20,  1814  ;  died  April  27,  1821.  Oliver 
Ellsworth,  born  January  30,  1816,  married  ;  died  Septem- 
ber 12,  1866.  John  Milton,  2d,  born  November  28,  1817,  married 

;  resides  in  Monson,  Mass.  Joseph  Higley,  born  January 

27,  1820,  married ;  resides  in  Monson,  Mass.  Flavia 


ARTHUR   L.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  299 

Jerusha,  2d,  born  May  23,  1822  ;  married  Franklin  W.  Gibbs  of 
Lee,  Mass.  Henry  Badger,  born  April  14,  1824,  resides  in  Pitts- 
field,  Mass.  William  Cullen,  born  May  n,  1827;  died  September 
19, 1847.  Sarah  Philena,  born  September  20,  1829;  married  Robert 
W.  Adam  of  Pittsfield,  Mass.  Mary  Minerva,  born  January  24, 
1832;  married  George  H.  Laflin  of  Chicago,  111.,  and  resides  in 
that  city. 

MINERVA    HIGLEY    SCOTT. 
Continued  frontpage  288. 

MINERVA  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  and  youngest  child  of  Joseph 
Higley,  2d,  and  Azubah  Gillette,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass., 
April  12,  1791.  She  married  Linius  Scott,  May  27,  1824,  the 
Rev.  J.  L.  Mills  officiating. 

On  the  22d  of  March,  1825,  she  gave  birth  to  a  son,  Joseph  Hig- 
ley, after  which  her  strength  never  rallied  ;  she  died  April  6,  1825. 

JOSEPH  HIGLEY  SCOTT,  her  only  child,  became  a  faithful  and  successful  clergy- 
man in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  removed  to  the  Western  Reserve,  where  he 
preached  for  many  years,  beloved  and  honored.  Metropolis,  111.,  was  afterward 
his  home,  where  he  died  after  an  illness  of  many  weeks,  leaving  a  family  with  a 
very  comfortable  living.  His  death  took  place  February  26,  1879.  The  funeral 
services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  S.  M.  Burton  of  Golconda,  111.,  assisted  by 
the  Rev.  B.  Y.  George  of  Cairo.  Mr.  Burton  preached  from  Revelations  xiv.  13. 

"  A  large  audience  of  sympathizing  friends  filled  the  church  in  which  Mr.  Scott  so 
long  and  faithfully  labored  as  pastor,  and  kind  hands  laid  tenderly  away  the 
remains  of  one  whom  they  will  ever  remember  with  affection,  for  his  genial  nature 
and  untiring  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  the  good  of  his  fellow-man.  Mr. 
Scott  was  a  marked  man — methodical  in  all  things,  he  accomplished,  without  any 
ostentation,  more  than  most  men  with  greater  strength  are  able  to  do.  Though  a 
quiet  man,  his  convictions  were  always  outspoken,  and  his  influence  for  good  in 
the  community  was  very  great.  He  will  long  be  remembered  by  a  community  who 
sympathize  with  his  family  for  their  great  loss,  and  who  sensibly  realize  that  one  of 
its  most  justly  honored  citizens  has  gone  to  a  sure  reward." 


CHAPTER   XLII. 

MICAH    HIGLEY    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Micah,  ist,  Captain  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Continued  front  page  286. 

MICAH  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Joseph  Higley,  ist,  and  his 
second  wife,  Sarah  Case,  was  born  at  Higley-town,  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  January  12,  1743.  He  married  Olive  Adams,  who  was  also 
of  Simsbury,  January  5,  1774. 

On  the  3oth  of  the  previous  November,  1773,  Micah  Higley 
purchased  a  home  in  Becket,  Mass.,  "  House  lot,  No.  44,"  for  the 
"  sum  of  ;£6o. "  His  father  having  also  set  apart  land  for  his  sons 
in  Becket,  Micah  and  his  wife  removed  here  soon  after  their 
marriage.  They  owned  and  settled  on  lot  No.  48. 

His  sister  Sarah,  who  had  married  James  Rudd  less  than  two 
months  previously,  also  removed  with  her  husband  to  Becket, 
the  two  families  living  neighbors. 

The  married  life  of  Micah  and  Olive  Higley  was  cut  short  in  a 
little  less  than  five  years  by  a  distressing  accident.  On  the 
morning  of  December  19,  1778,  a  light  snow  having  fallen  in  the 
night,  Micah  and  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Rudd,  went  to  the 
woods  to  shoot  deer,  neither  of  them  knowing  that  the  other  was 
out.  Micah  wore  a  deer-skin  cap.  Mr.  Rudd,  while  stealthily 
watching  about,  caught  glimpse  of  a  moving  object  behind  a 
fallen  tree  top,  and  supposing  it  to  be  a  deer,  took  aim  and  dis- 
charged his  gun.  To  his  horror  on  approaching  his  game,  as 
he  thought,  he  discovered  that  he  had  shot  and  killed  his  brother- 
in-law,  Micah  Higley.  The  fatal  accident  caused  a  great  shock 
to  the  neighbors  and  friends,  and  plunged  Mr.  Rudd  into  bitter 
emotions,  but  regrets  were  fruitless. 

The  interment  took  place  in  the  old  Becket  burial-ground. 
The  tombstone  bears  this  inscription  : 

flfcfcab  f>f0leg 

wbo  was  sbot  an&  Ofefc  instantlg 
Dec  10tb  1778 
35  gears. 
300 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.          301 

His  widow,  Olive  (Adams)  Higley,  was  left  with  two  young 
sons,  Micah,  Jr.,  born  January  25,  1776,  and  Benjamin,  born 
November  30,  1777. 

She  married,  October  n,  1779,  Elijah  Alford,  Jr.  (see  p.  177), 
who  was  cousin  to  her  husband,  and  in  1811  removed  to  Wind- 
ham,  Portage  County,  O. ,  where  they  brought  up  a  family  of  six 
children.  She  died  September  16,  1827,  near  Windham.  Her 
grave  is  marked  by  a  tombstone  in  the  Windham  cemetery. 

The  birth  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  son  of  Micah  Higley  and  Olive 
Adams,  is  found  upon  the  Records  at  Becket,  Mass.,  as  follows  : 

"  Micah  Higley,  son  of  Micah  and  Olive  Higley,  born  in  Becket,  February  9,  1776." 

He  was  baptized  July  2,  1786.  The  same  Town  Records  an- 
nounce his  marriage  thus: 

"Micah  Higley  and  Mehitable  May  Bowen  married  at  Becket,  Sept.  i3th,  1703." 

Mehitable  M.  Bowen  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  January  8, 

1783- 

On  the  i2th  of  May,  1808,  they  were  together  admitted  to  the 
church  in  Becket  in  full  membership. 

On  the  death  of  their  grandfather,  Joseph  Higley,  ist,  in  1790, 
Micah  and  his  brother  Benjamin  received  a  legacy  of  lands  at 
Becket,  where  Micah  and  his  wife  then  resided,  and  where  the 
five  eldest  of  their  family  of  ten  children  were  born. 

In  June,  1816,  they  removed  to  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  then  to  Whites- 
boro,  Oneida  County,  in  that  State.  Here  they  lived  till  the 
summer  of  1833,  when  they  removed  to  Windham,  Portage 
County,  O.  Here  they  were  received  into  the  church  by  letter 
from  New  York  Mills,  N.  Y.,  October  17,  1833. 

Micah  Higley  died  May  14,  1841.  His  wife  died  January  20, 
1839.  They  were  buried  in  the  Windham  cemetery.  Their 
children:  Cumberland  W.,  Ebenezer,  Abigail  Smith,  Olive,  Martha 
Porter,  Mary  W.  and  Eliza  Bowen — twins,  Harriet  Newell,  Eunice 
Washburn,  and  Henry. 

CUMBERLAND  W.,  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  December  7,  1805.  In  1826  he  went 
afoot  from  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  to  Portage  County,  O.,  making  the  journey  in 
thirty  days.  He  carried  a  gun  on  his  shoulder,  with  which  he  supported  himself 
the  most  of  the  way.  He  died  of  malarial  fever  at  Windham,  O.,  October  12, 
1827.  He  never  married. 

EBENEZER,  the  second  son  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass., 
June  25,  1807.  He  was  an  earnest  Presbyterian.  While  pursuing  his  theological 
studies  at  Lane  Seminary,  Cincinnati,  O.,  intending  to  enter  the  ministry,  he  con- 


302  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

traded  a  severe  cold,  which  ended  in  consumption.  He  finished  his  course  of 
study,  but  never  was  able  to  enter  the  pulpit.  He  died  November  15,  1837. 
Unmarried. 

ABIGAIL  SMITH  HIGLEY,  third  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  at  Becket,  Mass., 
June  6,  1809,  married  John  H.  Clark  at  Windham,  O.,  March  4,  1839.  Lives  at 
Bell  Centre,  Wis.  Children  : 

Florilla,  married Davis,  and  lives  in  Patch  Grove,  Wis.      Theodore  IV., 

who  served  in  the  Union  Army  in  a   Wisconsin  regiment  during  the  Civil  War ; 

resides  at  Bell  Centre,  Wis.     Mary,  married Russell,  and,  second,  John 

Harmon,  who  resides  in  Arizona. 

OLIVE  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  February  22,  1812, 
at  Becket ;  died  at  Windham,  O.,  February  6,  1841  ;  unmarried. 

MARTHA  PORTER  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  in  Becket, 
January  29,  1815;  married  Charles  Curtiss,  January  22,  1845  ;  died  of  cancer,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1873.  Children : 

Ar delta  Lee,  born  December  10,  1845  ;  married  Severus  Hoard,  September  3, 

1868.     Marcus,  born  December  14,  1847  ;  married ,  lives  at   Leroy,  Mich. 

Augustus  H.,  born  May  20,  1850,  lives  at  Scott,  Van  Wirt  County,  O.  Katie 
Augusta,  born  October  5,  1852;  married  Benjamin  C.  Roberts,  March  6,  1879  ;  lives 
at  Rich  wood,  Union  County,  O.  Gains,  born  February  6,  1857  ;  lives  at  Galena, 
Delaware  County,  O. 

MARY  WILLIAMS  HIGLEY,  a  twin,  and  the  sixth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born 
at  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  September  18,  1816,  married  Benjamin  B.  Clark  at  Windham, O., 
1836.  He  died  1845.  Second  marriage  to  Samuel  W.  Forman  of  Newton  Falls, 
O.,  February  17,  1847.  She  died  May  3,  1887,  at  Braceville,  O.  Children  by 
first  husband: 

JOHN  B.,  born  April  10,  1838,  married  Elizabeth  A.  Price,  February,  1867.  He 
was  four  years  in  the  Civil  War,  Company  D,  6th  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry.  Re- 
sides in  Big  Rapids,  Mich. 

LOUISA  M.,  born  February  8,  1842,  married,  first,  1859,  Earl  B.  Johnson,  who 
served  during  the  war  on  General  Kirby  Smith's  staff,  and  died,  1865,  at  Shreveport, 
La.;  married,  second,  A.  R.  Russell  of  Newton  Falls,  O.,  April,  1867,  where  she 
now  resides. 

Children  by  second  marriage  : 

FRANCES  LEVINA,  born  November  19,  1847,  at  Green,  O. ;  married  Cyrus  L. 
North  of  Braceville,  O.,  November  I,  1870.  Cyrus  L.  North  served  in  the  Union 
Army  during  the  Civil  War.  They  have  two  daughters,  twins,  Jessie  M.  and 
Grace  C.,  born  May  19,  1875.  They  reside  at  Braceville,  O. 

CATHERINE  ELIZA,  born  November  16,  1849  ;  married,  January  3,  1877,  Thomas 
W.  Harrison,  who  died  July  20,  1883,  at  Lapeer,  Mich.;  married,  second,  at  Big 
Rapids,  Mich.,  Stewart  Gorton,  August  5,  1884.  Mr.  Gorton  served  three  years  in 
the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War.  They  reside  at  Luzerne,  Mich.  Children  : 

Mark  P.  Harrison,  born  January  29,  1878  ;  died  December  19,  1880,  and  an 
infant  son,  who  was  born  and  died  July  8,  1879. 

EMMA  ORMSBY,  born  April  4,  1854  ;  married,  April  19,  1882,  Newton  B. 
Allen.  They  have  two  sons,  Charles  Wallace  and  Arthur  Newton.  Reside  at 
Braceville,  O. 

CHARLES  EDWARD,  born  June  27,  1857;  died  unmarried,  April  5,  1882,  at  Brace- 
ville, O. 

ELIZA  BOWEN  HIGLEY,  a  twin,  and  the  sixth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  born  Sep- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.          3°3 

tember  iS,  1816,  resided  at  Wellington,  O.  Her  church  letter  was  received  at  the 
Windham  Church,  from  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  January  2,  1834.  She  had  one  child  ; 
viz.: 

Samuel  N.  Alford,  born  in  Braceville,  O.,  1842.     Resides  at  Puget  Sound. 

HARRIET  NEWELL,  the  eighth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  at  Augusta,  N.  Y., 
August  6,  1819  ;  married  William  Russell,  April  10,  1841.  She  died  June  9,  1877. 
They  had  six  sons  and  one  daughter,  six  of  whom  are  living  ;  no  data  furnished. 
One  of  the  sons,  Luman  Russell,  served  three  years  in  the  Union  Army  in  a 
Wisconsin  regiment. 

EUNICE  WASHBURN,  the  ninth  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  Augusta,  N.  Y., 
October  17,  1821  ;  married,  April  7,  1845,  Nathaniel  E.  Marcy.  They  reside  at 
Wellington,  O.,  being  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town,  and  among  its  most  esti- 
mable citizens.  Mr.  Marcy  was  active  and  outspoken  in  the  Abolition  cause  in  its 
early  agitation,  and  voted  one  of  the  first  two  ballots  cast  in  the  town  against  the 
slavery  question,  which  was  then  "  mastering  American  politics."  In  their  home 
they  hospitably  received  and  entertained  many  of  the  reformers  and  prominent  lec- 
turers in  the  anti-slavery  cause.  Nathaniel  E.  Marcy  died  July  15, 1887.  Children  : 

ADELBERT  EDWIN  MARCY  born  August  2,  1846,  enlisted  in  the  4ist  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age, 
serving  one  year,  when  he  was  discharged  for  disability.  He  afterward  re-enlisted 
in  the  2d  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  gained 
high  laurels  as  a  scout.  Married  Mary  Nash,  April,  1872.  They  have  three  sons  : 
Kenneth  Edwin,  George,  and  Chalmer.  Reside  in  Wellington,  O. 

WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON  MARCY,  the  second  son,  was  born  March  18,  1848. 
In  his  fifteenth  year,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  86th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  regi- 
ment of  six  months'  men.  While  doing  picket  duty,  on  a  bitter  cold  winter's  night, 
January  I,  1864,  his  feet  were  frozen  to  his  ankles,  from  the  effects  of  which, 
after  much  suffering,  he  died  in  nineteen  days  at  Camp  Nelson,  Ky.  He  was 
interred  at  Wellington,  O. 

LORIN,  born  October  6,  1850,  died  aged  ten  months. 

LAURA  PHEDYMA,  born  May  17,  1852,  married  Charles  Manville,  January  30, 
1872.  He  died  October  17,  1886.  They  had  children  : 

Harry  Chester,  Mabel  Ella,  and  Leon  Jerome,     Reside  in  La  Grange,  O. 

ELLA  IRENE,  the  last  child  of  Nathaniel  and  Eunice  W.  (Higley)  Marcy,  born 
September  12,  1854,  married  E.  Chauncey  Fowles,  April  19,  1883,  and  resides  in 
Cleveland,  O. 

HENRY  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  and  youngest  child  of  Micah  Higley,  Jr.,  born  at 
Augusta,  N.  Y.,  married,  September  7,  1850,  Abbie  L.  Bugden  of  Andover,  O. 
They  reside  at  New  Windsor,  111.  Mr.  Higley  is  well-to-do  in  the  world.  He 
was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business,  but  for  twenty  years  has 
been  a  farmer. 

His  wife,  Abbie  L.  Bugden,  is  a  bright,  noble-hearted  woman,  of  genial  tempera- 
ment, and  possessing  a  highly  poetic  nature,  with  considerable  talent  for  giving  it 
expression.  Her  mother,  Martha  Upham  Wade,  was  the  daughter  of  James 
Wade,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who  emigrated  to  Ashtabula County, 'Ohio,  from 
Massachusetts,  and  sister  to  the  late  distinguished  senator  from  Ohio,  the  Hon. 
Benjamin  F.  Wade.  Her  father  was  William  Bugden,  a  native  of  Wethersfield, 
Conn.,  who  emigrated  from  Sharon,  Conn.,  to  Ohio,  during  Mrs.  Higley's  infancy. 

Mrs.  Higley  composed  a  strikingly  appropriate  poem  for  the  Higley  reunion  of 
1887,  held  at  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  which  met  with  much  acceptance  on  that 
interesting  occasion.  (See  appendix.) 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

COLONEL   BENJAMIN    HIGLEY. 
Colonel  Benjamin,  Micah,  ist,  Captain  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Men  of  great  integrity  and  purity  of  life,  who  have  no  thought  of  pushing  into  any  ambitious 
sphere,  but  only  of  doing  with  all  their  might  the  work  which  their  hands  find  to  do,  are  the  salt 
of  society,  the  strength  of  a  nation,  and  it  is  not  well  that  such  should  be  forgot. — GREV. 

BENJAMIN  HIGLEY,  son  of  Micah  and  Olive  (Adams)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Becket,  Mass.,  November  30,  1777.  His  baptism, 
with  that  of  his  only  brother,  Micah,  Jr.,  is  entered  upon  the 
register  of  the  Becket  Church  as  having  taken  place  July  2,  1786. 

When  an  infant  but  one  year  old  he  was  deprived  of  paternal 
care  by  the  accidental  and  sudden  death  of  his  father;  he  had, 
however,  careful  training  and  admonition  under  his  stepfather's 
guidance,  Elijah  Alford,  3d,1  who  was  his  father's  cousin,  and 
whom  his  mother  married  the  year  following  the  decease  of  the 
latter. 

There  is  but  little  placed  before  us  to  make  us  familiar  with 
the  earliest  years  of  his  life.  As  far  as  is  known  his  education 
was  received  at  the  county  school,  and  though,  during  his  day, 
there  was  a  growing  indifference  and  degeneracy  in  the  cause  of 
education,  he  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  common  branches. 

But  the  life  of  the  clear-headed  man  of  after  years,  endowed 
with  brain  as  well  as  sinew,  possessing  wisdom,  tact,  and  enter- 
prise, guided  in  his  daily  acting  and  living  by  the  true  spirit  of 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  plainly  indicated  that  his  childhood 
surroundings  had  been  such  as  developed  the  higher  qualities  of 
a  manly  nature. 

Lives  such  as  the  subject  of  this  sketch  are  an  exhortation  to 
honesty  of  purpose  and  integrity;  they  stood  for  right,  and  have 
exercised  an  influence  lasting  and  fruitful. 

The  Becket  Town  Records  show  that  Benjamin  Higley  entered 
his  active  career  as  a  teacher,  having  taught  the  district  school 
for  several  terms.  In  1804  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  school 

1  Elijah  Alford,  zd,  was  the  son  of  Elijah,  Sr.,  and  Hannah  Higley  Alford  of  Becket,  Mass, 
(see  page  177). 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  305 

committeemen  for  the  town.  From  his  early  manhood  he  was 
ever  after  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  cause  of  education.  The 
same  year  he  was  elected  constable  of  Becket. 

On  the  i6th  of  September,  1802,  he  married  Sally  McKown, 
who  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  March  10,  1773.  The  young 
couple  settled  in  Becket  on  farming  lands  owned  by  Benjamin 
Higley;  and  on  the  6th  of  September,  1807,  "Benjamin  and  Sally 
Higley  "  were  together  "  admitted  into  full  membership  in  the 
church." 

Soon  after  establishing  a  home  of  their  own  they  took  under 
their  care  and  shelter  an  orphan,  six  years  of  age,  named  Eli 
Case,  to  whom  they  were  foster-parents  till  he  reached  his 
majority. 

In  the  summer  of  1810  a  number  of  the  residents  of  Becket 
became  greatly  stirred  by  the  description  which  was  given  by  one 
Captain  Mills,  of  an  unoccupied  township  in  that  large  tract  of 
land  then  known  as  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve  in  the  new 
State  of  Ohio.  Captain  Mills  had  already  emigrated  to  Nelson, 
the  township  just  north  of  it,  and  had  returned  on  a  visit  to  his 
native  town  in  old  Berkshire.  The  township  described  by  him 
was  No.  4,  range  6. 

The  report  led  to  much  discussion,  and  resulted  in  the  proposi- 
tion made  by  three  or  four  neighbors  to  Benjamin  Higley,  that 
they  would  work  for  him  one,  day  each  if  he  would  go  to  North- 
ampton (Mass.),  and  confer  with  Governor  Strong,  the  principal 
owner  of  the  tract,  concerning  his  willingness  to  sell,  and  learn 
the  terms  of  purchase. 

This  service  Mr.  Higley  promptly  attended  to,  making  the  trip 
the  first  week  in  July,  1810.  He  returned,  bringing  a  good  report 
from  Governor  Strong. 

Having  now  a  young  family  of  three  sons,  whose  future  he  con- 
sidered, with  that  of  their  adopted  boy,  and  feeling  assured  that 
on  reaching  manhood  they  would  not  remain  on  the  rocky  farm- 
lands of  the  Becket  hills,  together  with  being,  no  doubt,  prompted 
somewhat  by  the  land  speculative  spirit  which  had  swept  over 
Connecticut,  Mr.  Higley  favorably  decided  upon  the  serious 
undertaking  of  removal  westward. 

Some  weeks  after  the  date  above  mentioned,  on  the  loth  of 
September,  1810,  a  number  of  men  came  together  at  the  house  of 
Thatcher  Conant  in  Becket,  and  entered  into  contract  "to  pay 
their  equal  proportion  of  the  expenses  of  exploring  and  viewing 


3°6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY. 

this  township  of  land  in  '  New  Connecticut,'  to  be  paid  over  to 
the  agents  of  the  Company." 

Benjamin  Higley  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  contract.  His 
stepfather,  Elijah  Alford,  acted  as  clerk  of  the  meeting.  It  was 

"  Voted,  that  Dillingham  Clark  Esqr.  and  Jeremiah  Lyman  be  agents  to  Explore 
Said  Township,"  etc. 

These  two  men  immediately  set  off  on  horseback  for  that 
densely  wooded  wilderness.  Having  performed  the  journey  by 
the  3ist  of  October,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Elijuh 
Alford  to  hear  their  report,  which  being  favorable,  Mr.  Clark  was 
appointed  to  apply  to  Governor  Strong  for  the  privilege  of 
purchase;  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  November  3,  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  devise  a  plan  for  dividing  the  township,  if 
purchased. 

The  negotiations  with  Governor  Strong  having  been  satis- 
factorily completed,  which  included  the  appraisal  of  the  farms 
and  real  estate  belonging  to  the  purchasers  in  Becket,  to  be 
turned  in  by  them  toward  payment  for  the  township,  an  exchange 
of  deeds  by  the  agents  of  the  company  was  ordered  at  a  meeting 
held  November  27,  1810. 

This  tract  of  wild  land  contained  "  14,845  acres  more  or  less," 
and  was  purchased  at  $1.76  per  acre.1 

Having  now  obtained  the  township  they  next  preceeded  to 
apportion  it  among  the  members  of  the  company,  and  assign  to 
each  individual  his  particular  share.  This  was  done  by  lot.  By 
the  i$th  of  March,  1811,  the  proprietors  received  their  deeds,  and 
discharged  their  agents.  Except  Dillingham  Clark,  who  invested 
the  largest  amount  of  money  and  drew  much  the  largest  quantity 
of  land,  the  stepfather  and  son,  Elijah  Alford  and  Benjamin 
Higley,  drew  the  largest  shares. 

The  value  of  the  deed  received  by  Benjamin  Higley  was  $2040. 
His  original  share,  together  with  that  of  a  separate  purchase  made 
by  his  wife,  amounted  to  1227  acres.  To  this  he  added  by 
exchange  and  purchase,  making  the  whole  number  of  acres  which 
he  obtained  more  than  thirteen  hundred. 

The  company  reserved  half  of  lot  56,  near  the  center  of  the 

1  The  names  of  the  original  purchasers  were :  Dillingham  Clark,  Benjamin  Higley,  Elijah 
Alford,  Jeremiah  Lyman,  Enos  Kinsley,  Bille  Messenger,  Ebenezer  N.  Messenger,  Aaron  P. 
Jagger,  John  Seley,  Nathan  Birchard,  Elisha  Clark,  Benjamin  C.  Perkins,  Alpheus  Streator, 
Thatcher  Conant,  Gideon  Brush,  Isaac  Clark,  Oliver  Brewster,  and  Spencer  Clark. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  307 

township,  for  "a  public  green,  a  burial-ground,  and  the  use  of  a 
minister." 

Arrangements  having  been  finally  concluded,  several  of  the 
families  began  to  look  toward  immediate  removal,  each  family 
consulting  its  own  convenience  as  to  the  time  of  beginning  the 
journey.  Fully  believing  in  the  ordinances  of  religion  and  in  the 
rich  advantages  and  benefits  of  church  organization,  a  party  of 
eleven  of  those  who  proposed  to  emigrate  decided  to  organize  a 
church  before  starting,  and  on  the  2d  of  May,  1811,  a  meeting 
was  held  in  the  old  First  Congregationalist  meeting-house  in 
Becket,  for  that  purpose.1 

A  written  request  was  presented,  signed  by  the  parties  "  desir- 
ing to  be  dismissed  with  the  design  to  be  formed  into  a  separate 
church  before  their  removal." 

The  persons  named  were  :  Deacon  Elijah  Alford  and  Olive,  his 
wife,  Thatcher  Conant  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  Benjamin  Higley 
and  Sally,  his  wife,  Jeremiah  Lyman  and  Rhoda,  his  wife,  Ruth 
Alford,  daughter  of  Deacon  Elijah  Alford,  Susannah  Conant,  and 
Anna  Streator. 

All  of  the  above,  it  is  stated,  were  "in  regular  standing  and 
full  communion." 

After  giving  the  subject  deep  consideration  and  prayer  the 
ministers  present  unanimously  gave  their  permission  for  the  pro- 
posed measure,  and  dismissed  the  applicants  from  their  immediate 
relationship  with  the  Becket  church. 

The  parties  above  named  then  "  having  taken  upon  themselves 
the  Confession  of  faith  and  Convenant,"  were  publicly  formed 
and  installed  as  a  regular  Church  of  Christ,  Deacon  Elijah  Alford 
was  chosen  as  standing  moderator  and  deacon  of  the  new 
organization. 

This  infant  church  they  transplanted  to  the  leafy  solitudes  of 
nature  in  the  wild  forest  of  Ohio,  and  it  is  now  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Windham,  Portage  County. 

Early  in  June  (1811)  six  families  of  the  emigrants  set  out — 
"Westward  ho!"  The  Higleys  had  a  canvas-covered  wagon 
which  was  laden  with  their  beds  and  bedding  for  camping  out, 
together  with  cooking  utensils  for  camp-fires,  and  other  essentials, 
two  horses,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  two  cows.  They  were  thirty- 

1  The  ministers  present  at  this  meeting  were  the  Rev.  Joseph  L.  Mills  of  Becket,  Rev.  William 
Gay  Ballentine  of  Washington,  Mass.,  Rev.  Alvin  Hyde  of  Lee,  and  Rev.  Jonathan  Nash  of 
Middlefield. 


308  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

seven  days  making  the  journey,  arriving  at  their  destination  July 
15.  The  families,  not  all  keeping  pace  with  each  other,  arrived 
on  different  dates.  From  a  well-draughted  plot  each  man  knew 
just  where  his  lands  lay.  For  temporary  shelter  Benjamin  Higley 
with  his  family  occupied  a  rough  log  house  built  from  trees,  which 
had  been  felled  by  his  two  half  brothers,  Elijah  Alford,  3d,  and 
Oliver  Alford,  assisted  by  two  young  men  named  Messenger,  be- 
longing to  families  of  the  proprietors,  who  had  preceded  the  emi- 
grants in  March  and  erected  a  rude  structure  on  lot  No.  84.' 
But  the  Messengers  had  returned  to  Becket  late  in  the  spring, 
greatly  discouraged  with  the  prospects. 

The  dense  forests  covered  the  face  of  their  surrounding  world. 
All  nature  was  wild.  Except  one  Indian  trail  through  the 
thickets  near  the  northern  border  of  the  township,  there  was  not 
even  a  pathway  of  access  from  one  point  to  another.  And  the 
whole  country  teemed  with  deer,  bears,  and  wolves,  with  innumer- 
able lesser  game  of  every  variety,  and  reptiles  of  many  kinds. 

The  struggle  of  life  with  their  environments  now  began  with 
the  emigrants  in  serious  earnest;  but  courageously  and  with 
energy  and  capacity  both  men  and  women  gave  their  full  contri- 
bution toward  civilization.  They  laid  the  ax  at  the  roots  of  the 
great  trees  with  fresh  blood  and  strong  muscle,  and  began  clear- 
ing a  space  in  which  to  begin  farming  operations. 

Later  in  the  season,  1811,  Benjamin  Higley  sowed  a  small  patch 
of  wheat  on  lot  No.  84,  on  a  partial  clearing  in  the  woods  which 
the  Indians  "had  used.  This  was  the  first  wheat  that  was  raised 
in  the  township.  From  three  bushels  of  seed  sown  upon  four 
acres,  one  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  were  harvested  the  following 
summer. 

Benjamin  Higley  early  constructed  a  substantial  dwelling  of 
logs  on  lot  No.  36,  near  the  center  of  the  township,  and  near  the 
present  site  of  the  village  of  Windham,  to  which  he  removed.  It 
was  a  well-watered,  fertile  section,  on  which  is  an  exhaustless, 
beautiful  spring  of  pure  soft  water.  This  spot  was  his  home 
fifty-seven  years,  till  the  close  of  his  long  and  useful  life. 

Mr.  Higley's  was  the  third  family  from  Becket  that  arrived  in 

1  The  original  plot  of  lots  drawn  by  the  proprietors  show  that  one  half  of  No.  84,  containing  75 
acres,  was  drawn  by  Benjamin  Higley.  He  afterward  sold  the  same  to  Elijah  Alford,  with  other 
land,  as  shown  by  the  land  records,  for  the  consideration  of  $257. — "  Windham  Town  Record" 
PP-  13.  !$• 

a  The  Indians  had  all  removed  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  River  previous  to  1811.  They  joined  the 
British  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  remains  of  an  Indian  village  on  the  bottom  lands  of  Windham 
township  were  to  be  seen  for  many  years  after  the  settlers  came. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  3°9 

the  township.  By  the  last  of  July  the  little  colony  comprised 
eight  families,  a  family  from  the  neighboring  township  of  Nelson 
having  joined  them. 

On  Sunday  the  28th  of  July,  1811,  the  little  church  in  the 
wilderness  held  its  first  service.  It  was  a  memorable  day. 

"  Although  it  is  always  Sunday  in  a  vast  solitude  like  this, 
except  in  storm  and  earthquake,  it  now  seemed  all  the  more  quiet 
and  serene.  The  church  doors  were  wide  open;  the  grand 
cathedral  aisles  were  full  of  light  and  beauty,  soft  and  entrancing, 
leading  the  soul  up  along  the  mighty  columns  of  evergreen  life 
to  the  blue  apse  of  heaven."  The  still  small  voice  of  the  Eternal 
whispered  to  every  heart. 

The  echo  of  song  rang  through  the  solemn  and  mysterious 
forests  in  strange  harmony  with  the  music  of  the  trees.  There 
were  forty-two  persons  present;  and  from  that  date  forward, 
though  they  were  without  roads,  without  bridges,  and  constantly 
forced  to  meet  numberless  difficulties  and  inconveniences,  as 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath  came  around,  they  never  failed  to  meet 
together  for  public  worship. 

A  month  later  the  settlement  was  visited  by  the  Rev.  Nathan 
B.  Darrow,  who  was  sent  out  by  the  Connecticut  Missionary 
Society.  He  preached  the  first  sermon  to  which  they  listened  in 
their  isolation,  taking  for  his  text  : 

"  For  the  Lord's  portion  is  his  people;  Jacob  is  the  lot  of  his 
inheritance.  He  found  him  in  a  desert  land,  and  in  the  waste 
howling  wilderness."  ' 

Mr.  Darrow  administered  the  holy  communion  the  first  Sabbath 
in  September,  which  was  received  by  sixteen  communicants. 
Fifty  years  afterward  Benjamin  Higley  stood  the  only  living 
member  who  was  present  on  that  day,  and  but  two  others  were 
inhabitants  of  earth. 

Early  in  October  (1811)  his  stepfather,  Deacon  Elijah  Alford 
with  his  mother,  Olive,  and  their  family,  arrived.  They  made  a 
temporary  stay  in  the  log  house  on  lot  84,"  the  first  house  built  in 
the  settlement,  and  finally  settled  there  permanently. 

The  first  regularly  held  town  meeting  was  held  on  the  24th  of 
October.  Benjamin  Higley  was  chosen  to  preside.  The  busi- 
ness proceedings  concerned  the  very  genesis  of  the  town.  A 
committee  was  appointed  "to  erect  corner  posts,  marking  the 

1  Deuteronomy  xxxii.  o, 10. 

*  This  lot  has  been  the  home  of  Elijah  Alford's  descendants  for  three  generations. 
21 


310  THE  HIGLEYS  A.VD    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

boundaries  to  the  lots."  It  being  essential  that  the  farmers  and 
producers  should  at  once  have  roads,  Benjamin  Higley  and 
Alpheus  Streator  were  made  a  committee  to  petition  the  commis- 
sioners that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  "  lay  them  out."  From 
this  time,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Mr.  Higley  was 
notably  associated  with  the  construction  of  highways,  and  in 
advancing  improved  means  for  transit. 

The  town  was  at  first  called  by  the  proprietors  Strongsburgh,  in 
honor  of  Governor  Caleb  Strong  of  Massachusetts.  Later  on — 
March  n,  1812 — it  was  formally  named  "Sharon" — a  Biblical 
name,  by  which  it  was  known  eight  years.  In  1820,  by  enactment 
of  the  State  Legislature,  it  was  changed  to  its  present  name — 
Windham. ' 

From  the  beginnings  of  the  town  Benjamin  Higley  was  inspired 
with  the  great  need  of  a  school  system,  and  always  bore  in  mind 
its  large  usefulness  and  strong  influence  in  character  building. 
His  early  teaching  days  had  left  their  impress  of  its  imperative 
importance.  Being  elected  one  of  the  first  three  trustees  of  the 
township,  it  lay  within  his  compass  to  do  much  toward  the  advance- 
ment of  educational  interests,  and  from  the  first  he  never  faltered 
in  his  steadfast  and  loyal  support  of  public  instruction.  A  school 
was  opened  in  a  private  house  the  first  winter,  and  early  in  the 
winter  of  1812-13  a  l°g  schoolhouse,  which  was  the  first  public 
building  erected  in  the  town,  was  built.  From  that  time  the 
town  has  always  sustained  excellent  schools  of  the  common  and 
high  school  grades. 

The  year  following  Benjamin  Higley's  arrival  in  Ohio  came 
the  formal  declaration  of  war,  1812.  By  Hull's  cowardly  sur- 
render the  scattered  border  settlements  were  at  the  mercy  of  the 
treacherous  Indians,  being  entirely  unable  to  make  defense 
against  them.  The  little  colony  at  Sharon  was  thrown  into 
great  apprehension  and  distress.  It  is  stated  that  "every  man 
ran  to  his  arms,"  quitting  his  heavy  labor  of  clearing  the  forests 
and  preparation  for  seed-sowing. 

On  the  23d  of  August  of  that  year,  just  at  nightfall,  a  messenger 
rode  into  the  settlement,  with  military  orders  for  all  the  able- 
bodied  men  to  march  at  daybreak  with  their  muskets,  ammunition, 
and  rations,  destined  to  Cleveland  forty  miles  distant.  Cleveland 

1  This  township  was  "set  off"  from  Hiram  township,  April  5,  1813.  It  was  many  years  before 
school  districts  were  formed,  or  school  commissioners  appointed.  "  January  2,  1806,  three  Trustees 
and  a  Treasurer  were  authorized  to  Deflected  in  each  township  for  the  purpose  of  taking  charge  of 
the  school  lands  or  the  moneys  arising  therefrom."—"  History  a/  Portage  County,  Ohio"  p.  302. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  311 

was  then  on  the  frontier.  Devoting  the  night  to  the  hasty  prepar- 
ation of  rations,  "  cleaning  hunting  rifles,  sharpening  their  knives, 
and  filling  their  powder  horns  and  bullet  pouches  with  ammu- 
nition," in  the  early  morning  they  left  their  wives  and  families,  in 
a  desperate  fright,  to  defend  themselves  against  the  maurauding 
Indian  depredators  and  the  bears  and  wolves  of  the  dark  woods, 
directing  that  in  case  the  American  forces  were  defeated  they 
should  promptly  flee  to  the  nearest  settlement  and  fortify  them- 
selves against  attacks  of  the  savages.  The  military  tendency  of 
Benjamin  Higley  was  strong;  a  gift  bestowed  by  legacy  upon  him 
by  his  ancestors  of  four  generations.  He  now  made  no  hesitation 
at  shouldering  arms  and  facing  the  situation.  He  went  into  camp, 
and  was  elected  sergeant  of  the  ist  Battalion,  2d  Regiment, 
4th  Brigade,  Ohio  Militia.1 

On  the  troops  reaching  the  front,  "  so  general  had  been  the 
uprising  that  the  Major-General  commanding  gave  directions 
that  half  the  volunteers  should  be  sent  home  to  act  as  a  reserve 
or  a  second  guard  in  case  of  emergency."  Many  of  the  men 
returned  in  ten  days,  the  immediate  cause  of  the  alarm  having 
proved  not  well  founded.  It  is  not  definitely  known  how  long 
Sergeant  Benjamin  Higley  was  absent,  or  how  often  he  was 
called  into  active  service  during  this  war. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1813,  another  serious  alarm  was  given. 
That  summer  "  every  able-bodied  man  in  Portage  County,  not 
then  in  active  service  or  on  parole,  was  ordered  to  Cleveland,  and 
the  scattered  settlements  were  again  left  defenseless."* 

An  interesting  old  manuscript  relates  that  "the  people  of 
Sharon  suffered  in  the  general  calamity.  Many  who  were  sum- 
moned to  the  field  of  defense  were  gone  for  months  at  a  time, 
others  for  an  indefinite  period,  according  to  the  emergency.  In 
these  sudden  frays  fear  seized  on  every  soul.  By  the  close  of 
the  year  some  suffered  for  want  of  provisions  which  were  scarce 
and  high-priced,  the  men  having  turned  their  attention  to  the 
war,  the  yield  of  the  small  fields  which  had  been  cleared  were  light 
owing  to  the  scanty  seed  sowing." 

The  announcement  by  Perry  of  his  glorious  victory,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1813,  "We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are  ours,"  was 
received  by  the  affrighted  and  anxious  inhabitants  with  pro- 
foundestjoy,  through  "an  excited  horseman  who  dashed  into  the 

1  Whether  he  had  joined  the  Ohio  militia  previous  to  the  war  has  not  been  ascertained. 
8  "  History  of  Portage  County,  Ohio,"  p.  281. 


312  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

settlement  blowing  a  horn  and  conveying  the  glad  tidings.  The 
terrible  suspense  and  dread  of  Indians  were  now  past  and  soon 
gave  way  to  thanksgiving  and  rejoicing  over  the  brilliant  success 
of  the  American  naval  forces  on  Lake  Erie."1  The  church  in  the 
woods  at  Sharon  observed  the  2d  of  December,  that  year,  as  a  day 
of  thanksgiving  and  prayer. 

On  the  i4th  of  July,  1818,  Sergeant  Higley  received  a  com- 
mission as  lieutenant,  and  having  signalized  himself  by  military 
ability,  he  was  on  the  icth  of  July,  1816,  commissioned  captain" 
of  the  2d  Company,  2d  Regiment,  ist  Battalion.  This  com- 
mission was  issued  from  Chillicothe,  which  was  then  the  capital  of 
the  State  of  Ohio.  On  the  23d  of  September,  1819,  he  received  a 
promotion,  issued  by  Governor  Ethan  Allen  Brown,  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  ist  Regiment,  3d  Brigade,  4th  Division. 

The  date  when  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  by  his  successive 
promotions  does  not  appear  among  his  papers.  He  served  with 
devotion  in  the  Ohio  militia  after  the  war  closed,  till  August  9, 
1820,  when,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  officially  and  honorably 
"discharged  from  further  military  duty." 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1816,  Colonel  Higley  "raised  "  a  barn,  one 
of  the  first  frame  buildings  erected  in  the  township.  Two  years 
later,  the  3d  of  September,  he  raised  a  substantially  built  frame 
dwelling-house,  which  was  painted  in  1821.  These  buildings, 
together  with  a  wood-house  and  a  "cow  house"  built  in  1823, 
are  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation  (1895).  In  1826  he  built 
a  cider-mill. 

In  1824  a  census  was  taken,  showing  that  the  colony  had 
increased  to  eighty-three  families,  comprising  "467  souls."  The 

1 "  History  of  Portage  County,  Ohio,"  p.  281. 

8  The  following  copy  of  Colonel  Higley's  old  mustqr-roll,  preserved  among  his  papers,  bears  much 
of  interest,  the  names  of  his  company  being  the  familiar  names  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship, whose  descendants  are  now  its  leading  citizens. 

"MUSTER  ROLL. 

"Capt.  Benj.  Higley.  "Sergeants     Hiram  Messenger. 

"  Lieut.  John  Messenger.  James  Seley. 

"  Ensign  John  Streator.  "  Corporals     Erastus  Snow. 

Joseph  Southworth. 
"  Music,  EH  Case. 

"  PRIVATES  : 

"Elijah  Alford  Junr.,  Oliver  Alford,  Gideon  Bush,  Joel  Bradford,  Levi  Alford,  Thatcher  F. 
Conant,  Jacob  Earl,  Joseph  Earl,  Jonathan  Foote,  Robt.  M.  Gondon,  Joseph  Higley,  Aaron  P. 
Jagger,  Daniel  Jagger,  Thomas  Lee,  Thomas  M.  Seymour,  Ebenezer  O.  Messenger,  Nathan  H. 
Messenger,  Benoni  Y.  Messenger,  Ephraim  H.  Seeley,  Stillman  Scott,  Albion  Taylor,  Joshua 
Waldon,  Nathaniel  Rudd,  Albion  Taylor,  Isaac  Clark,  John  Condor,  Benj.  Roth,  Alpheus  C. 
Munsell,  and  others. 
"  Stillman  Scott  defishanl  in  all  but  a  musket.  Joshua  Walden  defishant  in  all  but  a  Rifle." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.          313 

readers  of  the  Bible  and  Testament  were  carefully  and  separately 
numbered.  Colonel  Benjamin  Higley's  household,  it  appears 
from  the  register,  contained  eight  person,  six  of  whom  could  read 
the  Scriptures.  They  were  the  possessors  of  "  three  whole  Bibles 
and  three  whole  Testaments." 

In  1819  an  element  of  dissatisfaction  arose  in  the  church  with 
Colonel  Higley's  views  upon  the  subject  of  the  Trinity.  He  was 
a  thorough  trinitarian,  but,  expressing  himself  concerning  the 
"Three  in  One"  in  language  somewhat  different  from  that 
generally  used  in  his  time,  the  minister  of  the  church,  with  a 
handful  of  followers,  standing  rigidly  upon  the  old  Puritan  plat- 
form, and  taking  up  the  hair-splitting  point,  inflamed  themselves 
with  the  idea  that  Colonel  Higley  was  ''embracing  heresy." 

We  do  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  in  these  times  of  greater 
toleration  of  religious  ideas,  and  a  more  liberal  policy  of  the 
Church  at  large  in  platforms  of  beliefs,  the  question  would  be 
deemed  unworthy  of  notice.  There  is  no  evidence  that  Colonel 
Higley  ever  undertook  to  advocate  a  doctrine  at  variance  with 
the  Westminster  Catechism,  or  that  he  did  more  than  to  state 
his  cogitations  in  quiet  casual  conversations  with  his  familiar 
friends,  yet  the  arbitrary  and  vigilant  minister  felt  willingly 
bound  to  enter  charges. 

Being  an  emphatic  man  of  his  sort,  and  tenacious  of  holding  the 
sacred  rights  to  his  own  convictions,  Colonel  Higley  would  not 
recant.  The  carefully  kept  records  show  him  all  through  the 
difficulty  to  have  been  amiable  toward  the  church,  his  tone  being 
peaceable  and  without  enmity,  and  assuming  the  policy  of  silence 
as  far  as  he  could. 

In  March  of  the  following  year,  1820,  after  having  been  sus- 
pended from  church  fellowship  for  a  few  months,  he  stated  to 
its  official  body  his  regret  that  "he  had  indulged  in  such  reason- 
ings, and  made  use  of  language  concerning  this  incomprehensible 
distinction  of  Persons  in  the  glorious  Trinity  as  had  been  calcu- 
lated to  lead  the  mind  into  perplexity  and  had  excited  the  feelings 
of  the  brethern  ";  at  the  same  time  avowing  his  belief  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity  as  expressed  in  the  "Confession  of  Faith." 
This  acknowledgment  was  accepted  by  the  church  as  satisfactory. 

This  ecclesiastical  struggle,  together  with  the  character  and 
ability  he  evidenced,  made  a  marked  impression  upon  the  church; 
but  the  state  of  religion  stood  at  a  low  ebb  that  year,  and  there 
was  much  feeling  engendered  which  did  not  wear  away.  The 


3H  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

result  was  that  in  the  spring  of  1820  a  number  of  prominent 
families  retired  from  the  communion.  And  Colonel  Higley, 
after  a  time,  withdrew  for  a  number  of  years,  attending  worship 
with  a  small  body  of  believers  at  Newton  Falls  and  Garrettsville. 
Among  his  private  papers  is  found  a  church  letter  in  the  hand- 
writing, and  over  the  personal  signature,  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Treat,  pastor  of  the  church,  under  date  May  2,  1824,  stating: 

"  This  may  certify  that  Benjamin  Higley  is  a  member  of  the  church  of  Christ 
in  Windham,  Portage  County,  O.,  in  good  and  regular  standing  ;  and  as  such  he  is 
entitled  to  the  attention  and  esteem  of  the  followers  of  the  Lamb." 

The  letter,  however,  is  not  upon  record;  the  "brethern" 
evidently  desiring  to  re-establish  fraternal  relations  with  so 
earnest  and  valuable  a  man,  did  not  consent  to  his  withdrawal. 
A  month  later  the  church  appointed  him  the  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath  school. 

But  the  wound  was  not  healed,  nor  the  difference  cordially 
settled.  Later  on,  1831,  he  united  with  a  body  of  Christians 
known  as  "Seceders,"  and  aided  in  erecting  a  church  for  this 
sect.  In  this  connection  he  remained  fourteen  years. 

The  day  came  when  the  zealous  young  minister  of  the  First 
Congregation  Church  was  deposed  from  his  place  by  request  of 
the  congregation;  the  church  passed  through  different  stages, 
during  which  its  spiritual  and  financial  condition  were  often  at 
a  very  low  state.  But  time  is  a  conciliator  and  time  brings  to  pass, 

"  The  ringing  grooves  of  change." 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1845,  Colonel  Benjamin  Higley,  Elijah 
Alford,  William  C.  Adams,  John  Larkin  Higley,  and  their  wives, 
with  four  other  persons,  were  cordially  welcomed  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  old  church  home  which  Colonel  Higley,  with  his 
associates,  had  founded  and  nursed  in  its  infancy,  the  rules  being 
suspended  in  order  that  they  might  be  admitted  the  same  day 
that  their  names  were  presented. 

Colonel  Benjamin  Higley  loved  music.  It  was  a  happy  factor 
in  his  useful  life,  and  in  this  direction  he  made  himself  of  special 
service  to  the  church  he  loved.  He  studied  the  improvement  of 
the  choir,  planned  to  have  its  members  attend  musical  gatherings, 
and  encouraged  them  in  various  ways. 

Among  the  projects  which  his  music-loving  spirit  conjectured, 
and  which  was  carried  out,  was  the  presentation  in  February, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  315 

1852,  of  a  church  pipe  organ — an  excellent  instrument,  in  the 
cost  of  which  he  was  joined  by  Dillingham  Clark,  Warren  W. 
Hinman,  and  Daniel  Jagger.  A  graceful  acknowledgment  of  the 
handsome  gift  is  spread  upon  the  church  records. 

At  the  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the  settlement  of  Wind- 
ham  township,  he  was  in  request  to  represent  the  musical  aspect 
of  the  occasion.  Although  he  had  passed  his  four-score  years,  he 
served  with  successful  endeavor  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
for  arranging  an  old  folks'  concert.  As  a  matter  of  course  old 
time  music  was  revived,  and  the  breezes  were  filled  with  airs  of 
"ye  olden  days." 

One  of  the  most  touching  of  his  efforts  at  vocal  music  occurred 
at  the  first  Sabbath  service  in  May,  1864,  following  the  departure 
of  the  volunteer  soldiers  of  the  village  to  the  Civil  War.  It  was 
a  time  of  anxiety  and  sadness.  Forty-five  noble,  strong  men, 
accustomed  to  attend  worship,  were  missing  from  the  congrega- 
tion; there  was  but  one  male  voice  left  in  the  choir.  Julia 
Higley — Colonel  Higley's  married  granddaughter — sang  bass. 
Colonel  Higley's  indomitable  spirit  suggested  taking  the  part  of 
the  absent  ones.  There  was  something  strangely  pathetic  in  the 
sight  of  his  venerable  form,  crowned  with  the  impress  of  eighty- 
five  years,  his  fine  brow  touched  with  the  halo  of  life's  setting 
sun,  when  he  arose,  and,  leaving  his  accustomed  seat,  he  marched 
up  the  aisle  with  his  bared  head  erect,  and  entering  the  choir, 
joined  in  with  the  organ  as  it  pealed  out  its  solemn  tones. 
There  was  telling  eloquence  in  the  old  man's  eager  act  and  in- 
spired manner,  if  there  was  inharmony  in  the  quavering  notes  of 
his  voice  as  he  struck  into  the  music,  which  brought  tears,  befit- 
ting the  occasion,  to  more  than  one  cheek  of  those  who  turned  to 
gaze  at  him  and  listen. 

In  the  early  days  of  his  pioneer  life  in  Ohio,  Colonel  Higley 
regularly  set  apart  the  months  of  November  and  December  of  each 
year  for  the  hunt.  He  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  agreeable  pastime. 
But  he  made  his  enthusiastic  fun  pay;  settling  his  annual  tax  bills 
for  a  number  of  years  with  the  proceeds  of  the  skins  and  furs  which 
he  collected.  The  spicy  narratives  of  these  wild  and  exciting 
adventures  were  a  characteristic  features  of  his  extreme  old  age. ! 

1  One  morning  in  the  late  autumn  of  1815,  Colonel  Higley  and  his  adopted  son,  Eli  Case,  muffled 
to  their  noses  in  deer-skin  caps,  which  were  pulled  over  their  ears,  set  out  hunting.  It  was  a  misty 
day,  a  light  rain  falling  at  intervals.  On  nearing  a  swamp  in  the  woods  a  half  a  mile  from  his 
house  (on  lot  17),  they  separated  from  each  other,  Colonel  Higley  sending  Case  to  steal  around  to  a 
certain  spot  to  see  if  he  could  get  a  shot. 

All  at  once  the  rustling  of  bushes  told  Higley's  alert  ears  that  something  was  happening.    Case's 


316  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Sally  McKown,  his  wife,  was  his  affectionate  and  faithful  com- 
panion throughout  their  united  lives.  Her  kindly  heart  and  true 
open-handed  hospitality  multiplied  her  opportunities  for  serving. 
The  door  of  their  hospitable  home  was  always  cordially  open  to 
the  stranger.  She  was  found  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  by  night 
and  by  day,  and  if  distress  entered  the  home  of  a  neighbor  she 
was  there. 

Like  all  pioneer  women  it  was  her  lot  to  work,  work,  work, 
from  early  Monday  morning  till  late  Saturday  night,  with  Sunday 
scarcely  excepted.  Her  household  duties  were  legion.  She 
spun,  wove,  and  dyed,  cut  and  made  all  the  garments  worn  by 
the  entire  family,  nine  in  number.  She  also  manufactured  the 
skins  of  the  deer  which  her  husband  killed  in  hunting  into  gloves 
and  mittens,  and  became  such  an  adept  in  the  business  that  for 
many  years  she  was  called  upon  to  make  all  of  the  wedding- 
gloves  worn  by  the  young  bridegrooms  of  Sharon  and  the 
adjacent  settlements.  These  she  cut  by  a  pattern.  The  leather 
was  used  in  its  natural  color.  With  the  proceeds  of  her  glove 
industry  was  purchased,  at  the  distant  stores  of  merchandise  at 
Ravenna  and  Pittsburg,  all  of  the  wares  and  notions  which  were  used 
by  the  family  during  their  first  ten  years  in  the  Ohio  wilderness. 

gun  went — Bang !  Colonel  Higley  with  his  gun  in  hand  hurried  to  the  spot.  Case  had  surprised 
a  big  black  bear  which  was  feeding  among  the  limbs  of  a  fallen  tree  in  the  shadows  of  the  thicket. 
Stepping  back  about  three  paces  he  fired,  the  ball  entering  the  bear's  head  below  the  ears  and  com- 
ing out  at  the  nose,  tumbling  it  over,  but  not  killing  it.  The  beast  was  soon  on  his  feet,  running 
round  and  round  in  a  circle.  Higley  quickly  raised  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  fired,  but  missed 
his  aim.  They  both  hastily  loaded,  but  this  time  their  triggers  clinked,  and  their  old  flint-locks 
flashed  in  the  pan  ;  their  guns  were  wet  and  they  could  no  longer  use  them.  The  bear  was  badly 
wounded  and  angry.  Knowing  there  was  serious  danger  at  hand,  the  two  men  yelled  for  the 
Streator  brothers,  who  were  fitting  up  an  addition  to  their  log  house  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  who 
came  with  axes  and  clubs,  and  all  gave  chase,  the  bear  now  making  off  toward  the  swamp,  having 
recovered  himself  enough  to  move  as  rapidly  as  a  man  could  easily  run. 

While  he  was  crossing  a  little  creek  on  a  fallen  log,  the  men  with  their  clubs  tried  to  knock  him 
off,  but  could  not.  On  bruin  ran.  He  had  just  reached  the  swamp  when  Alvin  Streator  struck 
him  with  an  ax,  which  infuriated  him  even  more  than  before,  and  the  brute  showed  fight.  Alvan 
ran  and  the  bear  after  him.  It  was  a  blood-curdling  moment.  Colonel  Higley,  Case,  and  John 
Streater  hotly  pursuing,  the  latter  dashed  forward  with  his  ax  meaning  to  deal  a  blow  upon  the 
bear's  head,  but  his  ax  glanced  as  he  struck,  and  the  beast  whirled  and  grabbed  it,  and  raising  upon 
his  haunches,  he  hugged  it.  Streator,  losing  his  balance  by  the  impetus  of  quick  motion,  landed  in 
the  quagmire,  sinking  above  his  knees  and  losing  one  shoe,  which  the  old  men  of  the  neighborhood 
still  declare  "  is  there  yet."  It  was  only  by  superhuman  exertion  that  he  managed  to  scramble  out 
of  reach  of  his  enraged  antagonist. 

Just  then,  as  the  bear  was  turning  on  to  the  other  men,  a  sway  of  Colonel  Higley's  club,  with  a 
terrific  blow  across  the  nose,  brought  him  to  the  ground  and  he  lay  dead  at  their  feet. 

On  skinning  the  animal  it  was  found  that  the  layer  of  fat  upon  its  back  was  nearly  four  inches  in 
thickness,  which,  together  with  the  thick  hair,  had  most  effectually  warded  off  the  blows  from 

^L  - 


the  axes. 


The  bear  was  allowed  for  the  present  to  lie  where  he  fell  until  the  next  day,  when  Mr.  Cas« 
killed  a  deer  near  by.     So  they  had  a  deer  and  a  bear  to  take  home. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY.  317 

These  employments  of  her  busy  fingers  were  performed  in 
addition  to  the  usual  household  duties — cooking,  washing,  and 
ironing,  hominy,  soap,  and  cheese  making.  The  manufacture  of 
cheese  was  an  almost  universal  industry  among  the  well-to-do 
and  progressive  farmers  of  the  Western  Reserve  from  early  in 
the  century.  Butter  and  cheese  were  the  chief  products  of  the 
Higley  farm  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Higley's  fame  in  these  arts 
extended  far  beyond  the  township  boundaries. 

She  was  also  careful  each  year  to  dry  native  plants  to  be  used 
in  case  of  family  ailments.  Every  mother  of  a  household  in 
those  times  had  certain  specifics  for  every  malady  that  came  to 
her  family.  It  was  many  years  before  physicians  were  called 
upon, — indeed,  there  were  few  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
apothecaries  were  not  known. 

Mrs.  Sally  Higley  was  stricken  by  paralysis,  which  greatly 
enfeebled  her,  a  few  weeks  before  her  final  demise.  Her  decease 
took  place  October  2,  1849. 

To  enter  the  beginnings  of  a  State,  when  everything  was  rude 
and  wild,  and  share  the  labors  and  responsibilities  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  any  of  its  parts  is  no  ordinary  place  to  have  occu- 
pied in  this  life. 

Although  never  desiring  political  preferment,  Colonel  Benjamin 
Higley,  in  the  full  spirit  of  zeal  for  the  public  good,  did  his  part 
in  the  essential  and  steady  work  of  whatever  would  advance  the 
interests  and  improvement  of  VVindham.  He  filled  almost  every 
office  in  town  matters  into  which  the  townspeople  could  place 
him. 

He  devised  the  construction  of  roads  to  render  the  new 
country  accessible,  he  surveyed  lands,  was  repeatedly  appointed 
fence  viewer,  constable,  overseer  of  the  poor,  grand  juror,  and, 
as  the  population  increased,  he  served  in  arranging  and  "  setting 
off "  school  districts,  looked  out  that  schoolhouses  were  built 
and  schools  established,  and  aided  in  building  two  churches;  and, 
indeed,  grappled  with  all  the  measures  which  the  advancement 
and  well-being  of  the  community  demanded. 

Colonel  Benjamin  Higley  was  commanding  in  figure,  erect, 
firm,  and  military  in  his  bearing.  His  individuality  was  strong. 
He  always  bore  a  thoughtful  air.  His  cheerful  and  genial  spirit 
made  him  companionable  to  both  aged  and  young  alike;  children 
were  his  delighted  little  friends,  made  happy  by  listening  to  his 
entertaining  stories  of  adventures  with  the  wild  animals  and 


31 8  THE  HIGLEYS  AKD    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

hunting  exploits  of  early  times,  which  he  never  tired  of  con- 
tributing to  their  amusement.  He  was  square  and  upright  in  his 
dealings,  though  never  behind  in  a  bargain. 

When  well  on  in  years  he  contracted  a  second  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Perkins,  a  widow,  who  died  April,  1864. 

He  gave  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Windham  to  each  one  of  his 
sons,  together  with  his  adopted  son,  and  his  only  surviving 
daughter. 

He  outlived  nearly  all  of  his  contemporaries,  sitting  down  in 
his  old  age  in  great  tranquillity,  after  a  long  life  of  prosperity  and 
active  usefulness,  having  followed  with  deep  interest  the  history  of 
events,  and  witnessing  his  noble  State — Ohio — richly  endowed 
with  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  crowned  with  upward  progress 
and  prosperity. 

He  lived  on  the  same  farm  which  he  carved  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness till  he  entered  his  ninetieth  year,  when  he  peacefully  closed 
his  honored  career,  and  was  "gathered  to  his  fathers."  He  died 
July  4,  1867.  He  was  interred  in  the  Windham  cemetery,  by  the 
side  of  his  first  wife,  Sally  McKown. 

In  the  First  Congregational  Church  at  Windham  an  attractive 
memorial  window  of  stained  glass  has  been  placed  as  a  tribute  of 
honor  to  his  memory;  bearing  the  inscription  : 

Colonel  JBenjamfn 


"  Sure  to  the  last  end 

Of  the  good  man  is  peace  ;  how  calm  his  exit ! 
Night  dews  fall  not  more  gently  to  the  ground, 
Nor  weary  worn  out  winds  expire  so  soft. 

Behold  him  in  the  evening-tide  of  life — 
A  life  well  spent,  whose  early  care  it  was 
His  riper  years  should  not  upbraid  his  green  ; 
By  unperceived  degrees  he  wears  away, 
Yet,  like  the  sun,  seems  larger  at  his  setting. " 

The  children  of  Colonel  Benjamin  and  Sally  McKown  Higley 
were  as  follows  : 

Robert  M.,  born  February  12,  1804;  Benjamin  £.,  born  April 
25,  1807,  died  September  15,  1826;  Lorin,  born  February  2,  1810; 
Matthew  P.,  born  September  12,  1813;  Sarah  Ann,  born  January 
19,  1819;  Hannah  Z.,born  January  2,  1820,  accidentally  drowned 
July  12,  1824;  Alfred J/.,  born  December  12,  1822. 


ROBERT    M.   HIGLEY. 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

DESCENDANTS   OF    COLONEL   BENJAMIN    HIGLEY. 
"We  plow  the  deep,  and  reap  what  others  sow." 

ROBERT  McKowN  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel  Benja- 
min and  Sally  McKown  Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass., 
February  12,  1804,  and  baptized  September  20,  1807.  He  came 
to  Windham,  O.,  with  his  parents  in  1811.  His  early  years  were 
spent  working  upon  his  father's  farm,  learning  the  first  lessons  of 
the  privations  and  toils  of  a  pioneer  life.  After  a  school  had  been 
established,  he  attended  it  during  the  winter  months.  When 
about  nineteen  he  one  day  met  with  an  accident,  dislocating  his 
hip,  causing  a  lameness  which  affected  him  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  After  this  he  made  an  education  his  chief  aim,  attending 
the  school  at  Warren,  O.,  and  finally  was  fitted  for  a  successful 
instructor.  He  taught  steadily  six  years. 

He  married  Lydia  Mary,  daughter  of  Thatcher  Conant,  Sr., 
November,  1831.  She  was  born  April  23,  1808.  They  took  pos- 
session of  a  farm  given  him  by  his  father.  He  afterward  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  William  C.  Adams, 
pursuing  a  mercantile  business,  and  while  thus  engaged  made 
frequent  journeys  with  teams,  then  the  only  method  of  transporta- 
tion, through  sloughs  of  mud  and  over  corduroy  roads,  to  Cleve- 
land, Pittsburg,  and  Wellsville,  on  the  Ohio  River,  to  which 
places  he  took  the  various  products  of  the  farms,  exchanging 
them  for  such  staple  goods  as  the  needs  of  the  frontiersman 
required.  They  could  afford  no  luxuries  in  those  times. 

January,  1835,  became  a  way-mark  in  the  family  story  by  the 
husband  and  wife  together  -making  public  profession  of  religion, 
uniting  with  the  Congregational  Church  in  Windham,  of  which 
they  remained  consistent  and  esteemed  members  while  they 
lived. 

For  many  years  Robert  M.  Higley  was  a  very  active  man  in 
the  public  interests  of  the  town.  Among  many  other  public  ser- 
vices rendered  acceptably  to  the  inhabitants,  he  filled  the  office 


320  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty-one  years,  and  was  always 
known  as  "  Esquire  "  Higley  afterward. 

The  last  years  of  his  life  were  pathetically  spent.  Varied 
trials  combined  to  weigh  down  his  spirits,  and  his  mind  became 
clouded.  For  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years  he  was  to  a 
great  extent  deprived  of  the  ordinary  scenes  and  associations 
that  make  life  desirable,  remaining  in  seclusion  in  his  own  home, 
under  the  faithful  and  affectionate  care  and  attentions  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Goodrich.  He  passed  peacefully  -away 
in  his  home  at  Windham,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  August  3,  1890, 
in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

The  decease  of  his  wife  took  place  many  years  before,  her 
health  having  declined  by  consumption.  She  died  June  20,  1853. 

Robert  M.  and  Lydia  Conant  Higley  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  viz. : 

Edward  B.;  Sarah  E.;  Mary  E.;  Lydia  ^.,'born  March  10, 
1841,  and  died  July  2,  1845;  Rosaline  E.,  born  November  9,  1847, 
who  married,  July  26,.  1870,  George  W.  Finley,  and  died  August 
16,  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Finley  resided  in  Lawrence,  Kans.  She 
left  no  children. 

EDWARD  B.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Robert  M.  and  Lydia 
Conant  Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  October  24,  1832.  At 
an  early  age  he  attended  the  Windham  district  school,  after- 
ward entering  the  Windham  Academy.  From  the  age  of  twelve 
he  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  gaining  experience  by  clerkship  in 
a  store  of  general  merchandise.  At  twenty-one  he  established 
a  mercantile  house  for  himself,  connecting  with  it  the  sale  and 
shipping  of  dairy  and  farm  products,  which  he  continued  for 
twenty-eight  years  in  his  native  town. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1853,  he  married  Julia  M.,  daughter 
of  Isaac  M.  Clark  of  Windham,  an  old  schoolmate.  In  the 
spring  of  1882  they  removed  to  Mason  City,  la.,  where  Mr. 
Higley  now  conducts  an  extensive  wholesale  and  shipping  busi- 
ness in  poultry,  butter,  and  eggs,  with  branch  houses  at  Spencer, 
la.,  and  in  South  Dakota.  "The  enterprising  house  of  E.  B. 
Higley  at  Mason  City  is  one  of  the  points  west  of  Chicago  which 
consolidates  and  sends  to  the  Eastern  seaboard  cities  a  fast  stock- 
train,  laden  entirely  with  the  products  in  which  it  deals."  His 
beautiful  suburban  residence,  "  Farm  Home,"  at  Spencer,  where 
he  resides,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable  pieces  of 
property  in  the  township. 


EDWARD   B.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.        321 

His  wife,  Julia  M.  Higley,  died  at  "  Farm  Home,"  December 
10,  1893.  Her  body  was  brought  eastward  and  interred  in  the 
family  burial  lot  at  her  native  town,  Windham,  O.,  on  the  i7th, 
the  funeral  services  being  held  in  the  Congregational  Church, 
of  which  she  became  a  member  in  February,  1856.  The  following 
extracts  are  from  a  sketch  of  her  life  which  was  then  presented: 

"  Julia  M.  Clark  Higley,  born  in  Windham  on  the  2Oth  of  June,  1833,  the 
oldest  child  of  Isaac  M.  and  Sarah  (Frary)  Clark,  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children.  Her  early  school  advantages  in  the  old  academy  of  Windham  gave  her 
intellectual  culture,  and  nearly  two  years  of  earnest  study  enabled  her  to  complete 
the  preparatory  course  at  Oberlin,  and  fitted  her  for  entering  the  regular  college 
course  in  that  institution,  but  her  cherished  hopes  of  a  thorough  education  were 
blighted  by  financial  reverses  in  her  father's  family.  On  the  7th  of  November, 
1853,  she  married  Edward  B.  Higley,  and  in  that  relation  they  passed  along  life's 
journey  together,  mutually  sharing  their  joys  and  trials  for  forty  years.  In  intel- 
lectual and  literary  pursuits  she  took  a  deep  interest,  and,  from  her  youthful  days 
until  her  later  years,  was  ready  to  lead  or  assist  in  temperance,  literary,  and  social 
entertainments  in  aid  of  enterprises  for  the  good  of  others. 

"  During  the  war  clouds  of  the  Rebellion  her  voice  and  musical  talents  were 
prominent  in  a  glee  club  of  this  place,  which  gave  admirable  concerts,  the  avails 
of  which  were  given  to  aid  in  furnishing  supplies  for  the  hospitals  and  the  suffering 
soldiers.  In  her  later  years  she  read  the  four  years'  course  laid  out  by  the  Chau- 
tauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Association,  and  was  a  leading  active  member  of  the 
large  Chautauqua  class  at  Spencer,  la. ,  at  the  time  of  her  death.  In  horticultural 
and  floral  subjects  she  was  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  the  plants  she  cultivated  and 
the  fruits  she  matured  about  her  home  were  the  admiration  of  her  neighbors.  The 
pleasure  of  watching  the  beauties  of  the  opening  flowers  and  their  exquisite  color- 
ings led  her  heart  to  adore  the  power  and  goodness  of  the  Creator,  in  thus  bestow- 
ing such  marvelous  loveliness  and  perfection  upon  the  works  of  his  hand. 

"On  the  approach  of  death,  while  conscious  of  its  nearness,  she  looked  forward 
to  the  change  that  awaited  her  with  a  spirit  of  resignation  to  God's  will,  and  peace- 
fully fell  asleep  in  death  on  a  quiet  Sabbath  evening." 

The  Clay  County  News  (Iowa)  says  of  her  :  "  She  was  a  true  lover  of  flowers,  a 
skilled  horticulturist,  and  was  a  gifted  literary  character.  She  has  read  many  excel- 
lent papers  at  our  farmer  institutes,  and  will  be  sadly  missed  by  that  organization  ; 
and  also  by  the  C.  L.  S.  C.,  of  which  she  was  an  active  and  helpful  member. 
These  societies  were  represented  at  the  funeral  among  attendants  and  pallbearers. 
The  C.  L.  S.  C.  presented  beautiful  floral  gifts." 

SARAH  E.  HIGLEY  COTTON,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  M. 
and  Lydia  Conant  Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  September 
30,  1834,  and  married,  January  i,  1848,  John  Cotton,  who  was 
born  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  February  9,  1826.  Falling  a 
victim  to  consumption,  Mrs.  Cotton's  married  life  extended  to  a 


322  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

period  of  a  little  less  than  six  years.     She  died  at  Windham,  O., 
December  9,  1853.     Her  husband  survived  her  many  years,  his 
death  taking  place  in  Allen  County,  Indiana,  January  26,  1880. 
They  had  one  child,  viz. : 

ROBERT  McKowN  COTTON,  M.  D.,  the  only  child  of  John  Cotton  and  Sarah 
E.  Higley,  was  born  June  9,  1849,  at  Windham,  Portage  County,  O.  He  was  left 
motherless  before  he  was  five  years  of  age.  He  remained  under  the  care  of  his 
father  till  he  was  ten,  when  in  the  month  of  July,  1859,  he  was  placed  in  the  home 
of  his  grandfather,  Robert  M.  Higley.  Here  he  resided  till  May,  1865,  assisting 
in  farm  work  during  the  summer  and  attending  the  district  school  about  four  months 
of  each  winter. 

At  sixteen  he  set  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  first  went  to  the 
State  of  Illinois,  then  to  Iowa,  afterward  drifting  back  to  Indiana,  and  finally  to 
Michigan  ;  all  the  while  supporting  himself  by  any  employment  he  could  find. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  a  diligent  reader,  and  spent  his  Sundays,  stormy  days, 
evenings,  and  early  mornings  in  studying  physiology,  chemistry,  and  other  sciences. 
He  spent  one  winter  in  the  lumber  forests  of  Michigan,  and  during  this  time,  in 
addition  to  being  regularly  employed  at  work  by  the  month,  he  managed  to  take  a 
course  in  double  entry  bookkeeping,  by  devoting  his  Sundays  and  evenings,  and 
rising  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  study.  These  efforts  prepared  him  to 
pass  his  examination  and  enter  the  department  of  pharmacy,  University  of  Michi- 
gan, on  the  1st  of  January,  1873,  though  he  was  three  months  behind  his  class,  and 
was  without  any  experience  in  compounding  drugs. 

While  passing  his  senior  year  in  pharmacy,  by  close  application  and  using  great 
economy  of  time,  he  took  the  junior  year  in  medicine.  He  was  graduated  June 
24,  1874,  receiving  the  degree  of  pharmaceutical  chemist  ;  and  was  appointed 
assistant  in  analytical  chemistry  in  the  chemical  laboratory,  where  he  served  during 
the  school  years  1874-75.  While  performing  these  duties  he  at  the  same  time 
took  his  senior  year  in  medicine,  and  was  graduated  with  his  class,  receiving  the 
degree  of  M.  D.,  March  24,  1875. 

After  leaving  the  university  he  gave  his  attention  to  pharmacy,  residing  one 
year  in  Central  Illinois.  . 

February  9,  1876,  he  married  Lina  Brown  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  who  was  born 
near  Pickney,  Livingstone  County,  Mich.,  October  II,  1849.  They  resided  in 
Fainnount,  Neb.,  three  years,  where  Dr.  Cotton  practiced  medicine  in  Clay 
and  Fillimore  counties.  They  then  removed  to  Clyde,  Oakland  County,  Mich., 
remaining  there  till  May,  1887,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Tyndall,  Bon 
Homme  County,  S.  D.,  where  he  now  resides,  practicing  his  profession,  and  is  the 
owner  of  a  drug  and  apothecary  store.  Children  of  Dr.  Robert  M.  and  Lina 
B.  Cotton : 

Grace  Rena,  born  March  29,  1877,  at  Fairmont,  Neb.  ;  Nina  B.,  born  August 
26,  1883,  at  Clyde.  Mich.  ;  Lyra  H.,  born  February  16,  1890,  at  Tyndal,  S.  D. 

MARY  E.  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Robert  M.  and  Lydia 
Conant  Higley,  born  October  24,  1838,  married  William  P. 
Goodrich,  November  25,  1869,  who  was  just  six  years  her  senior, 
having  been  born  October  24,  1832.  William  M.  Goodrich  died 


JULIA    M.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.       323 

October  24,  1876.  His  widow  and  only  surviving  child  reside  in 
Windham,  O.,  in  the  old  homestead  of  her  parents.  They  had 
two  children,  viz. : 

Charles  C.,  born  October  6,  1870  ;  and  died,  June  n,  1878  :  Lina  M.,  born 
July  13,  1876. 

LORIN    HIGLEY. 
Lorin,  Colonel  Benjamin,  Micah,  ist,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

I  found  Him  in  the  shining  of  the  stars, 
I  mark'd  Him  in  the  flowering  of  His  fields, 
But  in  His  ways  with  men  I  find  Him  not. 

— Idyls  of  the  King. 

LORIN  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  of  Colonel  Benjamin  and  Sally 
(McKown)  Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  February  2,  1810, 
and  baptized  on  the  i8th  of  March  following.  He  was  brought  a 
babe  to  Portage  County,  Ohio,  the  following  year,  on  the  removal 
of  his  parents  westward.  The  family  was  the  third  that  arrived 
in  the  township. 

His  boy-life,  spent  amid  the  solitudes  and  sublimity  of  the 
great  forests  and  chaos  of  tangled  thickets,  was  full  of  the  variety 
of  interests  associated  with  the  frontiersman's  surroundings. 
Eager  in  the  pursuit  of  game,  with  which  the  woods  abounded,  he 
had  unrestrained  fun  in  trapping  and  shooting,  and  many  an 
adventurous  hunt  for  "  coons,"  oppossums,  wild  turkeys,  squirrels, 
and  numerous  small  game,  including  rattlesnakes,  copperheads, 
black  snakes,  and  other  reptiles.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to 
any  day  kill  a  dozen  or  more  snakes,  the  rocky  hillsides  and 
ledges  being  alive  with  them.  He  earned  his  spending  money  by 
tanning  the  skins  of  woodchucks,  of  which  he  made  whip  lashes 
and  sold  them,  doing  a  thriving  business.  Deer,  bear,  and 
wolves  were  still  numerous.  The  settlers  generally  made  their 
shoes  of  deer  skins. 

His  education  was  received  at  the  district  school.  Nobly  and 
earnestly  did  he  perform  his  part  when  he  had  arrived  at  mature 
years,  in  the  enormous  difficulties  and  labor  of  opening  a  new 
country,  and  getting  at  the  fruitful  soil;  and  in  bringing  the  state 
of  society  upward,  not  in  a  restricted  sense,  but  in  laying  the 
groundwork  upon  which  the  wider  and  more  important  economi- 
cal features  of  to-day  are  developed. 

March  8,  1832,  Rachel  Elmina  Frary  of  Windham  became  his 
wife.  On  the  i6th  of  January,  1834,  they  took  possession  of 


324  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY, 

a  dwelling-house  newly  completed,  which  was  built  on  a  farm 
owned  by  Lorin  Higley,  located  one  and  a  half  miles  south- 
west of  Windham  Center.  Here  they  spent  fifty  years  of  married 
life,  much  blessed  in  a  social  domestic  tie,  that  stood  the  strain 
and  stress  of  the  usual  cares,  anxieties,  and  disquietudes  which 
enter  into  so  large  a  part  of  this  earth-existence. 

On  the  same  spot  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  March 
8,  1882,  an  occasion  of  great  interest  to  the  gathered  children, 
grandchildren,  and  kindred  who  hailed  them  with  greetings  of 
their  veneration  and  love.  In  the  autumn  of  1884, — October  22, — 
wishing  to  lay  aside  the  care  of  a  large  farm,  Mr.  Higley  pur- 
chased a  home  in  Windham  village,  to  which  they  removed. 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1840,  Lorin  Higley  united  with  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Windham.  After  this  the  affairs  of 
the  church,  with  those  of  the  society,  were  among  his  chief 
activities  and  close  attachments.  For  many  years  he  was  an 
efficient  worker  in  the  Sabbath  school. 

In  politics  Mr.  Higley  was  a  Republican.  During  his  long  life 
he  filled  various  offices  of  trust  in  the  township. 

His  wife,  Rachel  Elmina  Frary,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass., 
June  27,  1811.  In  October,  1829,  she  came  to  Windham  in  com- 
pany with  her  mother,  who  was  then  a  widow,  and  six  brothers  and 
a  sister,  of  a  family  of  eleven.  The  other  children  remained  in 
Massachusetts.  Soon  after  their  arrival  Rachel  engaged  in 
teaching,  which  she  continued  till  her  marriage. 

She  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  bodily  vigor.  For  forty-five 
years  she  performed  her  household  duties  without  having  to  con- 
sult a  physician. 

She  made  public  profession  of  religion  during  the  time  of  a 
great  revival,  and  united  with  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
February,  1860.  Long  before  this  time,  however,  she  had  illus- 
trated the  life  of  a  Christian  by  the  best  of  evidence — her  daily 
walk  and  example.  Quiet,  unassuming,  patient,  and  persevering, 
her  special  field  of  labor  and  influence  was  in  the  circle  of  her 
home.  It  may  well  be  said  of  her  that  "she  hath  done  what 
she  could."  Her  children,  and  many  who  knew  her,  delight  to 
"rise  and  call  her  blessed."  For  many  years  she  suffered  with 
sciatic  rheumatism,  together  with  weakened  heart  action,  which 
finally  ended  her  life.  Her  death  took  place  July  i,  1889. 

Her  husband  survived  her  more  than  two  years,  when  calmly 
and  peacefully,  on  the  evening  of  February  25,  1891,  he  took  his 


LORIN    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY        325 

departure,    joyously  realizing   the    glories    of    the    unseen    and 
eternal  world  beyond. 

Children  of  Lorin  and  Rachel  Elmina  (Frary)  Higley: 

Sheldon  Frary,  Stephen  Lorin,  William  Adams,  twins,  born  and 
died  March  20,  1842  ;  Seymour  Augustus  and  Sarah  Ann,  twins. 

SHELDON  FRARY  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  November 
24,  1833,  at  Windham,  O.  He  received  his  education  at  the  com- 
mon school  and  at  the  Windham  Academy. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1856,  he  married  Cecilia  E.  Fitch  of 
Geneva,  O.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  his  native  village.  In 
February,  1860,  he  united  with  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
Windham,  and  the  following  year  was  among  the  first  who  nobly 
and  patriotically  offered  themselves  to  save  the  Union  in  time  of 
her  peril. 

It  was  early  in  the  autumn  of  1861  that  he  enlisted  in  the  4ist 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  one  year  in  the  Civil  War, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability  for 
further  service,  caused  by  ill  health.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he 
again  enlisted  in  the  ryist  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  one  hun- 
dred days,  and  served  his  time.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  sold 
his  farm  at  Windham,  and  removed  to  Geneva,  O.,  where  he  now 
resides.  Since  the  year  1866  he  has  followed  commercial  travel- 
ing. He  is  also  the  owner  of  a  well  cultivated  fruit  farm  lying 
near  Geneva. 

Sheldon  and  Cecilia  E.  (Fitch)  Higley  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  Mary  Elmina  Higley,  born  July  15,  1867.  She  received  her 
education  at  the  Geneva  high  school,  and  was  a  student  two 
years  at  Oberlin  College.  She  married,  March  23,  1890,  Leslie 
Harry  Webb  of  Cleveland  O.,  where  they  now  reside. 

STEPHEN  LORIN  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Lorin  and  Rachel 
E.  (Frary)  Higley,  was  born  January  27,  1837.  In  1857  he  went 
to  the  then  far  West,  taking  up  his  residence  in  Colorado. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  (1861)  in  the  zd 
Colorado  Cavalry.  He  was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  General 
Blunt.  He  took  part  in  many  severe  battles,  and  continued  in 
active  service  till  the  war  ended. 

He  then  returned  to  Colorado,  and  pursued  his  profession  of 
surveyor,  being  engaged  with  Captain  E.  L.  Berthoud's  engineer- 
ing corps,  surveying  railroad  routes  in  Colorado.  In  the  autumn 
of  1883  he  returned  to  Windham,  O.,  broken  in  health,  and  died 
January  10,  1884.  He  never  married. 


326  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


WILLIAM    A.     HIGLEY. 
William  A.,  Lorin,  Benjamin,  Micah,  ist,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

WILLIAM  ADAMS  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Lorin  and  Rachel 
E.  (Frary)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  March  i,  1840. 

His  first  school  days  were  spent  at  the  public  school  in  Wind- 
ham  village.  He  then  pursued  the  entire  academic  course  at 
the  Windham  Academy;  and  afterward  attended  one  year  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Geneva,  O.  His  early  boyhood  and  youth 
being  spent  on  his  father's  farm  homestead,  he  became  familiar 
with  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  Civil  War  roused  in  William  A.  Higley,  as  it  did  in  his  two 
brothers,  the  war  instinct,  as  well  as  his  loyal  faith  in  our  Govern- 
ment; he  willingly  offered  his  service  in  its  defense. 

On  August  31,  1862,  the  approach  of  the  war  on  Ohio  soil 
strangely  disquieted  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  The  next  day,  Sep- 
tember i,  "the  Confederate  general,  Kirby  Smith,  with  ten  thou- 
sand men  entered  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  were  soon  joined  by  the 
daring  raider,  John  Morgan,  with  his  forces.  Six  thousand  of 
these  troops  were  sent  against  Cincinnati. 

"The  situation  looked  dark  and  foreboding.  The  defeated 
troops  of  the  Northern  army  were  falling  back  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  victorious  Confederate  forces  were  encamped  between  the 
cities.  General  Lewis  Wallace  arrived  in  Cincinnati  and  assumed 
command.  Martial  law  was  proclaimed,  and  the  citizens  were 
officially  notified  that  '  an  active,  daring,  and  powerful  enemy 
threatened  them  with  every  consequence  of  war.'  Business 
ceased  entirely,  banks  and  schools  closed,  the  street  cars  were 
stopped  from  running,  thousands  of  citizens  organized  into  mili- 
tary companies  and  began  to  drill. 

"  Preparations  for  defense  began  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Ohio  River,  where  hasty  fortifications  were  traced,  guns  mounted, 
and  pickets  thrown  out.  Bankers,  clergy,  teachers,  merchants, 
and  artisans  worked  side  by  side  in  the  entrenchment."1 

The  citizens  filled  their  cisterns,  laid  in  food  supplies,  and 
hastily  prepared  for  the  "siege."  It  was  threatened  that  the 
city  was  to  be  burned. 

Meanwhile  Governor  Tod  was  equally  astir,  and  was  fruitful  in 
his  steps  for  the  defense  of  his  State. 

1  Extracts  from  "  The  Military  History  of  Ohio,"  p.  188. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY,       327 

"The  soil  of  Ohio  must  not  be  invaded  by  the  enemies  of  our 
glorious  government,"  he  proclaimed,  as  "he  called  on  all  the 
border  counties  to  arm  in  self  defense, "and  ordered  his  adjutant- 
general  to  "send  forward  all  available  troops  instantly;  they 
were  not  to  be  held  for  muster  but  to  be  forwarded." 

In  every  quarter  of  the  State,  city,  town,  and  village,  volunteer 
defenders  arose.  Farmers  and  village  men  turned  out  by  the 
thousands,  armed  with  their  squirrel  guns  and  shot-pouches. 
They  had  no  thought  of  pay  or  allowance,  or  of  anything  but  the 
defense  of  their  beloved  State  and  to  maintain  the  nation's  honor. 
"  It  was  one  of  the  most  patriotic  actions  taken  by  the  men  of 
Ohio  during  the  entire  war.  All  offers  of  armed  men  were 
accepted  and  were  ordered  to  report  to  General  Wallace."  For 
days  these  heroic  volunteer  civilians,  so  suddenly  organized, 
"henceforth  to  be  known  as  the  'Squirrel  Hunters,' "  moved 
toward  the  threatened  city  and  swarmed  its  streets.  Every  rail- 
road train  brought  large  detachments  of  these  untrained  troops. 

One  of  the  first  young  men  of  Windham  to  answer  to  Governor 
Tod's  call  for  defenders  was  William  A.  Higley.  Full  of  energy, 
life,  and  spirit,  in  the  prime  of  strong  young  manhood,  a  few 
months  past  twenty-two,  he  was  quick  to  place  himself  among 
the  great  reserve  power  ready  for  action. 

He  shouldered  his  father's  old  silver-mounted  rifle,  that  had  for 
forty  years  served  well  on  many  a  hunting  expedition,  and  with 
which  many  a  wolf  and  deer  had  been  killed.  All  night  the 
members  of  the  family  molded  bullets,  and  his  patriotic  mother 
cooked  a  supply  of  rations.  With  a  folded  blanket  upon  his  back, 
without  uniform  or  knapsack,  he,  with  his  comrade  "Squirrel 
Hunters,"  eagerly  set  forward  and  were  early  the  next  morning 
crowded  at  the  railway  station  into  a  sheep  transportation  car. 

It  was  a  rough  experience  for  the  farmer  boys  in  exchange  for 
their  soft  feather  beds  and  well-laden  tables,  but  the  spirit  of 
fight  and  defense  was  in  every  heart,  and  determination  was  upon 
every  face.  Each  man  made  up  his  full  contribution  to  the  com- 
mon defense. 

On  arriving  at  Cincinnati  these  troops  were  transported  and 
stationed  across  the  Ohio  River  on  the  Kentucky  shore  opposite 
the  city.  Here  they  stood  vigilant  and  ready  for  determined 
action  every  hour  of  the  day,  and  all  night  they  laid  upon  their 
arms. 

"On  the  night  of  September  9  the  advance  of  General  Kirby 


328  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Smith's  forces  were  so  near  the  outskirts  of  the  defenses  that 
several  skirmishes  took  place.  In  the  city  excitement  reached 
its  height."1  September  n  the  Confederate  forces  under  General 
Smith  began  to  retreat,  and  on  the  i3th  the  volunteers  were  dis- 
missed with  public  appreciation  and  pride  of  thousands  of  grate- 
ful citizens  for  their  noble  service.  The  Windham  "boys" 
arrived  home  on  Sunday,  the  i4th. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  official  discharge  received  by 
Mr.  Higley  and  his  gallant  comrades. 

"THE  SQUIRREL  HUNTERS'  DISCHARGE. 

"  Cincinnati  was  menaced  by  the  enemies  of  our  Union. 

"  DAVID  TOD,  Governor  of  Ohio,  called  on  the  Minute  Men  of  the  State,  and 
the  Squirrel  Hunters  came  by  thousands  to  the  rescue. 

"You,  WILLIAM  A.  HIGLEY,  were  one  of  them,  and  this  is  your  HONORABLE 
DISCHARGE. 

"  September,  1862. 

"CHARLES  W.  HILL. 

"  Approved  by  "  Adjt.-Gen.  of  Ohio. 

"  DAVID  TOD, 

"Governor.  "MALCOLM  MCDOWELL, 

"  Major  and  A.  D.  C." 

The   following  Certificate   was    subsequently    issued    by  the 
Governor  of  Ohio: 


THE  GRKAT  SEAL)  'THE       STATE       OF       OHIO, 


"j   STATE OFOHIO,    \  "  EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT, 

1802.  ; 

v y /  "  COLUMBUS,  March  4th,  1863. 

"To  WILLIAM  A.  HIGLEY,  ESQR.,  of  Portage  County,  O.  The  Legislature  of 
our  State  has  this  day  passed  the  following  Resolution  : 

"  Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 
That  the  Governor  be,  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  appropriate  out 
of  his  contingent  fund,  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay  for  printing  and  lithographing  dis- 
charges for  the  patriotic  men  of  the  State,  who  responded  to  the  call  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  went  to  our  Southern  border  to  repel  the  invaders,  and  who  will  be  known 
in  history  as  the  '  SQUIRREL  HUNTERS.' 

"And  in  obedience  thereto,  I  do  most  cheerfully  herewith  inclose  a  Certificate 
of  your  service.  But  for  the  gallant  services  of  yourself  and  the  other  members  of 
the  corps  of  patriotic  '  Squirrel  Hunters,'  rendered  in  September  last,  Ohio,  our 
dear  State,  would  have  been  invaded  by  a  band  of  pirates  determined  to  overthrow 
the  best  government  on  earth  ;  our  wives  and  children  would  have  been  violated 
and  murdered,  and  our  homes  plundered  and  sacked.  Your  children,  and  your 
children's  children,  will  be  proud  to  know  that  you  were  one  of  this  glorious  band. 

"  Preserve  the  Certificate  of  service  and  discharge,  herewith  enclosed  to  you,  as 
1  "The  Military  History  of  Ohio." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.       329 

evidence  of  this  gallantry.     The  rebellion  is  not  yet  crushed  out,  and  therefore  the 
discharge   may   not  be  final :     Keep  the   old  gun   then  in   order  ;   see  that   the 
powder  horn  and  bullet  pouch  are  supplied,  and  caution  your  patriotic  mothers  or 
wives  to  be  at  all  times  prepared  to  furnish  you  a  few  days  cooked  rations  so  that 
if  your  services  are  called  for  (which  may  God  in  his  infinite  goodness  forbid),  you 
may  again  prove  yourselves  '  Minute  Men,'  and  again  protect  our  loved  homes. 
"  Invoking  God's  choicest  blessings  upon  yourself  and  all  who  are  dear  to  you, 
"  I  am  very  truly,  Yours, 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

On  May  4,  1864,  William  A.  Higley  again  entered  the  Civil 
War,  joining  the  lyist  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  I, 
Ohio  National  Guard,  and  served  his  full  term  of  enlistment. 
The  story  of  this  regiment  is  related  in  the  sketch  of  Corporal 
Alfred  M.  Higley,  the  uncle  of  Mr.  Higley,  who  belonged  to  the 
same  company  and  regiment. 

William  A.  Higley  was  assigned  to  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment. After  his  regiment  suffered  defeat  by  superiority  of 
numbers  at  the  battle  of  Cynthiana,  Ky. ,  and  were  taken  pris- 
oners and  finally  paroled,  he  met  the  scattered  forces  when 
they  again  collected  together  at  Camp  Dennison,  O.  He 
remained  with  the  regiment,  doing  guard  duty  on  Johnson's 
Island,  till  it  received  its  honorable  discharge  at  Sandusky,  O., 
August  20,  1864. 

Mr.  Higley  has  always  resided  in  Windham.  He  has  for 
many  years  owned  a  commodious,  well-appointed  home  in  the 
village,  and  a  farm  on  the  outskirts.  For  twenty-six  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  commercial  traveling,  having  been  associated 
the  greater  part  of  this  period  with  the  National  Lead  Co.  of 
New  York,  his  business  office  being  in  Cleveland,  O.  With 
every  detail  of  the  business  he  is  thoroughly  familiar,  and  has 
brought  to  the  Company  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  rare  and 
faithful  energy  and  business  ability. 

The  successful  issue  of  that  pleasant  occasion,  the  general 
family  reunion  in  1889'  of  the  Higleys  at  Windham,  O.,  was 
largely  due  to  Mr.  Higley's  efficient  oversight  and  labors, 
together  with  his  genial  welcome  to  the  guests,  leaving  nothing 
omitted  which  could  contribute  to  their  comfort  and  pleasure. 
In  the  cordial  hospitality  of  his  home,  his  wife  and  household  add 
their  full  share. 

William  A.  Higley  is  a  pushing  man,  of  varied  knowledge,  and 

1  See  sketch  of  Alfred  M.  Higley,  p.  335. 


33°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  generous  character.  He  possesses  a  graceful  geniality  and 
pleasant  friendliness  at  all  times,  to  which  he  owes  in  a  large 
measure  the  popular  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

His  wife,  Elizabeth  Elmina  Scott,  was  the  daughter  of  David 
Scott  of  Becket,  Mass.,  who  came  to  the  township  of  Freedom, 
O.,  about  1828-29,  and  Sarah  Philena  Marcy,  who  arrived  from 
Otis,  Mass.,  at  Freedom,  January  13,  1828. 

Thomas  and  Elizabeth  M.  Marcy,  the  parents  of  Sarah  Philena 
Marcy  (and  grandparents  to  Elizabeth  Scott  Higley),  were 
among  the  early  founders  of  Freedom  township,  and  among  the 
organizers  of  the  first  church  in  the  town — February  10,  1828. 
Their  daughter,  Sarah,  was  a  woman  of  deep  practical  piety,  and 
an  excellent  scholar  for  those  times,  and  has  left  upon  record 
interesting  reminiscences  of  her  devoted  life.  She  married  David 
Scott,1  November  18,  1830.  They  settled  on  a  farm  near  Drakes- 
burg,  O.,  and  here  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Scott  Higley  was  born,  July  7, 
1842.  She  resided  with  her  parents,  near  Drakesburg,  till  March, 
1860,  when  the  family  removed  to  Windham,  O.  Five  years  and 
six  months  later  she  became  the  wife  of  William  A.  Higley. 

She  is  of  a  cheerful  and  remarkably  serene  nature,  of  which  her 
kind  face  is  an  index,  gentle  in  social  life,  and  diffident  of  her 
excellent  abilities.  Mrs.  Higley  is  an  admirable  wife,  well  quali- 
fied to  be  the  kindly  companion  of  her  husband. 

William  A.  Higley  and  Elizabeth  E.  Scott  were  married  at 
Windham,  Octobers,  1865.  Their  children: 

LUTHER  SCOTT  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  November  2,  1866.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Windham,  June,  1886,  and  entered  the  university 
at  Worcester  in  September  of  the  same  year  ;  but  was  unfortunately  not  able  to 
complete  the  course  on  account  of  impaired  eyesight,  which  forced  him  to  abandon 
his  studies  in  the  autumn  of  1888. 

He  resides  in  Cleveland,  O.,  and  is  engaged  in  business  with  the  Standard  Sew- 
ing Machine  Company  of  that  city.  From  his  boyhood  he  has  given  considerable 
earnest  attention  to  music,  and  is  well-skilled  in  the  use  of  the  cornet,  bearing  a  high 
reputation  as  a  performer  in  B  flat. 

JOSEPHINE  MARCY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  William  A.  and  Elizabeth  E. 
Scott  Higley,  was  born  September  26,  1874.  She  was  a  bright  and  interesting 
schoolgirl  while  pursuing  her  studies  in  the  high  school  at  Windham.  She  is 
making  a  specialty  of  music. 

SEYMOUR  A.  and  SARAH  ANN  HIGLEY,  twin  children  of  Lorin 
and  Rachel  E.  (Frary)  Higley,  were  born  June  8,  1845. 

1  David  Scott  was  born  at  Becket,  Mass.,  1803.  He  died  at  Windham,  O.,  March  28,  1877.  His 
wife,  Sarah  Philena  Marcy,  was  born  1807,  and  died  August  i,  1876. 


MATHEW   P.   HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF   COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.       331 

They  attended  together  the  common  school  in  Windham  and 
afterward  the  Windham  Academy,  closing  their  schooldays  by  a 
course  at  the  Hiram  Collegiate  Institute. 

Sarah  Ann  married,  September  2,  1875,  John  Luther  Miner, 
who  was  born  and  brought  up  in  Cornwall,  Conn.  They  reside  in 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.  They  have  but  one  surviving  child  : 

Lorin  Luther,  born  January  20,  1878. 

Seymour  A.  Higley  married,  October  13,  1880,  Emma  R. 
Sheldon 1  of  Aurora,  O.  He  is  the  owner  of,  and  resides  in,  the 
old  homestead  and  on  the  farm  near  Windham  village,  where 
his  parents  founded  their  hearthstone  in  1834.  Their  children 
are  : 

Nellie  Gertrude,  born  March  31,  1883;  Benjamin  Sheldon,  born 
June  6,  1890;  Herbert  Seymour,  born ,  1894. 


MATTHEW    P.    HIGLEY. 

Matthew  P.,  Colonel  Benjamin,  Micah,  ist,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Behold  the  upright  :  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace. — PSALM  xxxvii. 

MATTHEW  P.  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  son  of  Colonel  Benjamin 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  September  12,  1813.  He  was 
the  second  male  child  born  in  the  township.  In  his  youth  he 
attended  the  district  school,  but  later  on  he  acquired  a  good 
rudimentary  education  at  the  academy  in  Windham  Center. 
Until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  not  in  school  he 
did  the  work  usually  falling  to  farmers'  sons.  Strength  and 
muscle,  with  close  application  to  the  hard  toil  of  farm  life,  was 
prized  in  those  days  as  a  card  to  good  standing  in  the  com- 
munity, quite  as  much  as  books  and  book-learning. 

On  reaching  his  majority  his  father  gave  him  a  farm,  which  he 
subsequently  sold  in  order  to  purchase  one  containing  a  greater 
number  of  acres.  He  received  his  pay  in  patent  clocks,  which  he 
traded  in  part  payment  for  a  fine  farm  located  in  the  adjoining 
township  of  Paris.  Here  he  built,  in  1840,  a  house  and  two  barns, 
and  resided  nine  years. 

He  married,  September  25,  1839,  Luna  C.  Robbins,  daughter  of 
Philander  and  Lydia  Robbins  of  Warren,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y. 

1  Judge  Ebene/er  Sheldon,  the  grandfather  of  Emma  R.  (Sheldon)  Higley,  was  from  Sufiield, 
Conn.,  and  was  the  first  settler  of  Aurora  township,  arriving  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  June,  1779, 
Her  father,  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  Jr.,  came  to  Aurora  in  1800. 


332  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

In  1849  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Windham  township,  on  which  he 
built  a  residence  which  the  family  occupied  till  the  autumn  of 
1870.  Retiring  then  from  active  life,  he  removed  to  Windham 
village,  purchasing  the  old  academy  building  in  which  he  received 
his  education  and  fitting  it  up  as  a  pleasant  residence.  During 
the  last  days  of  his  well-spent  life,  he  occupied  the  same  room  in 
which  he  pursued  his  studies  when  in  the  vivacity  of  youth,  more 
than  sixty  years  before.  He  was  long  a  familiar  figure  to  the 
citizens  in  his  walks  through  the  streets,  greeting  with  the  same 
friendliness  the  humble  and  the  well-to-do  alike. 

Like  his  parents  and  brothers,  Matthew  P.  Higley  early  came 
to  believe  in  the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  He  united  with  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Windham  in  1840.  The  moral 
weight  of  his  father's  umblemished  character  rested,  too,  upon  this 
son  as  it  did  upon  his  brothers.  His  habits  were  always  exem- 
plary, and  he  enjoyed  the  esteem  of  the  community. 

The  evening  of  his  days  were  happily  and  contentedly  spent. 
He  retained  his  full  interest  in  the  current  affairs  of  life,  though 
in  August,  1^90,  he  had  a  light  stroke  of  paralysis,  which  greatly 
enfeebled  him  physically. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1889,  Mr.  Higley  and  his  wife  cele- 
brated the  very  interesting  occasion  of  their  golden  wedding,  as 
well  as  the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  marriage  of  their  daughter, 
receiving  the  congratulations  of  their  numerous  kins-people  and 
friends. 

They  bore  in  their  beautiful  old  age  the  armor  triumphant  of  the 
Christian;  in  happy  cheerfulness  looking  toward  the  golden  era 
in  the  life  beyond,  which  they  calmly  approached. 

Matthew  Higley  died  November,  1893.  Children  of  Matthew 
P.  and  Luna  C.  (Robbins)  Higley:  Hannah  Lovisa ;  Philander 
Robbins  j  Marion  C.;  Perkins  B.;  Frank  M.y  born  April  24,  1857, 
died  March  i,  1865;  David  Mack. 

HANNAH  LOVISA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Matthew  P.  and  Luna  C.  (Rob- 
bins)  Higley,  was  born  August  15, 1841,  and  married  Henry  B.  Walden,  November 
25,  1863.  They  are  prosperous  farmers  in  Windham. 

Mr.  Walden  did  soldierly  duty  in  the  late  war,  entering,  in  the  spring  of  1864, 
the  I7ist  Regiment  Ohio  National  Guard,  serving  with  the  one-hundred-day  men, 
and  seeing  active  service  in  the  engagement  at  Cynthiana,  Ky. 

Their  children  are  : 

Frank,  born  February  3,  1866;  Luna  C.,  born  August  18,  1867;  Delia  A. , 
born  October  12,  1873  ;  and  Caroline  M.,  born  January  30,  1875. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.       333 

PHILANDER  R.  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Matthew  P.  and  Luna  C.  (Robbins) 
Higley,  was  born  in  the  township  of  Paris,  Portage  County,  O.,  January  17,  1843. 

He  received  his  early  education  at  the  public  school  and  the  academy  in  Wind- 
ham,  afterward  taking  the  course  at  the  Hiram  Collegiate  Institute,  followed  by  a 
full  commercial  course  at  Eastman's  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

When  the  emergency  of  the  Civil  War  called  men  into  action,  Philander  Higley 
came  to  the  front.  On  the  sudden  demand  for  defenders  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati 
and  the  southern  border  of  Ohio,  in  1862,  he  tendered  his  services  for  duty,  and 
joined  the  "  Squirrel  Hunters"  brigade.  This  service,  however,  as  has  been 
already  stated,  was  of  short  duration.  Mr.  Higley  received  a  certificate  of  com- 
mendation, which  was  ordered  by  the  State  Legislature  and  signed  by  the  Governor, 
for  his  prompt  and  loyal  response  to  the  call  for  troops. 

In  May,  1864,  when  he  had  only  recently  passed  his  twenty-first  birthday,  he 
entered  the  Union  Army,  with  the  lyist  Regiment,  Company  I,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  a  company  composed  chiefly  of  his  fellow-citizens.  With  his  regiment  he 
passed  through  the  rough  foray  when  General  John  Morgan's  men  stole  upon  the 
Union  forces  unexpectedly  at  Cynthiana,  Ky.,  a  severe  fight  following,  in  which 
cannon  ball  and  shot  did  deadly  work.  Philander  Higley  showed  hero  blood,  doing 
brave  and  noble  service  as  color-corporal  of  his  company.  He  was  captured  and 
made  prisoner,  but  was,  with  his  comrades,  finally  paroled.  He  was  in  the  war 
service  till  the  term  of  his  enlistment  expired,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge. 

On  the  I2th  of  October,  1870,  he  married  Adelaide  Cannon,  daughter  of  Reuben 
P.  Cannon  of  Aurora,  O.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  a  daughter,  named 
Maude,  who  was  born  December  20,  1877.  They  reside  in  Windham,  O.,  and 
own  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village. 

MARION  C.  HIGLEY,  third  child  of  Matthew  P.  and  Luna  C.  (Robbins)  Higley, 
was  born  June  13,  1848.  Her  schooldays  were  spent  at  the  \Vindham  public 
school,  and  at  the  Hiram  Collegiate  Institute  ;  afterward  she  spent  one  year  at  the 
Lake  Erie  Female  Seminary  at  Painsville,  O. 

She  married,  September  25,  1879,  Frank  O.  Wadsworth,  and  became  the  mother 
of  three  children,  viz.: 

Lee  O.  Wadsworth,  born  May  20,  1883  ;  Flora  V.,  born  June  13,  1885  ;  and 
Luna  Olive,  born  March  20,  1887.  They  resided  at  San  Diego,  Cal.,  where  Mr. 
Wadsworth  engaged  in  the  culture  of  tropical  fruits.  Mrs.  Marion  C.  Wadsworth 
died  of  cancer  May  10,  1892,  and  was  interred  at  San  Diego. 

PERKINS  B.  HiGLEY.the  fourth  child  of  Matthew  P.  and  Luna  C. (Robbins)  Higley, 
was  born  at  \Vindham,  O.,  July  3,  1851.  He  received  his  education  at  the  Windham 
schools.  He  married,  December  15,  1875,  Harriet  Messenger,  and  owns  a  farm  in 
Windham,  upon  which  he  resides.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  have  three  children,  viz.: 

Lulu  M.,  born  August  9,  1877  ;  Bertha  M.,  born  November  6,  1881  ;  and  Ray, 
born  March  20,  1887. 

DAVID  MACK  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  and  youngest  son  of  Matthew  P.  and  Luna 
C.  (Robbins)  Higley,  was  born  December  16,  1858.  He  attended  the  Windham 
schools.  On  the  iSth  of  October,  1883,  he  married  Lucretia  R.  Cannon  of 
Aurora,  O.,  aud  now  resides  upon  his  farm  in  Wrindham. 

He  displays  a  highly  creditable  talent  in  music,  and  plays  alto,  in  the  musical 
organization  known  as  the  "  Windham  Band." 

Their  first  child,  Clayton  Cannon  Higley,  was  born  June  26,  1895. 


334  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

MRS.    SARAH    ANN    HIGLEY    ADAMS. 
Continued  front  page  318. 

SARAH  ANN  HIGLEY,  daughter  of  Colonel  Benjamin  and  Sally 
McKown  Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  January  19,  1817. 
When  quite  young  she  was  sent  from  home  to  attend  school  at 
New  Lisbon,  O.  On  the  i2th  of  July,  1832,  when  she  had  scarce 
passed  her  fifteenth  birthday,  she  married  William  C.  Adams  of 
New  Lisbon.  They  took  up  their  residence  at  Newton  Falls. 
Two  years  later  they  removed  to  Windham.  Mr.  Adams  here 
conducted  a  dry  goods  mercantile  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued till  1850,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life.  The 
marriage  was  one  of  mutual  happiness  and  comfort.  After  a 
lapse  of  nineteen  years  Mrs.  Adams  fell  a  prey  to  that  insidious 
disease — consumption,  which,  after  some  months  of  suffering, 
proved  fatal.  She  died  December  27,  1851. 

William  C.  Adams  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  after 
retiring  from  business,  living  quietly  in  Windham.  June  9,  1853, 

he  married  Eliza  McClintock.  He  died  ,  1875,  aged 

seventy. 

William  C.  and  Sarah  A.  Higley  Adams  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  only  two  of  whom  survived  infancy;  ten  little 
ones  passing  away  between  April  3,  1835,  and  June  4,  1848. 
Benjamin  Higley,  the  oldest  child,  survived  ;  and  Mary  Ann,  the 
youngest. 

BENJAMIN  HIGLEY  ADAMS,  the  eldest  child  of  Sarah  Ann  Higley  and  William 
C.  Adams,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  September  6, 1833.  He  was  educated  at  the 
academy  in  his  native  town,  leaving  school  in  1852. 

In  1854  he  went  to  the  then  far  West,  now  the  State  of  Nebraska,  where  he  se- 
cured a  tract  of  land  near  Plattsmouth  and  remained  two  years.  He  afterward  went 
to  Colorado,  but  returned  to  Windham  in  1857,  and  studied  law  in  the  O.  S.  &  W. 
Law  College  at  Cleveland  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  17,  1859.  The 
autumn  of  the  same  year  he  went  back  to  Plattsmouth,  Neb.,  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

In  the  early  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  I4th  Ohio  Indepen- 
dent Battery,  and  was  mustered  into  service  September  10,  1861.  Holding  the 
responsible  position  of  chief  gunner  of  his  battery,  he  proved  himself  a  gallant 
soldier.  At  the  memorable  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  he  was  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight,  with  determined  bravery  courageously  remaining  the  last  man  at  the  guns, 
barely  escaping  being  made  a  prisoner,  when,  "owing  to  failure  of  infantry  sup- 
port, its  guns  were  captured." 

Taking  a  severe  cold  the  night  after  the  battle,  he  fell  seriously  ill,  and  was 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.        335 

brought  home  by  his  father,  who  had  hastened  to  him,  reaching  Windham,  June  16, 
1862.  He  died  six  days  after,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight. 

MARY  ANN,  the  youngest  child  of  William  C.  and  Sarah  Ann  Higley  Adams, 
was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  February  22,  1850.  The  year  following,  when  she  was 
scarce  yet  two  years  of  age,  she  was  left  a  motherless  infant.  In  Eliza  McClintock, 
who  became  her  second  mother,  she  found  a  kind-hearted,  careful  guardian,  who 
devoted  much  faithful  attention  to  her  home  training  and  education.  Her  school- 
days were  spent,  after  attending  the  Windham  Academy,  at  the  Lake  Erie  Female 
Seminary  at  Painesville,  O.  At  the  general  reunion  of  the  Higley  Family  held 
at  Windham,  1889,  she  presented  an  original  poem,  entitled  "  Our  Family  Tree," 
which,  with  the  fine  effect  with  which  it  was  read,  was  received  with  much 
enthusiasm. 

She  married,  September  I,  1887,  John  D.  Bosley  of  Johnstown,  Penn.,  where 
they  now  reside. 

ALFRED    M.    HIGLEY. 
Continued  from  page  318. 

ALFRED  M.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  of  Colonel  Benjamin 
and  Sally  McKown  Higley,  was  born  at  Windham,  O.,  December 
2,  1822.  He  spent  his  youth  in  the  rude  toil  incident  to  the 
Ohio  farmer-pioneer's  life.  The  district  school  was  the  scene  of 
his  first  efforts  for  an  education.  Later  on  he  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  the  academy  in  his  native  town.  He  was  eminently 
a  child  of  religious  stock,  his  home  life  and  associations  being 
spent  amid  intelligent  Christian  surroundings. 

At  twenty  he  made  public  profession  of  religion  and  united 
with  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Windham,  to  which  he 
was  a  close  adherent  and  a  valuable  member  as  long  as  he  lived. 
Possessing  a  pleasant  and  amiable  disposition,  he  endeared  him- 
self to  a  wide  circle  who  prized  his  friendship. 

At  twenty-two,  January  9,  1845,  ne  married  Mary  R.  Knapp 
of  Geneva,  O.,  and  by  virtue  of  being  the  youngest  son  of  his 
father's  family,  he  remained  with  his  parents,  taking  his  young 
wife  to  their  home.  Here  they  launched  out  upon  life  together 
under  happy  and  comfortable  circumstances.  A  diligent,  stead- 
fast, and  honorable  life,"  spent  mostly  in  agriculture  pursuits, 
brought  him  an  ample  competency,  though  in  after  years  he  met 
with  reverses  which  somewhat  reduced  his  living. 

In  May,  1864,  at  the  trumpet  call  of  the  Civil  War,  he  volun- 
teered his  services  to  do  soldierly  duty,  joining  the  one-hundred- 
day  men  of  the  Ohio  National  Guard,  who  composed  a  part  of 
the  lyist  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Alfred  M.  Higley 


336  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

was  made  corporal,  Company  I.     In  the  same  regiment  were  his 
three  nephews. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  into  service  at  Sandusky,  O.,  and 
placed  on  duty  on  Johnson's  Island,  Lake  Erie.  In  June  it  was 
sent  to  Kentucky,  detailed  to  meet  General  Morgan  and  his 
guerrillas,  who  were  near  Cynthiana.  Immediately  after  arrival 
hot  work  began,  the  regiment  finding  itself  suddenly  surprised 
and  surrounded  by  Confederate  forces  numbering  full  two- 
thirds  more  than  its  own  men.  They  fought  after  bush-whacking 
fashion.  The  unequal  battle  continued  five  hours,  against  great 
disadvantages  to  the  Northern  troops,  many  of  whom  were 
untrained  soldiers.  After  stubborn  resistance  General  Hobson 
was  forced  to  accept  a  flag  of  truce  ;  however,  the  service 
of  the  Federals  was  creditable,  and  they  afterward  received 
high  commendations  for  displaying  great  personal  courage.  On 
being  surrounded  and  taken  prisoners  they  endured  the  hard- 
ships of  a  chilly  night,  without  food  or  shelter,  and  were  marched 
fourteen  miles  beyond  the  Confederate  lines,  where  they  were 
paroled  without  blankets,  or  rations,  or  arms  for  defense.  They 
rapidly  made  their  way  to  Augusta,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio 
River,  forty  miles  distant,  crossed  the  river,  and  finally  joined 
their  comrades  who  had  come  into  camp  before  them  at  Camp 
Dennison,  O. 

Being  paroled,  the  regiment  was  returned  to  its  old  camp  on 
Johnson's  Island  and  could  not  be  placed  on  duty  for  some 
time;  it  then  served  on  guard  duty  till  the  expiration  of  the 
term  of  enlistment,  when  it  was  honorably  discharged  and  mus- 
tered out  of  service,  Corporal  Higley  returning  to  his  home  at 
Windham. 

During  the  winter  of  1866-67  he  made  a  journey  to  California, 
sailing  from  New  York  in  December,  and  going  by  the  way  of 
the  Isthmus.  He  arriving  in  San  Francisco  after  a  delightful 
voyage,  January  19.  He  spent  several  months  visiting  different 
parts  of  the  State.  Returning  via  Panama,  he  arrived  in  Wind- 
ham  July  5,  just  in  time  to  attend  the  funeral  of  his  aged  father. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1889,  a  notable  event  took  place  at 
the  homestead  of  Alfred  M.  Higley,  on  the  old  family  estate  of 
his  father,  Colonel  Benjamin  Higley — the  fourth  annual  reunion 
of  the  widely-extended  Higley  Family  of  this  country.  By 
general  invitation  of  Alfred  M.,  and  his  nephew,  William  A., 
Higley,  the  large  assemblage  of  kindred  and  connections,  num- 


ALFRED   M.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL   BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.        337 

bering  full  three  hundred,  from  several  States,  convened,  and  met 
a  welcome  in  keeping  with  the  generous  and  true  hospitality 
with  which  the  host  and  his  excellent  wife,  with  all  of  this  branch 
of  the  Family  joined  by  the  descendants  of  Joseph  Higley,  3d,  have 
a  well  merited  reputation.  The  rural  feast  was  a  thoroughly 
enjoyable  success,  a  rich  profusion  of  table  varieties  being  served 
in  tents  erected  for  this  special  purpose.  Formal  exercises 
were  held,  at  which  able  historical  addresses  were  delivered  by 
the  Hon.  Warren  Higley  of  New  York  and  Hon.  Brainard  S. 
Higley  of  Youngstown,  O.,  and  a  historical  paper  presented 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Coffin  Johnson  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Bosley  read  an  original  poem.  The  occasion  was  enlivened 
by  music  given  by  the  Windham  Cornet  Band,  several  members 
of  which  were  of  Higley  families.  Those  present  will  long 
remember  the  tall  and  dignified  presence  of  Alfred  M.  Higley, 
who  presided  on  the  interesting  occasion,  as  he  gave  one  and  all, 
in  a  neat  and  graceful  speech,  a  most  kindly  and  hearty  welcome 
to  his  home,  "the  old  land-mark  of  his  tribe,  where  seventy- 
eight  years  before  a  dense  forest  had  covered  the  ground";  as 
well  as  the  enjoyable  day  when  old  friendships  were  renewed, 
and  blood  relations  for  the  first  time  met  and  became  acquainted. 
Scarce  one  year  had  closed  its  days,  bringing  the  next  annual 
reunion  close  at  hand,  when  the  scene  at  the  old  Windham  home- 
stead was  suddenly  and  wholly  changed. 

"  They  bade  adieu  to  gladness, 
And  joy  was  turned  to  sadness  ; — 
Life  seemed  a  desert." 

Love  was  weeping  in  secret  as  well  as  openly.  From  the  same 
home  in  which  he  was  born,  and  in  which  he  had  always  lived, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  departed  "  to  a  better  country,  that  is 
an  heavenly." 

His  decease  took  place  August  17,  1890,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year 
of  his  age.  He  left  the  precious  legacy  of  a  life  above  reproach, 
commanding  the  respect  and  trust  of  all  who  knew  him. 

His  wife,  Mary  Robbins  Knapp,  who  survives  him,  was  the 
daughter  of  Orin  Knapp  and  Sarah  M.  Burrell,  and  was  born  in 
Geneva,  O.,  March  16,  1823.  Her  parents  came  to  Geneva,  O., 
when  they  were  young  people,  Mr.  Knapp  being  a  native  of 
Norfolk,  Conn.,  and  Sarah  Burrell  of  Sheffield,  Mass.  They  were 
married  in  1819.  Mrs.  Higley's  childhood  was  spent  in  Geneva, 


338  THE  HIGLEYS  AXD    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

her  native  place,  where  she  attended  a  select  school.  She  after- 
ward received  two  years'  instruction  at  the  Windham  Academy, 
and  attended  an  academy  at  Conneaut,  O..  She  then  became  a 
teacher  for  three  years  previous  to  her  marriage.  She  united 
with  the  First  Congregational  Church  at  Windham  at  thirteen 
years  of  age. 

Children  of  Alfred  M.  and  Mary  R.  Knapp  Higley: 
Sarah  Maria,   born   August    10,    1847;    Burrell  Alfred,    born 
November  25,  1850;  Arthur  Stanley,  born  March  i,  1861. 

SARAH  M.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  received  her  education  at  the  Windham 
district  and  high  school,  and  at  the  Hiram  Collegiate  Institute,  afterward  spend- 
ing one  year  at  the  Lake  Erie  Female  Seminary.  She  married,  November  13,  1867, 
Sergeant  Edward  Payson  Clark  of  Windham,  who  had  made  a  most  honorable 
record  during  three  years'  service  in  the  Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  its  early 
history  in  Company  D,  iO4th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  when  mustered  out  was 
first  sergeant  of  his  company.  He  fought  in  engagements  at  twelve  different 
points. 

In  company  with  her  husband,  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Higley  Clark  openly  professed  reli- 
gion, uniting  with  the  Congregational  Church  at  Windham,  during  a  time  of  revival, 
March,  1868.  She  was  of  a  happy,  genial  disposition,  endearing  herself  to  all  who 
knew  her.  She  died  January  5,  1874,  leaving  one  child,  Edward  Alfred  Clark, 
who  was  born  January  22,  1870,  and  resides  with  his  father. 

BURRELL  ALFRED  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Alfred  M.  and  Mary  R. 
(Knapp)  Higley,  was  born  November  25,  1850.  He  received  his  education  at  the 
district  and  high  school  in  Windham,  afterward  taking  the  preparatory  course  of 
Oberlin  College.  He  then  attended  the  Commercial  College  at  Mount  Union,  O. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  united  with  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
Windham,  in  the  work  of  which  he  took  an  active  part,  filling  various  offices.  In 
a  business  line  he  was  a  merchant  of  Windham  village,  where  he  resided. 

He  married,  November  II,  1878,  Rilla  E.  Bosley.  But  the  bright  lives  of  these 
excellent  young  people  were  destined  to  a  short  duration.  Burrell  A.  Higley  died 
October  17,  1885.  His  wife  survived  him  but  five  brief  months.  She  died  March 
16,  1886. 

Of  a  cheerful  temperament  and  a  generous  nature,  Mr.  Higley  left  behind  him  a 
life  fragrant  with  excellencies  of  character,  the  perfume  of  which  still  lives  in  the 
hearts  of  his  friends  and  associates. 

ARTHUR  STANLEY  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  of  Alfred  M.  and  Mary  R. 
(Knapp)  Higley,  was  born  March  I,  1861.  He  attended  the  Windham  schools, 
afterward  studying  two  years  at  the  Newton  Falls  High  School.  He  completed 
his  education  by  taking  a  full  course  in  the  Commercial  Department  of  the  Normal 
School  at  Ada,  O.,  receiving  a  diploma  February  24,  1882. 

Mr.  Higley  has  by  energetic  and  faithful  practice  developed  his  natural  talent  for 
music,  and  attained  skill  as  a  performer  on  the  solo  cornet,  in  B  flat.  He  is  the 
cornetist  at  the  regular  services  of  his  church,  and  a  member  of  a  musical  union  of 
local  fame,  which  gives  regular  weekly  village  open  air  concerts,  and  is  much  in 
request  to  play  on  public  occasions  in  neighboring  cities. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  COLONEL  BENJAMIN  HIGLEY.       339 

He  owns  the  farm  near  Windham  village  once  the  old  homestead  of  his  grand- 
father, Colonel  Benjamin  Higley,  which  has  come  into  his  possession  in  succession, 
and  partly  by  purchase,  and  where  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Higley  possesses  a  frank,  clever  personality ;  he  is  a  successful  farmer  of 
intelligence  and  unusual  enterprise. 

He  married,  October  27,  1886,  Alta  E.  Hudson,  formerly  of  Edinburg,  O. 
They  together  united  with  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Windham,  March, 
1887. 

Arthur  S.  and  Alta  E.  Higley  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz. : 

Florence  Mildred,  born  November  7,  1888  ;  and  Ruby  Lucille,  born  July  21, 
1893- 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

LIEUTENANT    ASA    HIGLEY. 

Asa,  ist,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Continued  from  page  286. 

Tell  your  children  of  it,  and  let  your  children  tell  their  children,  and  their  children  another 
generation. — JOEL  i.  3. 

ASA  HIGLEY,  ist,  the  third  son  of  Captain  Joseph  Higley,  ist, 
and  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Case,  was  born  at  Higley-town,  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.,  January  31,  1745. 

It  appears  to  have  been  the  design  of  Captain  Joseph  Higley  to 
settle  his  four  eldest  sons  in  Becket,  Mass.,  at  which  place  he 
purchased  lands,  intending  that  his  youngest  son,  Simeon,  should 
remain  with  him  at  the  home  farm  in  Higley-town. 

The  two  eldest,  Joseph  and  Micah,  fulfilling  their  father's 
wishes,  removed  to  Becket,  but  Asa  and  his  next  younger  brother, 
Ozias,  absolutely  refused  to  go;  whereupon  their  father  sternly 
declined  to  give  them  a  start  in  life.  They  were,  however,  strong, 
independent,  and  energetic,  and  not  being  daunted,  arose  to  their 
emergency.  To  the  mountain  sides  in  West  Granby  they  went, 
where  they  purchased  lands  a  mile  west  of  West  Granby  Center, 
contracting  a  debt  for  the  same  by  agreeing  to  pay  two  bushels 
of  wheat  per  acre. 

The  times  of  the  Revolution  found  them  with  some  remaining 
^debt;  yet,  full  of  the  military  spirit,  when  open  war  came,  they 
were  ready  to  march  against  the  British. 

Asa  Higley,  ist,  served  with  the  Connecticut  State  troops,  iSth 
Militia  Regiment,  entering  the  army  under  Captain  Samuel  Hays. 
He  was  corporal  of  his  company.1  They  arrived  in  New  York, 
August  22,  1776.  He  was  with  the  American  army  when  the 
forces  found  their  retreat  cut  off  after  the  disastrous  defeat 
upon  Long  Island,  and  his  general  with  his  forces  charged  and 
broke  through  the  British  lines,  reaching  their  camp  with  great 
loss  of  life  and  at  great  peril.  Hundreds  were  killed  and  made 
prisoners,  but  Corporal  Higley  was  among  the  fortunate.  He 

1  "  Record  of  Connecticut  Men  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution." 
34<> 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  \ST.      341 

was  afterward  in  the  fight  at  Horse  Neck,  and  in  the  battle  at 
White  Plains,  October  28,  1776.  After  the  battle  of  Horse  Neck, 
overcome  by  fatigue  and  exposure,  he  suffered  from  a  serious  ill- 
ness, which  well-nigh  cost  him  his  life.  Careful  nursing  at  his 
home,  to  which  he  was  removed,  together  with  a  fine  constitu- 
tion, restored  him,  and  no  sooner  was  his  health  regained,  than  he 
hurried  back  to  the  fight  for  liberty. 

He  was  then  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  in  the  fierce  encounter  with  Burgoyne  at  Still- 
water  and  Saratoga.  After  Burgoyne's  surrender,  October,  1777, 
Lieutenant  Asa  was  detailed  with  his  company  to  guard  the 
British  prisoners  on  their  march  to  Boston. 

When  the  Revolutionary  Army  was  disbanded  he  returned  with 
his  brother  to  their  farm  in  Granby.  Captain  Joseph  Higley,  now 
seeing  that  these  sons  were  industrious  and  thrifty,  relented  and 
assisted  them  to  remove  the  debt  from  their  land. 

The  date  of  Lieutenant  Asa  Higley's  marriage  has  not  been 
ascertained.  It  was  about  the  year  1770.  His  wife  was  Eunice 
Colton,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Eli  Colton. 

They  resided  as  long  as  they  lived  upon  the  farm  which  he, 
with  his  brother  Ozias,  purchased  before  the  Revolutionary  War. 
An  old  record  states  that  he  "was  a  respectable  farmer  and  that 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  worthy  professors  of  religion."  They 
were  members  of  the  church  at  North  Granby.  They  together 
"owned  ye  Covenant,"  December  29,  1771.  It  is  probable 
that  they  took  this  step  the  year  after  their  marriage.  Asa 
had  faithfully  attended  the  Simsbury  Church  before  going  to 
Granby,  since  we  find  "the  great  pew  in  the  gallery  "  assigned  by 
the  town  committee  for  his  use  in  1768.  In  November,  1786,  he 
was  reappointed  tything  man,  having  previously  filled  the 
office;  he  was  surveyor  in  1793,  and  frequently  served  as  grand 
juror. 

Lieutenant  Asa  Higley  died  early  in  1805. 

His  will  was  received  at  the  Court  of  Probate  on  the  28th  of 
March  of  that  year.  It  was  dated  one  year  previous,  March  12, 
1804,  and  the  indications  are  that  he  was  in  declining  health  for 
many  months.  His  will  states  that:  "Laboring  under  infirmi- 
ties tending  to  dissolution,  and  sensible  that  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand,  that  my  house  may  be  set  in  order  I  have 
thought  fit  to  dispose  of  my  affairs,"  etc.  He  left  substantial 

legacies   to   "his  beloved  wife   Eunice,"  to   his  sons   Asa  and 
23 


342  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Pliny,  and  to  his  two  daughters.     His  son  Asa  was  named  as  his 
executor. 

The  place  of  his  burial  remains  undiscovered. 

Their  children  were  : 

Asa,  ad,  Eunice,  Theodosia,  and  Pliny. 

i 

CHILDREN    OF   LIEUTENANT    ASA    AND    EUNICE   (COLTON)    HIGLEY. 

CAPTAIN  ASA  HIG^EY  (2d),  born  October  13,  1771,  spent  his 
life  in  West  Granby,  Conn.,  upon  the  homestead  farm  that  had 
belonged  to  his  father.  He  was  made  freeman  September  15, 
1794,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three. 

He  married  Ruth,  daughter  of  Noadiah  Kendall;  the  date  of 
the  marriage  has  not  been  found. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1822,  Asa,  with  his  wife  Ruth,  were  admitted 
to  the  First  Congregational  Church,  North  Granby,  on  profession 
of  their  faith,  and  they  appear  afterward  to  have  continued  faith- 
ful members  till  their  decease,  living  lives  that  commanded  the 
fullest  respect  of  all  who  knew  them. 

The  absence  of  data  prevents  a  record  here  of  Asa,  2d's,  mili- 
tary deeds.  He  served,  in  all  probability,  with  the  Connecticut 
State  troops  in  the  war  of  1812.  From  many  allusions  found  in 
old  writings,  as  well  as  from  the  inscription  upon  his  tombstone, 
it  is  known  that  he  held  the  rank  of  captain,  and  that  he  was 
known  in  the  community  as  "  Captain  Asa  Higley." 

Captain-  Asa  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  On  the  8th  of 
September,  1832,  two  months  after  their  parents  were  received 
into  membership,  seven  of  these  children  were  baptized  on  one 
day  in  the  North  Granby  Church. 

Captain  Asa  Higley  died  September  2,  1840.  His  wife  died 
July  19,  1843. 

His  tombstone  is  thus  inscribed  : 


1Tn  flfcemorB  of 
Capt.  Ssa  •flbtglcE 

wbo  Died 

September  2«*>  1840 
69. 


How  blessed  are  the  pious  dead 

Who  follow  Christ  their  living  head, 

They  rest  in  peace,  their  crown  receive, 
In  yonder  heaven  of  perfect  love. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.     343 

His  will  was  admitted  to  the  Court  of  Probate,  Granby,  Sep- 
tember 31,  1840. 

Their  children  were: 

Asa,  3d,  Eunice,  Harold,  Gunilda,  Adune,  Theodocia,  Ruth,  and 
Miranda.  The  dates  of  births  have  not  been  furnished. 


CAPTAIN    ASA    HIGLEY,   3D. 
Asa  3d,  Captain  Asa,  Lieutenant  Asa,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

ASA  HIGLEY,  3d,  the  oldest  child  of  Captain  Asa  and  Ruth 
(Kendall)  Higley,  was  born  in  West  Granby,  Conn.,  May  16,  1806. 

He  acquired  a  fair  education  by  devoting  his  leisure  hours  from 
farm  work  to  study,  and  also  attended  the  country  school. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  taught  several  school  terms.  He  was 
devoted  to  music,  by  which  he  was  made  captive.  Possessing 
decided  ability,  never  was  his  time  spent  so  happily  as  when  in 
the  company  of  his  musical  friends.  He  conducted  the  musical 
services  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  West  Granby  for 
more  than  twenty-five  years. 

In  his  early  years  he  learned  a  trade,  that  of  carpenter  and 
joiner,  which  he  successfully  practiced  till  he  was  near  forty.  He 
then  retired  to  a  farm. 

He  always  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  was  elected  con- 
stable of  the  township;  and  afterward,  in  1842,  filled  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  giving  general  satisfaction.  Later  on  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law,  of  which  he  acquired  con- 
siderable knowledge,  though  his  ambition  never  led  him  to  apply 
for  admission  to  the  bar.  He,  however,  successfully  handled 
legal  cases  during  the  last  years  of  his  life,  frequently  being 
retained  by  the  sturdy  and  honest  farmers  against  able  opponents. 
He  made  a  good  collector,  and  established  a  fair  legal  business. 
He  served  for  some  years  as  captain  of  the  militia,  and  was  still 
an  officer  when  military  drill  was  set  aside.  He  lived  an  honor- 
able, upright,  and  useful  life,  and  died  May,  1869,  in  the  sixty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age. 

His  wife  was  Eliza,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Pratt,  whom  he 
married  in  West  Granby  in  1835.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  viz. : 

Brewster  Asa,  Perry,  and  Eliza  Annan. 

BREWSTER  ASA  HIGLEY,  their  eldest  child,  was  born  at  West  Granby,  Conn., 
January  21,  1836.  There  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  his  education  at  the 


344  THE  H  1C  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

district  school  and  worked  upon  the  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  then 
for  two  successive  years  taught  the  winter  terms  of  a  country  school. 

In  September,  1860,  he  removed  to  Gustavus,  Trumbull  County,  O.,  and  was 
engaged  for  several  years  in  a  mercantile  business  with  an  uncle.  Here  he  mar- 
ried, in  1865,  loa  Stephenson.  Five  years  after  his  marriage  it  was  decided  to  re- 
move to  Kansas  for  a  change  of  climate,  hoping  to  benefit  the  health  of  his  wife. 
The  adventure  met  financially  with  ill  success,  and  their  hopes  not  being  realized, 
they  returned  eastward,  and  settled  at  Mercer,  Pa.,  in  1880,  where  Mr.  Higley 
was  engaged  for  ten  years  with  the  Mercer  Woolen  Mills.  In  1891  he  removed 
to  Toledo,  O.,  where  he  held  a  position  with  the  Armada  Mills  in  that  city. 

They  have  one  child,  a  son,  named  Henry  Clay  Higley,  born  January  31,  1871. 

PERRY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Asa  Higley,  3d,  and  Eliza  Pratt,  was  born 
November  25,  1837.  He  attended  the  town  school,  working  upon  the  farm  during 
summers. 

In  the  year  1862  he  took  a  journey  to  California,  and  being  delighted  with  the 
fair  country,  found  employment  on  a  fruit  farm  near  San  Jose,  where  he  remained 
a  year.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Granby,  Conn.  On  the  death  of  his 
father  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  as  superintendent  of  a  department  in  the 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing  Machine  manufactory  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  and  sub- 
sequently was  engaged  with  the  Monumental  Zinc  Works  in  the  same  city.  He 
resided  in  Bridgeport  for  several  years. 

He  is  a  man  of  powerful  strength,  and  fearless  in  exercising  it  when  occasion 
requires.  Holding  the  office  of  constable  while  a  resident  of  Granby,  he  some- 
times made  daring  arrests  of  wild  or  vicious  persons  who  were  holding  at  bay  a 
crowd  of  townspeople.  His  great  physical  vigor  has  sometimes  led  him  into  odd 
experiences,  as  well  as  caused  him  to  be  a  terror  to  evil-doers. 

Perry  Higley  married  Kate,  daughter  of  Martin  Kelly,  of  Ansonia,  Conn.  They 
have  no  children.  He  resides  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

ELIZA,  the  third  child  of  Asa  Higley,  3d,  and  Eliza  Pratt,  was  born  March  8, 
1839.  Her  early  education  was  received  at  the  academy  in  West  Granby,  and 
finished  at  Wilbraham,  Mass.  Possessing  a  bright  intellect,  she  had  a  taste  for 
study  and  ranked  one  of  the  first  in  her  class.  After  her  schooldays  were  passed, 
she  proved  a  successful  teacher.  She  possessed  a  passion  for  music.  Under  its 
inspiration  she  performed  well  on  the  piano  when  but  twelve  years  old,  and  at 
fourteen  she  played  the  organ  at  the  church  services. 

She  married  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Paige,  who  was  graduated  at  the  Middlebury, 
Vt.,  College,  and  had  just  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Her  gentle  disposition  and  kindly  ways  brought  her  many  loving  friends,  who 
mourned  her  untimely  death,  April,  1871,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two.  Mrs.  Paige 
left  three  young  motherless  children. 

*'  In  secret  love  the  Master 
To  each  one  whispers  low, 
'  I  am  at  hand  ;  work  faster  ; 
Behold  the  sunset-glow ! ' 
And  each  one  smileth  sweet 
Who  hears  the  Master's  feet." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.     345 

Continued  front  page  343. 

EUNICE  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Captain  Asa,  2d,  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley, 
married  Hiram  Case  and  resided  at  West  Granby,  Conn.  Their  children  were  : 

Adune,  George,  Anna,  Charles,  Asa,  and  John,  who  died  in  childhood.  She 
became  a  member  of  the  church  at  North  Granby  in  1832,  July  I.  She  died . 

HAROLD,  the  third  child  of  Captain  Asa,  2d,  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley,  lived  un- 
married upon  the  old  homestead  which  his  grandfather  had  settled  in  West  Granby. 
When  he  had  passed  his  fortieth  year  he  married  Rachel  Austin  of  Suffield, 
Conn.,  to  which  town,  after  selling  his  property,  he  removed.  Here  he  followed 
farming.  He  united  with  the  North  Granby  Congregational  Church  May  4,  1828. 
His  wife  died  April  2,  1864,  aged  fifty-six. 

In  the  year  1882,  as  he  was  one  day  returning  from  the  field  during  a  severe 
thunder  storm,  he  was  killed  by  lightning.  He  lived  the  honorable  life  of  a  good 
man.  They  had  no  children. 

GUNILDA,  the  fourth  child  of  Captain  Asa,  2d,  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley,  married 
Myron  W.  Graham  of  Canton,  Conn.  They  had  five  children,  whose  names  are 
not  given. 

ADUNE,  the  fifth  child,  died  aged  ten. 

THEODOCIA,  their  sixth  child,  married  Waldo  Reed  of  Granby,  Conn.  She  had 
one  daughter,  Kathleen,  who  possessed  unusual  talents,  and  became  a  successful 
teacher.  She  married  a  physician  and  removed  to  Illinois.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-four. 

RUTH,  the  seventh  child  of  Captain  Asa,  2d,  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley,  married 
Samuel  White.  She  became  a  member  of  the  North  Granby  Congregational 
Church,  July  i,  1832,  on  profession  of  her  faith.  They  resided  at  Suffield,  Conn., 
and  had  one  child,  a  daughter. 

MIRANDA,  the  youngest  child-of  Captain  Asa,  2d,  and  Ruth  (Kendall)  Higley,  mar- 
ried Emerson  Case  of  Barkhamstead,  Conn.,  and  was  the  mother  of  four  children. 

FAMILY   OF   LIEUTENANT    ASA    HIGLEY,    1ST. 
Continued  front  page  342. 

We  now  return  to  the  direct  line  of  Lieutenant  Asa  Higley  and 
Eunice  Colton. 

EUNICE,  their  eldest  daughter,  married  Deacon  Thaddeus  Hays, 
of  an  old  and  very  respectable  family  of  Simsbury  and  Granby. 
They  had  one  child — a  son,  named  Flavel  Hays. 

THEODOSIA,  the  third  child  of  Lieutenant  Asa  and  Eunice  (Col- 
ton)  Higley,  was  born  1781,  and  married  Nathan  Strong,  a  farmer 
of  Granby.  They  had  no  children.  She  died  October  9,  1853. 

PLINY  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Lieutenant  Asa  and  Eunice 
(Colton)  Higley,  was  born  1784.  He  followed  farming,  living 
upon  the  old  farm  in  West  Granby  upon  the  mountain  side,  which 
his  father  purchased  in  1771;  but  he  was  not  successful.  He 
was  easy-going,  good-natured,  and  lacking  in  energy,  but  withal 


346  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

agreeable  and  most  kind.  He  was  distinguished  by  a  feature 
which  has  marked  the  Higley  race  through  all  its  history — his 
fine  physique  and  Sampson-like  strength.  It  was  said  of  him  that 
rather  than  harness  his  horses  he  would  take  the  tongue  of  his 
loaded  wagon  and  pull  it  to  any  part  of  his  farm. 

Another  marked  quality  in  his  make-up  was  his  excellent 
memory.  By  simply  reading  through  an  article  or  essay  once  or 
twice,  he  could  repeat  it  correctly  weeks  afterward  almost  verba- 
tim. Being  fond  of  books,  and  having  a  taste  for  historical 
research,  he  made  himself  very  familiar  with  the  history  of  other 
lands  as  well  as  with  that  of  his  native  country. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1828,  he  was  admitted,  on  profession  of 
faith,  to  membership  in  the  First  Congregational  Church  in  North 
Granby.  But  for  some  reason  which  is  not  stated,  his  association 
with  the  church  appears  to  have  been  unfortunate.  It  is  upon 
record  that  he  was  "expelled  November  3,  1837." 

He  married  Martha  Beman,  the  date  of  marriage  not  given. 
After  they  were  both  well  advanced  in  years,  his  wife  was 
rendered  almost  helpless  from  inflammatory  rheumatism.  This 
called  forth  Pliny  Higley's  kindness  and  patience  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  his  devotion  to  her  needs  proving  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  best  qualities  which  exalt  human  nature.  His  faithful 
attentions  were  brought  to  a  close  by  a  sudden  attack  of  typhoid 
pneumonia,  which  proving  fatal,  closed  his  life  on  the  morning  of 
the  3d  of  February,  1861.  When  his  wife  was  informed  that  he 
had  passed  away,  she  had  no  more  spirit  in  her,  and  exclaimed : 
"I  can  live  no  longer  !  "  In  a  few  hours  she  was  attacked  with 
apoplexy,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  departed. 

One  wide  grave  in  the  North  Granby  cemetery  was  opened  to 
receive  their  remains,  in  which,  two  days  later,  they  were  laid  side 
by  side.  The  inscription  on  a  double  tombstone  reads  as  follows: 

t>t0leg  flfcartba 

2>leJ>  Dis  TMife 

fc  1861,  DieO 

BE  77.  ffebruarBSO  1861 

BE  81. 

In  death  they  were  not  divided. 

Pliny  and  Martha  (Beman)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  viz.: 

Elvira,  Almira,  and  Gilbert. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY, \ST.      347 

ELVIRA  married  John  Cosset  and  removed  to  Michigan. 

ALMIRA  married  Charles  Alderman  and  became  the  mother  of  three  daughters. 

GILBERT  HIGLEY,  the  only  son  of  Pliny  and  Martha  Beman  Higley,  was  born  in 
West  Granby,  September  3,  1823.  He  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  till  he  was 
sixteen,  when,  having  acquired  the  elements  of  a  plain  English  education,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  his  cousin,  Asa  Higley,  3d,  to  learn  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 
joiner,  in  which  his  excellent  natural  ability  in  due  time  caused  him  to  excel  as  a 
workman. 

When  his  term  of  apprenticeship  expired,  in  1844,  he  went  to  North  Carolina. 
Here  he  engaged  in  trading  in  dry  goods,  and  two  years  later  did  an  extensive 
business  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  carriages.  He  then  became  a  contractor  and 
builder,  in  which  he  met  with  profitable  and  satisfactory  success.  In  1850  he 
took  the  contract  for  building  the  court-house  at  Lumberton,  N.  C.,  and  finding  a 
wife  in  the  person  of  Ann  Eliza,  daughter  of  Thomas  A.  Norment,  he  married  in 
1851,  and  settled  in  the  town,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  grew  prosperous,  and 
entered  fully  into  sympathy  with  Southern  interests. 

The  beginning  of  the  War  in  1861  found  Gilbert  Higley  engaged  in  building  a 
large  Presbyterian  Church,  with  three  Northern  men  among  his  workmen.  One  of 
these  left  immediately  and  returned  to  his  New  York  home  ;  another  ventured  to 
remain  longer,  and  ran  the  blockade  ;  the  third,  an  elderly  man  from  Connecticut, 
remained. 

The  Confederate  States  were  mustering  their  forces.  In  April,  1862,  a  company 
was  formed  in  Lumberton  of  which  Mr.  Higley  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant, 
and  went  into  camp  a  little  south  of  Wilmington,  N.  C.  His  regiment  did  service  on 
the  coasts  of  the  Carolinas  and  on  the  islands  near  Charleston  till  the  autumn  of 
1863,  engaging  in  but  one  sharp  encounter,  which  was  at  Neuse  River  bridge  on  the 
railroad  south  of  Goldsboro.  The  regiment  was  then  ordered  to  Petersburg,  where 
it  went  into  winter  quarters. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Lieutenant  Higley  was  with  his  regiment  at  New  Berne, 
N.  C.,  when  the  Federal  forces  were  driven  in.  They  took  a  goodly  number  of 
prisoners,  but  failed  to  carry  the  town  by  assault.  Afterward  the  troops  did  lively 
service  in  preventing  the  advance  of  General  Butler  upon  Petersburg.  He  was  in 
the  engagement  at  Dairy's  Bluff  on  May  16,  1864,  and  behind  the  "  almost  impreg- 
nable line  of  earthworks  "  from  which  the  Confederate  forces  charged  and  drove 
Butler  back  to  Bermuda  Hundred. 

His  division  was  afterward  ordered  across  the  James  River,  to  fall  in  on  the 
flank  of  Lee's  army.  The  Confederate  troops  lay  in  line  of  battle  behind  breast- 
works all  one  night,  but  before  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  June  I,  1864,  at  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  Lieutenant  Higley  with  all  his  men  were  taken  prisoners. 
He  was  the  only  officer  of  his  company  in  command  at  the  time,  the  first  lieutenant 
being  with  the  ambulance  corps,  and  his  captain  ill  in  hospital  in  Richmond. 

In  August  these  prisoners  were  sent  by  the  Federal  Government  to  Charleston, 
S.  C.,  and  placed  under  the  guns  of  the  fort  on  Morris  Island,  to  prevent  the 
Confederates  from  firing  upon  the  fort.  They  were  kept  here  three  weeks  in  a 
stockade,  and  were  then  conveyed  to  Fort  Pulaski,  Ga.  Here  their  rations  per 
day  were  five  hard-tack  biscuits  and  a  small  piece  of  meat.  After  a  time  they  were 
put  on  ten  ounces  of  corn  meal  per  day,  which  was  issued  in  quantities  to  cover  ten 
days  at  a  time.  On  this  allowance  they  lived  thirty-three  days. 


34§  THE  H  1C  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

About  this  time  General  Sherman  with  his  army  came  through  on  his  way  to 
Savannah,  and  some  of  his  men  coming  to  visit  the  Confederate  prisoners'  quarters 
found  how  they  were  subsisting.  About  forty  of  these  Union  soldiers  divided  their 
rations  of  meat  and  threw  them  over  the  lines  into  the  prison  yard.  The  Federal 
guard  and  provost  marshal  ordered  them  to  stop,  but  they  did  not  obey.  General 
Foster  was  at  the  front.  After  this  incident  there  were  added  to  the  prisoners' 
regular  rations  of  meal  four  ounces  of  meat  and  four  ounces  of  potatoes. 

On  the  2oth  of  February,  1865,  an  order  for  exchange  of  captured  prisoners  was 
received,  and  from  this  time  full  rations  were  given  them.  They  were  finally 
transferred  to  Fort  Delaware,  where  they  were  kept  till  the  igth  of  June,  when 
the  war  being  ended,  they  were  discharged  and  left  to  get  back  to  their  homes  as 
best  they  could. 

Lieutenant  Higley  reached  his  home  at  Lumberton,  N.  C.,  on  the  2Qth  of  the 
same  month,  having  worn  the  "  gray  "  three  years  from  the  time  of  his  enlistment 
in  the  Southern  army,  and  having  served  in  "  brave  and  simple  faith"  in  its  cause. 
He  now  resides  in  the  town  and  State  of  his  adoption. 

Lieutenant  Gilbert  and  Ann  Eliza  (Norment)  Higley  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  reside  in  Lumberton,  N.  C.,  except  the  eldest,  a  daughter,  who 
lives  at  Blacksburg,  S.  C.  Their  names  are  as  follows  : 

Martha  Elizabeth,  born  October  5,  1852,  married  James  H.  Barnes,  and  has 
six  children.  Thomas  N.,  born  March  7,  1854,  married  Emma  Pope,  and  has 
two  children.  Mary  Fannie,  born  March  28,  1857.  Gilbert  P.,  born  April  8, 
1863.  Annie  K.,  born  September  u,  1867,  married  Neal  A.  Brown.  Arabella 
Ilderman,  born  April  28,  1869. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

OZIAS   HIGLEY. 

Ozias,  ist,  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Continued  from  page  286. 

"  Still  linger  in  our  northern  clime 
Some  remnants  of  the  good  old  time." 

OZIAS  HIGLEY,  ist,  the  fourth  child  of  Captain  Joseph  Higley 
and  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Case,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn., 
March  20,  1748. 

Together  with  his  brother  Asa  Higley  he  purchased,  when 
about  twenty-three  years  of  age,  lands  on  the  mountain  side  in 
West  Granby,  after  having  refused  an  offer  from  his  father  of  a 
farm  at  Becket,  Mass.,  on  condition  that  he  would  reside  upon 
it.  For  their  Granby  lands  the  brothers  agreed  to  pay  "two 
bushels  of  wheat  per  acre."  However,  as  has  been  before  stated, 
Captain  Joseph  Higley,  on  seeing  the  unyielding  courage  and 
industry  of  these  two  sons,  assisted  them  later  on  in  paying  the 
debt  on  their  farms. 

There  is  circumstantial  record  that  Ozias  Higley  was  one  of 
the  patriots  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  And  while  there  is 
every  probability  that  the  story  is  correct,  no  official  record  of 
the  fact  is  yet  discovered. 

He  married,  December  3,  1772,  Martha  Gillette,1  of  whom  we 
have  no  particulars.  The  Gillettes  were  one  of  the  oldest  and 
best  known  families  in  the  colony,  and  of  excellent  standing. 

Ozias  Higley  was  made  freeman  September  19,  1775.  On  the 
ad  of  January,  1774,  he,  with  his  wife,  signed  the  church  covenant, 
and  two  years  later,  January,  1776,  were  admitted  on  profession  of 
their  faith  to  the  First  Congregational  Church  in  North  Granby. 
At  this  time  the  Rev.  Josiah  Strong  was  the  pastor.  Ozias 
Higley  had  already  been  a  faithful  church-goer  since  his  youth. 
When  but  twenty  we  find  him  assigned  by  the  town  committee 

1  Martha  Gillette  was  probably  the  daughter  of  Isaac,  Jr.,  or  Captain  Zaccheus  Gillette  of  the 
Granby  Church. 

349 


35°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

to  "pew  14"  in  the  old  Simsbury  Church,  where  he  sat  with 
two  neighbors  "and  their  wives." 

Among  many  kinsman  and  other  residents  of  the  parish,  he 
was  a  patron  of  his  uncle  Deacon  Brewster  Higley,  2d's,  cider  dis- 
tillery, his  name  being  among  the  "Creditors  who  brought  cider 
to  the  Still,"  September,  1775. 

The  time  had  not  yet  come  when  the  use  of  strong  liquors  as  a 
beverage  was  unpopular ;  indeed,  it  was  considered  necessary  to 
health,  and  it  was  as  much  a  usage,  and  as  honorable  to  partake 
of  it,  as  of  any  other  beverage.  Total  abstinence  societies  had 
not  yet  been  dreamed  of.  Only  pure  liquors  which  were  prepared 
from  wholesome  materials  were  then  used. 

Ozias  Higley  was  appointed  by  the  town  and  served  as  tithing- 
man,1  December  4,  1784,  and  served  also  during  the  years  1794-95. 

He  is  described  as  a  man  of  unremitting  energy,  prompt  and 
quick  in  endeavor,  and  highly  respected  ;  and  was  consequently 
recognized  as  a  useful  member  of  the  community.  He  was  fre- 
quently appointed  to  public  service. 

His  first  wife  died  October  7,  1817.  Previous  to  1821  he 

married  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth of  Simsbury,  whose 

name  appears  in  the  settlement  of  his  estate. 

He  died  at  his  farm  in  West  Granby,  June  22,  1827. 

His  will  was  admitted  to  probate  June  29,  1827.  His  son, 
Judge  Silas  Higley,  and  his  nephew,  Captain  Asa  Higley,  were 
appointed  his  executors. 

The  children  of  Ozias,  ist,  and  Martha  Gillette  Higley  were  as 
follows  : 

Theodore -,  Ozias,  2d,  Betsey,  Martha,  Silas,  Annis,  and  Abiel. 

THEODORE  HTGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  born  1773,  married  Polly 
Ann  Gaylord  in  West  Granby,  Conn. 

Having  been  unfortunate  in  the  loss  of  property,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Montgomery  County,  North  Carolina,  about 
the  year  1828,  where  he  took  up  the  business  of  retailing  goods 
from  place  to  place  by  peddlers'  carts. 

Leaving  North  Carolina  he  went  to  Missouri,  establishing  him- 
self in  Holt  County.  Here  he  resided  a  number  of  years  till  his 
decease,  1853.  Their  children  were: 

Mary  Ann,  who  married  Jairus  Gray  of  Fabarra  County,  North 
Carolina,  where  they  reside;  Martha,  born  1816,  married  David 

1  For  the  duties  of  this  peculiar  office,  see  sketch  of  Nathaniel  Higley,  page  141. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      351 

Nest,  and  resides  in  Holt  County,  Missouri ;  William  G.,  mentioned 
below;  Frances,  born  1819,  married  Thomas  Evans,  and  resides  in 
Holt  County,  Missouri;  Susan,  born  1827,  died,  unmarried,  1851; 
Algernon,  born  1833,  resides  in  Holt  County,  Missouri. 

William  G.  Higley,  born  1817,  married  Maria  Dayton,  February, 
1850,  and  resides  in  American  Fork,  Utah.  Their  children: 

Theodore,  born  March,  1853,  died  in  Salt  Lake  City,  1869;  Annie  G.,  born 
September,  1854,  married  W.  A.  Pitt,  1873,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  where  they  reside. 
Mr.  Pitt  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Overland  House.  Josephine,  born  February,  1856, 
died  in  Salt  Lake  City,  1867  ;  William,  born  October,  1857,  died  1860  ;  Dolly,  born 
1859,  died  1860  ;  Lulu,  born  1861,  married,  1883,  Henry  Roberts,  who  died  the 
following  year;  Frank,  born  1862,  died  1865;  Leon,  born  1865,  married  Mary 
Stoddard,  1886,  and  resides  in  American  Fork,  Utah  ;  Willard,  born  1869. 

OZIAS  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  second  son  of  Ozias,  ist,  and  Martha 
(Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  1773. 

He  married  Delight,  daughter  of  Alexander  Cossett,  born 
December  21,  1769.  His  father  gave  him  a  farm  at  Becket, 
Mass.,  to  which  they  removed,  and  July  28,  1801,  Delight  was 
received  into  the  Becket  Church  "by  letter"  from  the  church 
at  Granby.  Here  they  lived  a  number  of  years. 

Ozias  Higley,  2d,  sold  his  farm  at  Becket  and  removed  with 
his  family  to  Herkimer,  N.  Y.,  and  there  through  misfortune  lost 
his  property.  Soon  after  this,  unhappy  relations  existing  between 
the  husband  and  wife  culminated,  and  they  separated,  breaking 
up  the  family.  The  helplessness  into  which  the  children  were 
brought  by  this  state  of  things  aroused  the  ready  and  practical 
sympathy  of  their  father's  sisters  at  Granby,  who  made  them 
their  wards. 

Their  children  were  as  follows  : 

Ozias,  3d,  born  September  24,  1791;  Betsey  Maria,  born  August 
3>  J793>  and  baptized  February  31,  1796;  Sally,  born  November 
21,  1797;  Marquis  (familiarly  called  Mark),  born  June  10,  1799; 
Julia,  born  1802,  and  Nancy. 

Ozias,  3d,  the  eldest,  and  his  sister  Betsey  Maria,  married  and  settled  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  Sally  lived  with  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Alpheus  Hays,  and  married 
Ansel  Humphrey.  Marquis  went  to  his  grandfather,  Ozias,  ist,  subsequently 
returning  to  his  father  in  Western  New  York.  The  father  and  son  afterward  went 
South  and  followed  peddling.  It  is  not  known  that  they  ever  returned.  Julia 
resided  with  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Elnathan  Strong.  She  was  killed  by  lightning,  April 
20,  1820,  aged  eighteen.  Nancy  married  Dr.  Benjamin  Weld  of  Canton,  Conn., 
and  removed  to  Iowa. 


35 2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

BETSEY,  the  date  of  whose  birth  is  not  given  (page  350),  daugh- 
ter of  Ozias,  ist,  and  Martha  Gillette,  was  admitted  to  the  church 
in  North  Granby  on  profession  of  her  faith,  June  6,  1828;  she 
became  the  first  wife  of  Alpheus  Hays  of  Granby,  who  was  Repre- 
sentative to  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  1822-26.  They  had 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Emetine,  who  married  Dr.  J.  D.  Wilcox. 

Betsey  died ,  and  Mr.  Hays  married  for  his  second  wife, 

her  first  cousin,  Sarah  Higley,  daughter  of  Simeon  Higley. 

MARTHA,  the  second  daughter  of  Ozias  Higley,  ist,  and  Martha 
Gillette,  married  Theodore  Hays.  They  had  children,  viz. : 

Dwight,  William,  Edwin,  Betsey,  Martha,  and  Arthur.  The  last 
four  died  early  in  life. 

Continued  from  page  350. 

SILAS  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Ozias,  ist,  and  Martha  (Gillette) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  1780.  He  was  admitted 
freeman  at  Granby,  September  21,  1801;  and  is  recorded  as  hav- 
ing, on  profession  of  his  faith,  become  a  member  of  the  church 
at  North  Granby,  October  21,  1804. 

He  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  while  yet  a  young 
man,  scarcely  thirty.  For  more  than  forty  years  Judge  Silas  Higley 
practiced  his  profession  in  Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  being 
many  years  on  the  bench,  and  "  was  honorably  identified  with 
the  growth,  organization,  and  management  of  the  leading  interests 
of  the  town."  The  public  records  show  that  few  citizens  were 
more  prominent.  Socially  and  intellectually  by  bench  and  bar, 
and  from  a  legal  standpoint,  he  was  acknowledged  everywhere  as 
one  of  the  foremost  and  distinguished  men  of  the  county. 

He  married  Melissa . 

Judge  Silas  Higley  died  June  21,  1853,  and  was  interred  in  the 
Salmon  Brook  cemetery  (Hartford  County),  where  a  handsome 
monumental  shaft  of  granite  honors  his  memory. 

His  wife,  Mrs.  Melissa  Higley,  died  May  16,  1856,  aged 
seventy-four  years  and  six  months. 

They  had  four  children,  as  follows  : 

MARY  THERESA,  born  February  22,  1808,  who  married  James  Case,  M.  D., 
October  5,  1830.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Case  were  the  parents  of  one  son,  William  Case, 
a  prominent  lawyer  who  resides  in  Hartford.  Mrs.  Case  died  1887.  They  resided 
in  Salmon  Brook,  Conn. 

JOHN  JAY,  the  second  child  of  Judge  Silas  and  Melissa  Higley,  born  1809, 
died  April  6,  1826,  aged  17. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      353 

WILLIAM  WILTSHIRE,  their  third  child,  was  born  1819,  and  died  September 
14,  1820,  aged  eighteen  months. 

JULIA  MINERVA,  their  fourth  child,  born  January,  1821,  died  September  29, 
1822,  aged  one  year  and  eight  months. 

ANNIS  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Ozias,  ist,  and  Martha 
(Gillette)  Higley  (page  350),  was  born^  November  8,  1781.  She 
became  a  member  of  the  Granby  church  in  1802.  January  6, 
1806,  she  married  Elnathan,  son  of  Deacon  Elnathan  Strong,  of 
Granby,  Conn.,  who  was  sergeant  in  the  i8th  Militia  Regiment  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  Captain  Samuel  Hays'  company.  They 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Granby,  lived  in  good  circumstances,  and 
bore  an  excellent  reputation  in  the  community,  being  highly 
respected. 

They  lost  a  number  of  children  by  death  in  infancy,  only  one 
living  to  mature  years,  who  was  named  Annis  Elizabeth,  born 
November  19,  1816.  She  married  John  Burwell,  and  resided  in 
Granby. 

Annis  (Higley)  Strong  died  November  17,  1842.  Her  husband 
survived  her  less  than  one  month.  He  died  of  pneumonia, 
December  4,  1842. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

ABIEL    HIGLEY. 

Abiel,  Ozias,  ist,  Captain  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Continued  from  page  350. 

My  advice  is  to  consult  the  lives  of  other  men  as  he  would  a  looking-glass,  and  from  them  fetch 
examples  for  his  own  imitations. — TERENCE. 

ABIEL  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  and  youngest  child  of  Ozias,  ist, 
and  Martha  (Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  in  West  Granby,  Hartford 
County,  Conn.,  in  the  year  1789.  His  early  life  was  spent  in 
occupations  incident  to  a  Connecticut  farm.  It  was  no  doubt 
during  these  years  that  he  gained  his  ardent  love  for  horses, 
which  brought  him  in  time  to  be  an  exceptionally  fine  horseman. 

In  the  year  1814  he  married  Prudence  Crane  of  East  Windsor, 
Conn.,  and  took  his  young  wife  to  his  farm  at  West  Granby. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  turned  his  attention  somewhat  away 
from  farming,  entering  into  a  considerable  business  in  the  pur- 
chase of  clocks  and  notions,  which  he  shipped  by  coast  vessels 
to  North  and  South  Carolina.  During  the  winter  months  he 
traveled  over  these  States  selling  his  goods  to  the  planters.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  "  Yankee  Clock  Peddlers." 

There  is  no  question  but  that  these  journeys  led  to  the  expan- 
sion of  his  mind,  and  enlarged  his  ideas  of  life  beyond  the  narrow 
boundaries  of  the  Connecticut  farm  that  had  been  his  foster-land 
from  his  birth,  and  may  have  been  the  indirect  stimulus  to  an 
undertaking  a  few  years  later,  to  leave  its  hard  soil  and  reach  a 
country  more  fertile  and  favored. 

The  successive  births  of  six  children  brought  his  home- in  a  few 
years  to  be  the  abode  of  an  interesting  family. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1829,  Abiel  Higley  and  his  wife  together 
united,  on  profession  of  their  faith,  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  North  Granby,  and  on  the  i2th  of  the  July  following 
they  had  a  public  baptism  of  their  four  children,  "  Henry 
Edwards,  Sarah  Cornelia,  Harvey  Grant,  and  Maria  Louisa,"  who 
was  then  the  youngest. 

Their  eldest  son,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  who  had  assisted 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      355 

his  father  on  his  business  tours  in  the  Carolinas,  craving  a  field 
of  adventure  in  the  then  "far  West,"  determined  to  satisfy  it. 
Leaving  the  family  home  in  Granby  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  he 
made  his  way  to  the  great  prairie  State  of  Illinois,  of  whose  rich 
surface  covered  with  deep  black  soil,  ready  to  support  its  civilized 
millions,  his  forefathers,  whose  lives  we  have  been  tracing,  never 
had  dreamt. 

The  enthusiastic  letters  of  the  son  telling  of  the  wonders  of 
these  broad  unplowed  prairies,  together  with  business  reverses, 
were  the  immediate  cause  of  Abiel  Higley  undertaking  removal 
westward. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  he  disposed  of  the  farm  at  Granby, 
fitted  up  several  teams,  loaded  into  wagons  a  meager  supply  of 
the  bare  necessities  for  living, — for  this  was  before  the  days  of 
Western  railroads, — and  with  his  wife  and  six  children,  among 
whom  was  a  married  darghter  and  her  husband,  they  set  out  on 
that  old  time  two  months'  overland  journey  of  privation  and  peril, 
from  Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  to  the  Mississippi  River. 

The  strict  watchfulness  which  the  church  exercised  over  its 
members  in  those  days  is  strikingly  shown  in  its  record  concern- 
ing Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley.  The  minister  was  evidently  not  in 
sympathy  with  their  movements,  and  taking  occasion  to  adminis- 
tet  reproof,  he  enters  on  his  church  book  under  date,  "March 
i3th  1841 — Abiel  Higley,  Admonished,  W.  W.,"1  and  on  the 
opposite  page,  "  Abiel's  wife  admonished,  W7.  W." 

But  onward  they  went;  and  there  was  no  disappointment  in 
their  favor  in  the  weariness  and  perils  of  the  long  trudging  road. 
The  journey  was  fraught  with  all  the  hardships  incident  to  a 
journey  of  the  magnitude  accomplished  in  that  way  at  that  day. 

Arriving  at  Bloomington,  111.,  in  July,  they  stopped  there  the 
remainder  of  the  summer  and  the  following  winter.  In  the  mean- 
while it  was  decided  that  their  son,  Henry  E.,  should  go  to  Marion, 
Linn  County,  la.,  and  on  the  ist  of  April,  1842,  Abiel  and  his 
family  again  set  their  faces  westward  and  followed  on.  A  two 
weeks'  further  travel  brought  them  to  their  destination.  The 
journey  from  Bloomington,  111.,  to  Marion,  la.,  in  the  early 
return  of  spring,  was  a  difficult  one,  being  just  after  the  spring 
rains.  The  streams  were  overflowing  their  banks,  the  roads, 
which  were  but  Indian  trails  over  the  broad  unbroken  prairies 
waving  with  tall  grass,  were  at  times  almost  impassable.  No  one 

1  The  interpretation  of  "  W.  W.,"  is  watch  withdrawn. 


356  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

but  a  brave  and  resolute  man  would  have  attempted  such  a 
journey  with  a  family. 

On  the  i5th  of  April,  1842,  they  arrived  at  the  end  of  their  long 
and  weary  march,  Marion,  the  county-seat  of  Linn  County,  Iowa, 
which  was  at  that  time  but  a  hamlet  of  twenty  dwellings,  includ- 
ing the  rude  log  cabins. 

Here  Abiel  Higley  decided  to  permanently  settle,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  just  east  of  the  town,  which  he  at  once  began 
improving. 

Says  his  son,  Major  Mortimer  A.  Higley  :  "  The  country  was  very 
new.  It  was  four  years  before  Iowa  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
as  a  State.  Marion  was  but  a  few  miles  from  the  Indian  line,  and 
the  Indians  for  many  years  were  our  friends  and  associates  more 
than  the  white  people.  The  tribe  nearest  was  the  Sacs  and  Fox 
tribe;  in  many  respects  a  noble  people. 

"The  hardships  and  privations  of  this  pioneer  life  can  only  be 
known  and  appreciated  by  those  who  experienced  it.  Luxuries 
we  had  none,  and  but  few  of  the  bare,  rough  necessities  of  life. 

"  All  the  pioneers  were  moneyless.  There  was  no  money  in  the 
community.  Whenever  a  settler  had  a  wagon  load  of  produce  to 
sell,  he  was  forced  to  haul  it  to  Dubuque,  seventy-five  miles  dis- 
tant, sleeping  under  his  wagon  at  night  and  cooking  his  own  food, 
then  dispose  of  his  whole  wagon  load  for  a  few  dollars.  Dressed 
pork  at  that  time  sold  for  one  dollar  per  hundred  pounds,  and  it 
required  eight  hundred  pounds  of  pork  to  buy  a  barrel  of  salt. 

"  In  our  neighborhood  it  was  impossible  to  sell  any  produce  for 
cash.  All  business  was  done  on  the  "dicker,"  or  bartering, 
principle.  There  was  not  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  to  pay 
the  taxes,  though  they  were  light.  Warrants  were  issued  by  the 
county  to  pay  its  expenses,  and  the  inhabitants,  getting  hold  of 
these  warrants,  would  trade  or  "dicker"  them  at  the  stores  of 
general  merchandise  for  the  necessaries  of  life.  And  to  pay  their 
taxes  they  took  their  butter,  eggs,  wheat,  oats,  and  corn  to  these 
stores  and  dickered  them  for  goods,  county  warrants,  etc.,  paying 
the  amount  due  without  using  a  dollar  of  currency. 

"  I  remember  that  letters  often  lay  for  weeks  in  the  post  office 
before  we  could  afford  twenty-five  cents  in  cash  to  pay  the 
postage.  Postage  was  not  prepaid in  those  days.  And  the  mails, 
being  slow  and  very  irregular,  and  money  so  scarce,  we  seldom 
received  letters,  though  we  enjoyed  hearing  from  our  friends. 
We  were  far  more  pleased  at  receiving  a  newspaper  than  a  letter, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  \ST.      357 

the  postage  being  much  less  on  papers,  and  they  often  brought  us 
more  news  than  the  letters  contained,  the  margins  being  covered 
with  writing.  An  ink  was  used  which  was  legible  only  after  it 
was  exposed  to  the  heat. 

"  While  there  was  a  great  proportion  of  the  settlers  honest,  in- 
dustrious, enterprising  men,  there  were  a  great  many  daring, 
dishonest  adventurers  who  spent  their  lives  stealing  horses  and 
manufacturing  and  passing  counterfeit  money.  Lynch  law  was 
frequently  practiced,  and  many  a  wretch  was  hurried  into  eternity 
without  judge  or  jury.  This  was  the  only  way  that  the  honest 
settler  could  protect  his  family  and  his  property." 

It  was  but  five  months  after  Abiel  Higley's  family  was  settled 
in  this  new  country  and  new  surroundings,  that  its  members  were 
called,  under  strange  and  sorrowful  circumstances,  to  suffer  a  sore 
affliction  in  the  death  of  the  husband  and  father.  Abiel  Higley 
was  stricken  down  with  a  serious  illness  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, and  died  October  5,  1842;  leaving  his  wife  a  stranger,  far 
from  the  home  of  her  childhood  and  kindred,  with  six  children, 
and  but  a  small  allowance  of  this  world's  goods,  the  means  which 
he  had  brought  with  him  having  been  largely  consumed  by  the 
purchase  of  the  farm  and  its  improvements.  After  his  decease  the 
balance  was  required  to  pay  the  bills  consequent  upon  his  illness 
and  death.  But  Prudence  Higley  was  brave  and  courageous. 
She  met  the  emergency  of  the  situation  with  firm  resolution, 
keeping  her  young  family  together.  Henry  and  Harvey,  her  two 
oldest  sons,  aided  her  to  the  best  of  their  abilities. 

Major  Higley  states  that  "a  contractor,  who  was  supplying  a 
distant  United  States  fort — Fort  Atkinson — with  rations,  engaged 
these  two  young  men  to  haul  these  supplies  across  the  wild 
prairies  to  the  fort.  This  was  a  great  undertaking,  when  it  is 
taken  into  consideration  that  there  were  no  roads,  and  no  means 
for  crossing  the  swollen  streams  except  by  swimming  the 'horses 
and  conveying  the  wagons  and  provisions  over  on  rafts,  which 
was  not  only  laborious  work,  but  at  times  was  attended  with  ex- 
treme danger. 

"On  one  of  these  journeys  they  were  overtaken  by  a  violent 
storm  in  the  midst  of  the  wide  prairie,  many  miles  from  their 
only  protection,  the  timber  that  belted  the  banks  of  the  streams. 
It  was  late  in  the  day  and  darkness  overtook  them.  The  rain 
fell  in  torrents,  and  the  only  way  they  could  keep  to  the  dim 
trail  was  by  the  flashes  of  lightning,  which  was  so  vivid  that  the 


358  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

young  teamsters  thought  they  could  see  a  stream  of  electric  light 
pass  around  the  tires  of  the  wagon  wheels.  At  last  they  reached 
their  camping-ground  in  safety,  and  as  the  party  of  teamsters 
sat  around  their  camp-fire  that  night,  even  the  profanest  and 
most  hardened  of  them  acknowledged  in  his  own  rough  way  the 
terror  of  God's  thunder-bolts." 

Mrs.  Prudence  Higley  lived  to  fulfil  her  sacred  life-trust  in 
bringing  up  her  family,  receiving  much  compensation  in  her  old 
age  for  her  noble  heroism,  and  finding  herself  surrounded  by 
every  comfort,  coupled  with  the  luxuries,  of  life  which  she  desired. 

She  died  at  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age, 
January  4,  1878. 

It  was  of  such  as  she  that  Judge  Warren  Higley  spoke  in  his 
speech  at  the  Higley  Family  reunion  at  Windham,  O. : 

"Our  mothers — God  bless  them  !  What  do  we  not  owe  to  them  !  They  gave 
us  the  best  of  their  lives  ;  trained  us  to  virtues  that  are  brightest  in  our  manhood  ; 
inspired  us  .to  noblest  endeavor,  and  even  encouraged  us  to  walk  in  the  pathway  that 
leads  to  honorable  achievement  in  our  chosen  avocations.  In  our  weakness  they 
tenderly  cared  for  us.  In  our  ignorance  they  taught  us.  In  our  discouragement 
they  cheered  us.  In  our  successes  and  victories  over  difficulties  they  rejoiced  with 
us.  In  our  unbelief  they  lead  us  lovingly  to  the  fountain  of  eternal  life — the 
source  of  all  power, — the  Good.  They  taught  us  love  of  country,  inspired  us  with 
hope  and  faith.  When  a  noble  son  works  his  way  up  into  the  blaze  of  popular 
recognition,  and  commands  distinguished  honors  from  his  countrymen,  how  gener- 
ally do  we  trace  his  virtues  back  to  his  mother's  teachings — to  her  who  wisely 
sowed  the  precious  seed  in  the  garden  of  his  youth. 

"  The  grandest  virtues  and  noblest  heroism  of  the  mothers  and  sisters  and  wives 
and  daughters,  though  exercised  without  ostentation,  or  the  thought  of  public 
recognition,  would,  if  known  and  faithfully  recorded,  make  the  brightest  pages  of 
history — and  do  most  honor  to  womanhood  and  manhood." 

Children  of  Abiel  and  Prudence  (Crane)  Higley  : 
Henry   Edward,   Sarah  Cornelia,  Harvey  Grant,   Louisa  Maria, 
Wellington   Wesley,  Mortimer  Abiel. 

HENRY  EDWARD  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Abiel  and  Pru- 
dence (Crane)  Higley,  was  born  at  West  Granby,  Conn.,  July  15, 
1818.  When  quite  a  lad  he  made  journeys  with  his  father  when 
engaged  in  the  sale  of  clocks  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  In 
1840  he  went  to  Bloomington,  111.,  and  in  1842  he  removed  with 
his  father  and  the  family,  who  had  come  from  Connecticut,  to 
Marion,  la.,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged  with 
his  brother  Harvey  in  the  manufacture  of  fanning  mills. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      359 

He  married  Mary  N.  Morgan  of  West  Granby,  July  29,  1845, 
the  affection  for  each  other  having  been  cherished  since  their 
schooldays,  when  but  children.  He  brought  his  young  wife  to 
his  Western  home  at  Marion  ;  but  in  less  than  one  year,  April  22, 
1846,  she  died  in  childbirth.  Her  baby  son  survived  her  but  a 
few  months. 

Soon  after  the  decease  of  his  wife  he  removed  to  Cedar  Rapids, 
engaging  there  in  selling  merchandise.  In  1849,  g°ld  having 
been  discovered  in  immense  quantities  in  California,  he  was  led 
in  feverish  excitement  to  join  in  company  with  a  party  of  reso- 
lute and  brave  men,  and  cross  the  plains  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  a 
three  months'  journey  full  of  peril  in  those  days.  Arriving  at 
Sacramento  in  the  autumn,  he  was  soon  busily  employed  in  min- 
ing, and  in  conveying  goods  and  mining  supplies  by  pack-load 
upon  the  backs  of  mules  up  into  the  mountainous  regions.  This 
he  continued  till  1851,  when  he  returned  by  the  way  of  Panama 
to  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  and  again  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Harvey  Grant  Higley,  in  merchandising,  at  which  he 
remained  till  the  close  of  his  life. 

In  1853  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Hannah  E.  Emery  of 
Dingman's  Ferry,  Pa.  They  had  two  children,  a  son,  Edward 
£.,  and  a  daughter,  Mary  £.,  born  1855;  the  latter  died  in  child- 
hood, February  6,  1863. 

Henry  Edward  Higley  died  August  6,  1868.  His  wife  is  still 
living. 

EDWARD  EMERY  HIGLEY,  their  son,  born  September,  1853,  married  in  Chicago, 
111.,  December  29,  1885,  Georgia  A  Brogdin  of  Toronto,  Canada.  He  resides  at 
the  town  of  Higley,  Orange  County,  Fla.,  which  he  founded,  and  where  he  has 
large  interests.  He  is  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  holds  the  appointment 
of  postmaster. 

Continued  front  fage  358. 

SARAH  CORNELIA  HIGLEY  KENDALL,  the  second  child  of  Abiel 
and  Prudence  (Crane)  Higley,  was  born  at  West  Granby,  Conn. 
May  21,  1822,  and  married  Albert  Kendall  of  Granby,  November 
9,  1840.  They  removed  to  Bloomington,  111.,  the  spring  follow- 
ing their  marriage — 1841— going  westward  in  company  with  her 
father's  family.  Here  they  resided  a  few  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Marion,  la. 

Mr.  Kendall  was  by  trade  a  wagon-maker,  carrying  on  the 
business  while  a  resident  at  Bloomington,  and  for  many  years  at 


360  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Marion.  He  did  a  profitable  business  making  sales  throughout 
the  State  in  its  early  history.  Later  in  life  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kendall  was  specially  noted  for  its 
warm  hospitality.  There  was  a  never-failing  cordiality  offered 
their  guests,  which  will  ever  linger  in  the  memory  of  those  who 
were  privileged  to  be  entertained  beneath  their  roof.  In  this 
respect  it  was  an  ideal  home. 

Albert  Kendall  died  January,  1876.  His  wife,  Sarah  C.  (Higley) 
Kendall,  died  December  8,  1888,  at  Marion,  la. 

Their  children  : 

WILLIAM  ALBERT  KENDALL,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Marion,  la.,  April  4,  1847. 
He  married,  November  18, 1875,  Jennie  E.  Frantz  of  Burlington,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  reside  at  Burlington,  la.,  Mr.  Kendall  holding  a  responsible 
position  as  General  Agent  for  the  B.  C.  R.  &  N.  Railroad  Company,  an  office  which 
he  has  faithfully  and  honorably  rilled  for  more  than  twenty  years.  They  have 
two  children,  both  born  at  Burlington,  viz.: 

Leslie,  a  daughter,  born  July  21,  1879,  and  Reginald  IV.,  born  September  3, 
1884. 

WELLINGTON  JEROME  KENDALL,  the  second  son  of  Albert  and  Sarah  (Higley) 
Kendall,  was  born  May  19,  1851.  He  married  December  25,  1873,  Emma  E. 
Brancht  at  Findley,  O.  They  reside  at  Marion,  la.  At  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  he  was  his  partner  in  the  hardware  firm,  and  was  his  successor  in  business. 
He  was  well  known  as  an  active,  keen-sighted,  and  successful  business  man.  Hav- 
ing prospered  and  acquired  a  competency,  he  retired  in  recent  years  from  active 
business  life.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz. : 

Carl  W.,  born  April  5,  1881,  and  Alberta,  born  July  25,  1877. 

HARVEY  GRANT  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Abiel  and  Prudence 
(Crane)  Higley,  was  born  at  West  Granby,  Conn.,  September  i, 
1824.  In  figure  and  features  he  bore  close  resemblance  to  the 
maternal  side  of  the  family,  but  inherited  strong  characteristics 
of  his  father;  among  which  was  the  great  fondness  he  early 
betrayed  for  horses.  This  continued  a  part  and  parcel  of  his 
nature  throughout  his  whole  life.  When  but  a  boy  of  seventeen 
he  drove  a  four-horse  team  from  Granby,  Conn.,  to  Marion,  la., 
no  small  undertaking.  Though  he  never  entered  the  turf,  he 
was  a  practical  horseman,  and  always  fond  of  driving.  His  good 
judgment  and  excellent  handling  of  horses,  in  which  few  have 
excelled,  was  well-known  in  all  circles.  At  one  time,  in  addition 
to  his  regular  business,  he  was  the  owner  of  a  large  stable  of 
horses,  of  which  he  never  permitted  one  to  be  overdone  or  jaded. 

Until  the  year  1847  he  was  engaged  in  a  partnership  with  his 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY, \ST.     361 

elder  brother,  Henry,  in  the  manufacture  of  fanning  mills.  He 
then  removed  to  Cedar  Rapids,  engaging  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
in  which  he  continued  till  within  a  few  years  of  his  death.  The 
last  years  of  his  life  were  given  to  the  care  of  his  real  estate,  and 
improving  the  same.  Some  of  the  finest  blocks  in  that  city  are 
monuments  testifying  to  his  enterprise  and  public  spirit.  Harvey 
Grant  Higley  married,  November  7,  1849,  Anna  Bishop  of  Bristol, 
Conn. 

He  died  June  23,  1878.  His  wife  survives  him.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.: 

Henry  Grant,  Elmer  Abiel,  Mortimer  John,  Louis  Karl,  and 
Albert  Harvey. 

HENRY  GRANT  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  February  16, 
1851.  He  married,  October  28,  1875,  Ella  M.  Nye,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass. 
His  business  is  that  of  florist,  owing  a  fine  business  house,  also  extensive  gardens, 
which  are  pleasantly  situated  on  the  bluffs  commanding  the  southern  suburbs  of  the 
city  of  Cedar  Rapids.  Both  he  and  his  wife  gained  considerable  note  for  original 
and  highly  artistic  designs  in  floral  decorations.  They  have  three  children  living, 
viz.: 

Henry  G.,  Jr,,  born  February  4,  1880;  Louis  Karl,  born  June  n,  1886  ;  and 
Ella  ;  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Cedar  Rapids.  Three  children  died  in  infancy. 

ELMER  ABIEL  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Harvey  Grant  and  Anna  (Bishop) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  November  19,  1856.  He  married,  Decem- 
ber 29,  1880,  Helen  L.  Olds,  who  was  from  Vermont.  Mr.  Higley  is  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Elmer  A.  Higley  &  Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in  eggs, 
butter,  poultry,  beef,  and  veal.  They  are  the  owners  of  large  cold  storage 
warehouses  in  Cedar  Rapids,  in  which  they  store  these  products  in  great  quantities, 
holding  them  till  the  market  is  ready  for  their  sale,  and  doing  an  extensive  busi- 
ness. During  the  year  1891  Elmer  A.  Higley  'and  his  brother,  Mortimer  John 
Higley,  who  are  managers  of  the  estate  of  their  father,  Harvey  G.  Higley,  erected 
a  fine  business  block,  corner  of  Third  Avenue  and  Second  Street,  Cedar  Rapids, 
at  a  cost,  including  the  lot,  of  eighty-seven  thousand  dollars,  which,  in  honor  of 
their  old  Connecticut  ancestral  town,  they  call  "  The  Granby."  It  stands  as  a 
handsome  monument  to  Harvey  Grant  Higley,  who  for  many  years  contributed 
to  the  progress  and  improvement  of  this  enterprising  city. 

Elmer  A.  and  Helen  (Olds)  Higley  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  born  in 
Cedar  Rapids,  viz.: 

Harvey  Douglas,  born  July  16,  1882  ;  Donald  Sturges,  born  October  14,  1884, 
who  died  December  6,  1886  ;  and  Fred  Mitchel,  born  April  16,  1888. 

MORTIMER  JOHN  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  of  Harvey  Grant  and  Anna  (Bishop) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  October  25, 1861.  He  is  the  junior  partner 
of  the  firm  of  E.  A.  Higley  &  Co.,  and  assumes  the  charge  of  the  office  and 
financial  interests  of  the  firm.  He  married  at  Burlington,  la.,  October  10,  1883, 
Ida  Nelson  of  that  city.  They  have  one  child 

Hazel  Higley,  born  July  20,  1885. 


362  THE  II IG LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ALBERT  HARVEY  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  son  of  Harvey  Grant  and  Anna  (Bishop) 
Hlgley,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la. ,  September  29,  1872.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  city  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  afterward  attended  Kempter 
Hall,  Davenport,  la.  He  married,  February  23,  1892,  Mary,  daughter  of  H.  B. 
and  Susan  Stibbs  of  Cedar  Rapids.  They  reside  in  Lexington,  Ky. 


Continued  from  page  358. 

LOUISA  MARIA  HIGLEY,  the  second  daughter  and  fourth  child 
of  Abiel  and  Prudence  (Crane)  Higley,  was  born  at  West  Granby, 
Conn.,  April  10,  1827.  She  was  a  girl  of  fourteen  at  the  time 
her  parents  turned  their  faces  westward. 

On  the  2 ;th  of  November,  1844,  she  married,  at  Marion,  la., 
William  Greene  of  Burlington,  in  that  State,  to  which  place  she 
went  to  reside  with  her  husband. 

Mr.  Greene  was  at  the  time  engaged  in  book-binding,  being 
the  first  man  who  engaged  in  this  business  in  Iowa.  He  met 
with  success,  and  did  the  binding  for  the  Territory,  Iowa  not  hav- 
ing yet  become  a  State  when  he  began  the  business.  In  1846  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Cedar  Rapids,  being  among  the  very 
first  comers  to  the  place,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  open  a  mer- 
cantile business,  his  brothers,  Judge  George  Greene  and  Joseph, 
being  partners  in  the  firm. 

Possessed  of  enterprise  and  great  natural  ability,  and  seeing 
avenues  then  opening  in  the  new  State  for  money-making,  as  well 
as  the  possibilities  for  its  development  and  improvement,  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  and  foremost  men  in  bringing  the  State  of 
Iowa  up  to  her  present  advanced  and  remarkable  condition  of 
prosperity,  and  for  many  years  was  widely  known  in  business 
circles. 

In  the  year  1857  Mr.  Greene,  associated  with  his  brother, 
Judge  Greene,  entered  into  the  banking  business,  having  branch 
houses  in  several  of  the  prominent  centers  of  the  State — Des 
Moines,  Council  Bluffs,  Cedar  Falls,  Vinton,  and  Sioux  City. 

In  1863  they  turned  their  attention  to  constructing  and  operat- 
ing railroads,  Mr.  Greene  personally  superintending  the  building 
of  the  McGregor  Western  Railroad.  They  built  the  Rockford, 
Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis,  the  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids  and 
North  Railroad,  having  the  management  of  the  latter  until  1873. 

No  undertaking  seemed  too  great  for  William  Greene,  and  no 
public  enterprise  was  started  in  Cedar  Rapids  during  many  years 
of  its  history  about  which  he  was  not  consulted.  His  life  was 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY, \ST.      363 

identified  with  the  whole  life  of  the  young  city.  He  was  a  man 
of  exceeding  liberality  and  great  kindness  of  heart:  the  poor  were 
never  turned  away  empty-handed.  He  never  entered  politics. 

When,  in  the  early  history  of  the  city,  it  was  determined  to 
organize  the  parish  of  Grace  Church,  he  was  made  a  member  of 
the  vestry,  although  a  very  young  man,  and  filled  the  office  of 
senior  warden  for  thirty-seven  years,  only  laying  down  the  office 
when  he  left  this  life.  For  many  years  he  was  a  faithful  com- 
municant of  the  church. 

Mr.  Greene  was  born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  January  25, 
1819,  but,  from  two  years  of  age,  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He  died  March  28,  1887. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greene  was  conspicuous  for  its 
elegance  and  its  unbounded  hospitality.  Louisa  M.  Higley,  the 
wife,  mother,  and  hostess,  for  more  than  forty  years  was  her  hus- 
band's confidante  and  the  sharer  of  his  inner  life,  bearing  with 
him  the  "heat  and  burden"  of  his  successful  activities  in  the 
business  world. 

They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows  : 

The  eldest,  George  Higley,  was  born  at  Burlington,  la.,  October  29,  1845.  He 
married  Charlotte  Backus  at  Independence,  la.,  and  had  three  children  :  William, 
Henry,  and  Nellie.  He  was  a  railroad  man  and  lived  at  Denison,  Tex.  He  died 
at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  February,  1892. 

The  second  child,  Sefer  Prudence,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  May  16,  1848,  and 
married  Peter  Martel,  a  native  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  They  have  three  children,  all 
born  at  Cedar  Rapids  :  Mary,  Barbara,  and  Sefer.  Mrs.  Martel  died  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  May  5,  1889. 

The  third  child,  William  Wellington,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  April  13,  1850. 
His  wife  was  Fannie  Patterson.  They  have  one  child,  Nellie.  He  is  a  farmer 
and  lives  near  his  native  place. 

The  fourth  child,  Frank  Higley,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  October  29,  1854. 
He  married  Rosa  James,  and  lives  on  a  farm  near  that  city.  They  have  four 
children,  namely  :  Maud,  Louise,  Everilt,  Nellie. 

The  fifth  child,  Mary  Boardman,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  October  2O,  1856  ; 
she  married  Willis  P.  McCreary,  an  attorney-at-law.  They  reside  at  Hastings, 
Neb.,  and  have  three  children:  Mary  and  Willis,  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  and 
Dorethea,  born  at  Hastings,  Neb. 

The  sixth  child,  Charles  Mortimer,  was  born  at  Cedar  Rapids,  October  29,  1858. 
He  married  Emma  Troxel  of  Burlington,  la.  They  have  two  children,  both  born 
at  Burlington  :  William  Troxel  and  Fannie.  Charles  M.  Greene  died  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  December  25,  1889. 

The  seventh  child,  Sarah  L.,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  November  I,  1860,  and 
married  J.  Fred.  Kimbal  of  Council  Bluffs,  la.,  where  they  now  reside.  They 
have  no  children.  Mr.  Kimbal  is  a  banker  and  real  estate  operator. 


364  THE  H1GLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  eighth  child,  Robert  Abiel,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  January  18,  1862. 
He  married  Edna  Smith  at  Douglas,  Wyo.,  where  they  now  reside.  They  have 
no  children.  He  was  graduated  at  the  Iowa  University  in  civil  engineering. 

The  ninth  child,  Fannie  Jane,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  September  3,  1867, 
and  married,  October  30,  1890,  Chas.  T.  West.  They  now  reside  in  Cedar  Rapids. 

The  tenth  and  last  child,  Albert  Joseph,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  August  27, 
1868,  and  married  Florence  Burr,  March,  1890.  His  wife  died  the  following  April. 
He  resides  with  his  mother  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la. 

Continued  from  page  358. 

WELLINGTON  WESLEY  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  and  fifth  child  of 
Abiel  and  Prudence  (Crane)  Higley,  was  born  in  West  Granby, 
Conn.,  July  14,  1831. 

He  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  father  removed, 
with  his  family,  to  the  fine  and  fertile  Territory  of  Iowa,  this 
country  being  at  the  time  of  their  coming  yet  the  scene  of  border 
life.  From  his  youth  he  has  participated  in  the  successive 
stages  of  advancement  through  which  the  prosperous  State,  with 
its  growing  cities  and  towns,  has  passed.  The  progress  of  this 
new  realm  of  civilization,  which  lay  in  the  heart  of  the  great 
rolling  prairies  of  the  central  United  States,  has  been  one  of 
remarkable  advance.  The  only  laborers  in  those  times  were  the 
settlers  and  their  sons,  and  every  man  and  boy  had  his  share  in 
extending  his  helping  hand  toward  the  proud  results  of  honest 
labor. 

Personally,  in  general  bearing,  facially,  and  in  leading  charac- 
teristics, he  is  the  most  pronounced  Higley  of  his  branch  of  the 
family.  He  is  a  man  of  decided  opinions,  and  possesses  the 
courage  to  maintain  them;  of  fine  business  ability  and  rare 
judgment,  and  has  achieved  an  exceptional  reputation,  winning 
his  way  in  life  with  marked  success  as  an  honorable  business 
man.  Elastic  in  temperament,  quick-witted,  and  with  a  ready 
answer  to  any  question,  linked  to  a  delightful  sense  of  humor, 
Mr.  Higley  is  popular  at  all  social  gatherings. 

He  gained  some  knowledge  of  business  life  in  Burlington,  la., 
in  1844,  and  came  finally  to  Cedar  Rapids,  where  in  1846  he 
entered  the  mercantile  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  William 
Greene,  as  a  clerk,  remaining  till  the  year  1856.  He  soon  rose  to 
be  the  manager  of  the  establishment.  The  trade  of  the  house 
was  in  its  early  days  largely  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  and  to 
this  day  the  descendants  of  those  Indians  come  to  his  place  of 
business  to  inquire  for  him. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,\ST.      365 

The  year  1856  found  him  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Higley  &  Carroll,  and  about  the  year  1858 
he,  with  J.  C.  McClelland  as  partner,  was  the  owner  of  large 
stables. 

In  the  autumn  of  1859,  in  company  with  his  two  older  brothers, 
Henry  and  Harvey  Higley,  he  entered  the  dry  goods  trade,  in 
which  he  continued  till  the  year  1866,  when  he  became  the  pur- 
chaser of  a  partnership  with  his  younger  brother,  Mortimer  A. 
Higley,  in  a  hardware  and  stove  house.  This  house  is  still  doing 
an  active  and  successful  business. 

Wellington  W.  Higley  was  largely  instrumental  in  organizing 
and  founding  the  Merchants'  National  Bank  of  Cedar  Rapids, 
and  was  one  of  the  original  directors.  He  also  lent  his  aid  in 
organizing  the  Security  Savings  Bank,  and  has  been  one  of  its 
directors  since  its  organization. 

Oak  Hill  Cemetery,  lying  southeast  of  the  city,  where  the 
citizens  lay  their  dead, 

"  Who  hath  awakened  from  this  dream  of  life," 

is  a  spot  triumphant  in  rural  beauty,  of  which  they  are  justly 
proud.  To  its  improvements  and  adornments  Mr.  Higley  has 
given  much  careful  attention,  having  been  for  many  years  a  lead- 
ing director,  the  treasurer,  and  superintendent  of  the  grounds. 

He  married,  April  8,  1858,  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Jane  E.  Farnum, 
who  was  born  in  Millbury,  Mass. 

They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.:  Jessie  £.,  Charles 
Wellington,  and  William  Mortimer. 

JESSIE  E.,  the  eldest,  was  born  September  17,  1861,  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  and 
married,  November  23,  1887,  Eugene  A.  Regley,  M.  D.  Dr.  Regley  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  and  attended  colleges  in  New  York  City  and 
Europe  in  the  line  of  his  specialty — the  eye,  ear,  and  throat.  He  ranks  as  one  of 
the  most  skillful  practitioners  in  the  State. 

They  have  one  child,  a  son,  born  December  9,  1888,  who  bears  the  given  name 
of  his  grandfather,  Wellington  Higley  Regley. 

CHARLES  WELLINGTON,  the  second  child  of  Wellington  W.  and  Jennie  E. 
(Farnum)  Higley,  was  born  March  18,  1 866.  He  received  his  education  at  Coe 
College,  in  his  native  town,  after  which  he  traveled  abroad. 

He  is  now  engaged  as  special  agent  and  adjuster  for  the  Underwriters'  Insur- 
ance Company  of  New  York,  his  territory  embracing  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  Wis- 
consin. He  resides  in  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

WILLIAM  MORTIMER,  the  third  and  youngest  child  of  Wellington  W.  and  Jennie 
(Farnum)  Higley,  was  born  July  24,  1874.  He  is  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  high 
school  in  Cedar  Rapids. 


366  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

MORTIMER  ABIEL  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  and  fourth  son  of 
Abiel  and  Prudence  (Crane)  Higley,  was  born  at  West  Granby, 
Conn.,  April  12,  1838.  His  memory  scarcely  reaches  back  to  the 
time  of  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Iowa  in  1842,  when  he  was 
but  four  years  of  age. 

He  received  his  education  at  the  common  schools  at  Marion 
and  Cedar  Rapids,  which  he  attended  till  the  age  of  fourteen. 
From  this  time  till  he  was  seventeen,  he  was  gaining  experience 
in  the  elements  of  a  business  life  in  the  mercantile  house  of  his 
older  brothers  in  Cedar  Rapids,  the  family  having  removed  to 
this  place  in  the  year  1849. 

At  Waverly,  la.,  in  1855,  he  obtained  a  situation  as  clerk  in  a 
store  of  general  merchandise,  continuing  here  till  the  year  1857, 
when  he  went  to  Neosho  Falls,  Woodson  County,  Kan.,  and  re- 
mained one  year,  seeing  much  of  rough  border  life.  In  July, 
1857,  he  returned  to  Cedar  Rapids,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  W.  B.  Mack,  a  wholesale  grocer,  serving  his  superior  well, 
and  remaining  in  this  position  till  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War. 

During  this  period  he  held  the  office  of  city  recorder,  which 
he  resigned  when  going  into  the  army. 

The  Civil  War  gave  Mortimer  A.  Higley  an  opportunity  to  show 
the  mettle  of  which  he  was  constituted.  Determined  to  enter  the 
contest,  he  made  a  record  for  himself  by  securing  a  commission 
to  raise  a  company  of  infantry  on  the  call  for  troops.  He  at 
once  recruited  about  forty  men  and  took  them  to  Lyons,  la., 
there  consolidating  them  with  a  company  but  partly  recruited, 
which  was  then  assigned  as  Company  A,  i5th  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  which  became  the  first  company  of  the  regiment. 
In  this  he  enlisted  September  17,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
first  lieutenancy  the  28th  of  the  following  October. 

The  i5th  Iowa  left  camp,  taking  a  boat  down  the  Mississippi 
River,  March  19,  1862.  It  was  a  stormy,  gloomy  day.  "Many 
sad  hearts  were  left  behind,"  says  the  historian  of  the  regiment, 
"  but  everyone  felt  that  if  the  i5th  should  find  the  opportunity, 
it  would  give  a  good  account  of  itself,  and  inscribe  its  name  high 
on  the  roll  of  fame."  And  so  it  came  to  pass.  None  who  follow 
the  history  of  its  conspicuous  record,  taking  its  place  in  the 
oldest  brigade  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  can  fail  to  do  hom- 
age to  its  pre-eminent  usefulness  and  noble  service  to  our  country 
in  her  time  of  danger. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      3&7 

Of  Lieutenant  Mortimer  Higley,  says  General  Belknap:  "He 
was  a  very  efficient  officer — up  by  daylight  or  before,  and  watch- 
ful of  the  interests  and  necessities  of  the  men.  He  was  a  soldier 
and  a  real  hero." 

February  20,  1862,  Lieutenant  Higley  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  quartermaster  of  his  regiment,  and  in  August,  1862, 
was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  General  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  commanding 
the  district  of  Corinth,  as  acting  commissary  of  subsistence. 
He  was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  General  McKean,  as  quarter- 
master of  the  6th  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Octo- 
ber 4,  1862,  and  to  the  staff  of  General  James  B.  McPherson,  as 
acting  commissary  of  subsistence  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee,  November  i,  1862. 

His  ability  was  so  promptly  recognized  in  the  department  that 
he  was  recommended  for  promotion  as  commissary  of  subsistence 
with  the  rank  of  captain,  to  which  position  President  Lincoln 
appointed  him,  November  28,  1862,  and  he  was  assigned  to  the 
staff  of  General  J.  B.  McPherson,  as  chief  commissary  of  sub- 
sistance,  i;th  Corps,  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 

In  January,  1864,  an  officer  of  the  subsistence  department  of 
higher  rank  was  assigned  to  the  lyth  Corps,  and  Captain  Higley 
was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  General  J.  M.  Tuttle,  as  depot  com- 
missary of  subsistence  at  Cairo,  111.,  until  the  following  April, 
when  he  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  C.  C.  Washburn  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  with  whom  he  was  to  have  made  the  march  with 
Sherman's  army  through  the  Confederacy.  Serious  illness,  how- 
ever, prevented  General  Washburn  from  going  upon  this  invasion, 
and  Captain  Higley  was  assigned  as  depot  commissary  of  sub- 
sistence at  Memphis,  supplying  all  troops  with  commissary  stores 
from  Memphis  to  Corinth,  Miss. 

Captain  Higley  was  in  the  heat  of  active  service  at  the  battle 
of  Shiloh,  Miss.,  when  his  regiment  "went  through  its  bloody 
baptism,"  on  April  6  and  7,  1862.  For  three  hours  the  15th 
Iowa  maintained  its  position,  "the  men  fighting  like  veterans," 
though  they  were  but  two  weeks  in  the  field,  and  'twas  the  first 
time  they  had  been  under  fire.  After  the  battle  only  407  an- 
swered at  roll-call,  out  of  1045  noble  men.  Seventeen  officers 
were  among  the  killed  and  wounded. 

General  Belknap  again  remarks  of  Captain  Higley:  "Though 
his  position  did  not  call  for  it,  he  was  found  in  the  midst  of 
danger,  rallying  the  scattered  men,  and  regardless  of  peril." 


368  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

And  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle  of  Corinth,  October  3  and 
4,  1862,  General  Thos.  J.  McKean,  commanding  6th  Division, 
i3th  Army  Corps,  uses  these  words: 

"  Acting  Division  Quartermaster  M.  A.  Higley  performed  his 
arduous  duties  in  a  very  intelligent  manner;  has  always  shown 
himself  reliable,  and  was  fearless  and  indefatigable."  The  official 
report  of  the  colonel  commanding, — Colonel  Hugh  T.  Reid, — in 
his  report  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862,  gives  him  no  less 
praise  and  credit  for  "the  masterly  manner  in  which  he  per- 
formed his  arduous  duties  on  the  field  and  elsewhere  during  the 
fight." 

At  the  battle  of  Corinth  Lieutenant  Colonel  Belknap,  then  the 
colonel  commanding,  registers  "Quartermaster  Higley"  in  his 
official  returns  as  among  "the  officers  whose  gallant  conduct 
came  under  my  especial  observation." 

When  Belknap  came  to  fill  the  office  of  United  States  Secretary 
of  War,  he  ever  after  honored  Higley  by  the  title  of  "  major,"  by 
which  he  has  since  been  known. 

On  returning  from  the  army,  July,  1863,  Major  Higley  again 
settled  into  active  business  life  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  and  became 
prominent  in  mercantile  and  financial  circles. 

The  year  of  1864  found  him  in  partnership  with  P.  W.  Zigler, 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  In  1866  his  partner  sold  his 
interest  in  the  firm  to  Wellington  W.  Higley,  a  brother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  the  firm,  which  speedily  built  up  a 
large  and  successful  business,  has  since  been  known  as  Higley  & 
Brother. 

On  the  i8th  of  April,  1883,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Mer- 
chants' National  Bank  of  Cedar  Rapids,  which  holds  a  supremacy 
of  capital  over  all  other  banks  in  the  county.  This  position  he  is 
holding  at  the  present  time  (1892). 

Major  Higley  is  public-spirited.  In  connection  with  his  brother 
he  has  been  a  man  of  no  ordinary  importance  in  the  current  affairs 
of  their  city. 

Since  the  year  1875  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  having  from  that  time  served  continuously,  and  more 
than  once  has  held  the  position  of  its  president.  To  him  is  given 
much  of  the  credit  for  the  new  and  finely  constructed  high-school 
building  which  has  been  recently  erected  (1891)  in  Cedar  Rapids, 
a  thoroughly  equipped  educational  center,  which,  states  a  cor- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY,  1ST.      369 

respondent,  "stands  as  a  monument  to  the  energy  and  persist- 
ence of  Major  M.  A.  Higley,  who,  as  chairman  of  the  building 
committee,  has  voluntarily  devoted  months  of  unremitting  atten- 
tion to  this  labor  of  love." 

Major  Higley  is  also  vice  president  and  treasurer  of  the  Cedar 
Rapids  Gas  Works. 

Social  life  he  enjoys  in  many  of  its  aspects.  Being  possessed 
of  fine  intelligence,  a  genial  good  nature,  he  is  endeared  to  a  very 
wide  circle;  his  highest  and  finest  qualities  shining  most  con- 
spicuously in  his  devotion  to  his  home. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has 
attained  the  32d  degree,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 

Perhaps  the  most  distinguished  honor  that  has  been  conferred 
upon  Major  Higley,  was  being  elected  Commander  of  the  military 
order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  '  of  the  United  States,  Commandery 
of  the  State  of  Iowa.  This  high  position  he  held  two  years, 
1888-89,  after  already  having  filled  a  term  of  service  as  junior 
and  senior  vice  commander. 

Major  Mortimer  A.  Higley's  first  marriage  took  place  February 
19,  1863,  with  Lucy  L.  Sheet,  who  was  born  in  Wattsburg,  Erie 
County,  Pa.,  August  20,  1844.  Her  father,  David  F.  Sheet,  be- 
came one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Kane  County,  Illinois,  while  she 
was  yet  a  child,  and  near  Aurora  she  grew  to  womanhood.  The 
marriage  took  place  on  the  farm  where  the  family  resided.  It  came 
about  after  a  romantic  fashion,  during  the  Civil  War,  while  Major 
Higley  was  on  duty,  stationed  at  Cairo,  111.,  chief  commissary 
of  subsistence,  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Having  a  lower  Mis- 
sissippi boat  for  his  commissary  depot,  well  furnished  and  equipped 
for  comfortable  living,  he  suddenly  conceived  the  idea  of  bring- 
ing his  fiancee ',  from  Northern  Illinois,  to  his  headquarters  as  his 
wife.  The  unexpected  proposition  for  an  immediate  marriage 
was  accepted.  With  General  Tuttle's  permission,  a  brief  leave 
of  absence  was  taken,  Major  Higley  returning  in  a  few  days 
with  his  bride.  They  took  up  their  temporary  abode  on  the 

1  The  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States  was  instituted  at  the  time  of  the 
death  of  President  Lincoln  ;  patterned  after,  and  with  similar  purposes,  as  the  honorable  Order  of 
the  Society  of  Cincinnati  organized  by  General  Washington  and  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
It  bears  at  the  head  of  its  roll  of  members, — all  of  whom  have  died  since  its  organization, — Gen- 
erals Grant,  Sheridan,  who  was  commander-in-chief  of  the  order,  Hancock,  McClellan,  Logan, 
and  a  long  list  of  others,  whose  acts  and  lives  are  an  important  part  of  the  history  of  our  common 
country." 


37°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

steamer  deck,  where  the  young  wife  remained  three  months, 
until  Major  Higley  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Washburn 
at  Memphis. 

From  the  beginning  of  their  life  together,  Mortimer  A.  and 
Lucy  Higley  found  great  happiness  in  each  other,  the  union  prov- 
ing singularly  congenial  and  fraught  with  reciprocal  sympathy. 
Mrs.  Higley  was  endowed  with  many  gifts  for  making  all  those 
about  her  happy;  animated,  full  of  kindly  hospitality,  generously 
forgetful  of  self,  hopeful  and  strong,  her  presence  was  always  a 
cheer.  Yet  she  was  by  no  means  a  neutral  character.  She  had 
quick  intelligence,  and  thoughts  of  her  own,  but  these  were  never 
obtruded  to  excite  friction. 

In  the  year  1868  she  united  with  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Cedar  Rapids,  and  became  one  of  its  most  willing  and 
faithful  supporters,  "  seeming,"  says  her  pastor,  "  to  make  its 
work  and  progress  a  constituent  part  of  her  being."  Possess- 
ing a  fine  contralto  voice,  she  for  many  years  devoted  much 
time  to  the  choir  of  the  church,  and  was  its  first  organist.  Later 
on  she  was  chairman  of  the  music  committee. 

Her  wide  acquaintance  in  society,  her  cordiality  as  hostess,  her 
activities  in  church  and  benevolent  circles,  her  winning  and  love- 
able  ways  toward  all  classes  of  people,  caused  the  whole  city  to 
be  strangely  moved  with  an  indiscribable  feeling  of  general 
sorrow,  when  she  suddenly  "  went  to  her  heavenly  home,"  March 
30,  1892. 

"  She  allured  to  heaven 
And  led  the  way." 

Her  last  illness,  which  was  brief,  seized  her  while  she  was 
absent  from  her  pleasant  home  and  accustomed  paths  in  life, 
visiting  an  invalid  sister  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  It  was  in  that 
city  that  Heaven's  home-call  came  and — she  was  not;  for  the 
angel  of  the  Eternal  took  her. 

To  the  lonely  home-hearts  it  was  left  only  to  dwell  upon 
the  thought  of  the  added  graces  that  are  hers  in  the  realms  of 
light. 

Her  earthly  remains  were  brought  to  her  bereaved  home  at 
Cedar  Rapids,  from  which  the  funeral  obsequies  took  place,  Sun- 
day the  3d  of  April,  amid  her  grief-stricken  family  and  a  large 
concourse  of  sorrowing  friends  and  citizens.  The  interment 
was  in  the  beautiful  grounds  at  Oak  Hill.  The  funeral  ceremo- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  H1GLEY,  \ST.      37 1 

nies  were  conducted  by  her  friend  and  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  R. 
Fowler,  D.  D. 

"  Have  we  not  caught  that  smiling 
On  some  beloved  face, 
As  if  some  heavenly  sound  were  wiling 
The  soul  from  our  earthly  place, 
The  distant  sound  and  sweet 
Of  the  Master's  coming  feet  ?  " 

The  following  Sabbath  the  auditorium  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  was  filled  to  overflowing  on  the  occasion  of  a  mem- 
orial service  held  specially  in  commemoration  of  Mrs.  Higley's 
valuable  services  in  noble  Christian  philanthropy  and  the  influence 
she  exerted  by  her  warm-hearted  Christian  zeal  in  every  good 
word  and  work.  It  was  an  impressive  occasion;  the  holy  joy  of 
a  great  grief  was  upon  all  hearts  that  day. 

The  choir,  for  the  interests  of  which  she  had  loved  and 
labored,  and  with  which  the  power  of  her  melodious  voice  had  so 
often  revealed  her  own  inner  self,  rendered  in  solemn  tenderness, 
"  Come  Unto  Me,"  "  Sometime  We  Shall  Understand,"  and  other 
choice  selections;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Fowler  delivered  an  earnest 
address  from  Acts  ix.  40:  "  Tabitha,  arise,"  not  alone  setting 
forth  Mrs.  Higley's  many  virtues,  but  laying  it  upon  his  hearers 
to  see  to  it  that  the  work  which  she  had  left  as  a  sacred  trust 
should  not  be  allowed  to  die;  that  "  the  seed  she  had  sown  and 
the  things  she  had  lived  for,"  were  the  true  ministry  of  life  which 
build  an  enduring  monument. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1895,  Major  Higley  married,  in  Phila- 
delphia, Mrs.  Jennette  Robertson  Nicholas. 

Major  Mortimer  and  Lucy  L.  (Sheet)  Higley  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  viz.: 

Mary  Louisa,  Carrie  J.,  Flora  Blanche,  and  Mortimer  Albert. 

MARY  LOUISA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  April  24,  1866. 
She  was  graduated  from  Coe  College  in  her  native  city,  June  16,  1887,  receiving  a 
diploma.  She  married  A.  F.  Matschke,  October  27,  1887. 

Mr.  Matschke  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had 
charge  of  the  business  of  the  United  States  Express  Company  in  eastern  Iowa.  His 
health  becoming  impaired,  they  went  to  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  in  1888,  where 
they  resided  two  years.  They  now  live  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  named  Mortimer  Higley  Matschke,  born  June  18,  1890. 

CARRIE  J.  HIGI.EY,  the  second  child  of  Major  Mortimer  A.  and  Lucy  (Sheet) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  May  5, 1869.  She  married  William  Water- 


372  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

house  Dimond,  November  8,  1886.  Mr.  Dimond  was  born  in  Honolulu,  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  is  the  son  of  General  W.  H.  Dimond  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  director 
of  the  United  States  Mint,  and  grandson  of  John  Thomas  Waterhouse,  an  English 
subject  and  extensive  merchant  and  landowner,  who  went  to  Honolulu  in  1848. 
They  reside  at  Honolulu. 

FLORENCE  BLANCHE  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Major  M.  A.  and  Lucy  (Sheet) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  July  17,  1875.  She  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  of  Cedar  Rapids,  and  is  at  present  (1895)  a  student  at  Dana 
Hall,  Boston,  intending  to  pass  the  entire  course  of  Wellesley  College. 

MORTIMER  ALBERT  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  and  only  son  of  Major  M.  A. 
and  Lucy  (Sheet)  Higley,  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  February  23,  1881,  and  died 
of  German  measels,  followed  by  peritonitis,  May  I,  1888,  aged  seven  years  and  two 
months. 

He  was  a  bright,  hopeful,  kindly  child,  full  of  good  cheer  and  noble  impulses, 
with  the  promise  of  a  useful  life  foreshadowed  in  his  unusual  intelligence.  His 
departure  brought  a  deep  shadow  into  the  stricken  home,  leaving  a  lasting  furrow 
in  the  heart  of  his  fond  father. 

"  And  he  asked,  Who  gathered  this  flower? 
And  the  gardener  answered,  The  Master  ! 
And  his  fellow-servant  held  his  peace."  ' 

1  From  a  tombstone,  Burdock  churchyard,  England. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

SIMEON    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  286. 

Simeon,  ist,  Captain  Joseph,  ist,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

SIMEON  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  and  youngest  son  of  Captain 
Joseph  Higley  and  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Case,  was  born  in  the 
year  1751.  Of  his  childhood  and  youth  we  find  no  mention. 

At  the  age  of  twenty,  December  17,  1771,  he  married  Margaret 

Phelps,  the  daughter  of Phelps  and  Martha  Loomis.  They 

appear  to  have  first  settled  in  that  part  of  Simsbury  which  is  now 
Granby,  where  they  both  united  with  the  old  Congregational 
Church  on  profession  of  their  faith,  October  10,  1773.  Simeon  is 
found  later  on,  having  a  moderate  supply  of  cider  brandy  distilled 
at  his  uncle,  Deacon  Brewster  Higley,  2d's,  cider  still. 

On  March  26,  1777,  Simeon  Higley  enlisted  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  Colonel  Belden's  regiment,  Connecticut  Militia, 
Captain  Abel  Pettibone's  company.  The  terms  of  service  of 
these  soldiers  were  generally  of  short  periods,  the  men  re-enlist- 
ing. Phelps  in  his  history  states,  "  Of  enlisted  men  for  the  army, 
few,  if  any,  of  the  towns  furnished  a  larger  number  than  did  the 
town  of  Simsbury." 

How  long  Simeon  and  Margaret  Higley  resided  in  Granby 
cannot  be  ascertained.  His  father,  Captain  Joseph  Higley,  by  his 
will  devised  him  his  home  farm  in  Higley-town,  and  also  made 
him  one  of  his  executors.  The  farm  came  into  his  possession  in 
1790.  Here  they  resided  a  few  years,  removing  their  church- 
letter  to  Simsbury  parish. 

About  the  year  1798  Simeon  sold  the  old  home  farm,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  at  South  Canaan,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  to 
which  place  he  removed  with  his  family,  the  mother  of  his  wife 
accompanying  them.  He  was  now  forty-seven  years  of  age  and 
was  the  father  of  a  family. 

It  is  recorded  of  Simeon  Higley  that  "  he  was  an  exemplary 
Christian,  and  was  chosen  deacon  of  the  church  when  yet  a  young 
man." 

it  373 


374  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  the  mother  of  Margaret  Phelps 
Higley  resided  with  her  son-in-law,  receiving  tenderest  care  as 
she  neared  and  passed  the  one  hundredth  mile-stone  of  life. 

Simeon  Higley  died  October  30,  1822.  His  wife,  Margaret 
Phelps,  who  was  born  November  16,  1747,  survived  him  twenty- 
eight  years.  She  was  of  a  long-lived  race,  her  mother,  as  already 
stated,  living  to  the  prolonged  period  of  one  hundred  and  one 
years.  Margaret  Higley  lived  to  the  extraordinary  age  of  one- 
hundred  and  two  years  and  four  months,  and  her  daughter 
Margaret's  age,  at  her  decease,  was  ninty-nine  years  and  eight 
months.  Her  daughter  Sarah  lived  to  ninty-one  years  and  six 
months.  Margaret  Phelps  Higley  died  March  n,  1850. 

In  1847  the  centennial  anniversary  of  her  birth  was  celebrated 
with  interesting  observances,  by  neighbors  and  friends.  "She 
was  now  as  erect  as  a  girl  of  eighteen,"  says  the  Rev.  H.  Good- 
win of  Canaan,  <:  and  exceedingly  active  in  person,  walking  quite 
a  distance  to  visit  a  neighbor  shortly  before.  Until  ninety  years 
of  age  she  walked  to  church,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile. 
Her  hearing  was  not  greatly  impaired,  and  her  second  sight  had 
come  and  gone,  but  with  the  aid  of  spectacles  she  read  without 
much  difficulty,  and  sometimes  did  a  little  fine  needle-work.  She 
retained  her  judgment,  and  expressed  her  opinion  in  reference  to 
the  concerns  of  the  house  and  farm  and  the  movements  of  society. 
She  obtained  considerable  knowledge  of  current  events,  in  addi- 
tion to  remembering  those  long  ago  passed;  conversed  readily 
and  intelligently  with  visitors,  enjoying  the  society  of  both  the 
old  and  young,  and  manifested  an  interest  in  all  that  related  to 
her  church  as  well  as  public  affairs.  She  sometimes  suffered  from 
rheumatism,  which,  however,  did  not  seem  to  prey  upon  the 
vitality  of  her  constitution." 

On  this  interesting  anniversary  the  venerable  woman  stood 
quite  alone  in  her  generation.  All  had  disappeared.  The  neigh- 
bors and  friends  of  her  youth,  her  companions  and  kindred,  had 
all  gone  from  the  earth,  leaving  her  in  the  midst  of  a  new  genera- 
tion. She  had  closed  the  eyes  of  many  valued  friends,  and  con- 
signed to  the  grave  many  a  loved  form.  "If  now,"  says  Mr. 
Goodwin,  "when  she  knows  she  must  soon  be  removed,  she  had 
no  prospect  of  a  home  and  friends  and  the  bliss  of  love  in  another 
life,  how  would  her  joys  all  wither  !  " 

Mrs.  Higley  lived  after  this  birthday  event,  two  years  and 
three  months,  a  picturesque  figure  of  her  time. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  CAPTAIN  JOSEPH  HIGLEY, \ST.      375 

Simeon  and  Margaret  Higley  had  seven  children  as  follows: 
Clarissa,  Simeon,  born  March  31,  1777,  died  February  17,  1778; 
Margaret,  SaraTi,  Diadama,  Simeon,  zd,  and  Henry. 

Of  this  family  three  died  within  five  months  of  each  other,  aged 
respectively  ninety  years  and  six  months,  ninety-nine  years  and 
eight  months,  and  eighty  years.  The  others  who  lived  to  matur- 
ity, died  at  the  ages  of  sixty-nine,  eighty-two,  and  eighty-five 
years. 

CLARISSA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  born  November  30,  1772,  married  Ezekiel  Haskins 
of  Simsbury.  They  removed  to  Canaan,  Conn.,  where  she  died  March  16,  1854. 
Their  children  were,  viz. : 

ZILPAH,  born  November  27,  1795,  who  married  Henry  Post,  May,  1830.  She 
died  in  Canaan,  September  17,  1871. 

JULIA,  born  April  14,  1798  ;  married  John  B.  Reed,  February  8,  1828.  She  died 
July  17,  1836. 

EMELINE,  born  May  22,  1800  ;  married  Frederic  Fenn,  December  25,  1823 ;  she 
died  at  Canaan,  Conn.,  December  25,  1875.  Their  descendants  removed  to  Lan- 
caster, Pa. 

CHARLOTTE,  born  June  II,  1804;  married  Frederick  Lowery,  bctober  r,  1823; 
died  at  Lee,  Mass.,  January  29,  1865.  But  one  of  her  descendants  is  living:  Can- 
field  Lowery,  who  resides  in  California. 

MELISSA,  born  June  20,  1806;  married  Ormil  Brinton,  February  it,  1837;  died 
at  Canaan,  April  n,  1886.  Had  two  children  :  Julia  and  Frederick.  Frederick 
was  a  soldier  and  died  in  the  Civil  War. 

MARYF.TTE,  born  June  7,  1808  ;  married  Nathaniel  Brinton,  May  22,  1836. 

SEYMOUR,  born  March  3,  1813  ;  married  Abia  Deming,  March  7,  1839  ;  died  at 
Canaan,  August  18,  1883. 

SARAH  G.,  born  April  ir,  1815  ;  married  Theodore  Prentice,  September  r,  1841  ; 
died  August  17,  1881. 

MARGARET  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Simeon  and  Margaret  Phelps  Higley, 
was  born  January  28,  1779,  and  died  August  15,  1878,  aged  ninety-nine  years  and 
eight  months. 

SARAH  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Simeon  and  Margaret  Higley,  was  born 
September  25,  1781,  and  became  the  second  wife  of  Alpheus  Hays  of  Granby, 
Conn.,  in  1809  ;  his  first  wife  having  been  her  cousin,  Betsey  Higley,  daughter  of 
Ozias.  As  has  been  heretofore  stated,  the  Hon.  Alpheus  Hays  was  Represen- 
tative from  Granby  to  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  1821-23.  He  died  in  1828. 
His  wife  lived  in  widowhood  forty-four  years.  She  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life 
at  Washington,  Pa.,  removing  thither  with  her  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  McKinley, 
with  whom  she  had  her  home. 

Mrs.  Sarah  (Higley)  Hays  was  a  member  of  tbe  Presbyterian  Church  from  1829, 
forty-three  years.  "  She  took  great  delight,"  says  her  pastor,  the  Rev.  James  I. 
Brownson,  D.  D.,  "in  the  word  of  God,  and  in  the  society  of  religious  people. 
Her  faithful  words  and  deeds,  her  sympathy  and  prayers,  and  her  Christian  ex- 
ample will  ever  live  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  her,  and  of  her  children." 

The  last  three  years  of  her  life  she  was  mostly  confined  to  her  bed,  under  the 
natural  infirmities  of  age,  which  brought  her  slowly  and  gently  down  to  the  end  of 
this  earth-life.  She  died  March  30,  1872,  aged  ninety  years  and  six  months. 


376  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  Hon.  Alpheus  and  Sarah  (Higley)  Hays  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
all  born  in  West  Granby,  Conn.  Their  sons  and  daughter  Margaret,  resided  at 
Washington,  Pa.  The  children  are  as  follows  : 

GEORGE  HAYS,  who  married  Carolina  Wilcox  of  West  Granby. 

EDWARD,  born  August  9,  1815,  married  Rhoda  Kendall,  August  5,  1839.  She 
was  born  October  17,  1815  ;  had  children. 

FREDERICK,  born  December  25,  1817  ;  married  Mary  E.  Redilion,  June  5,  1855. 
She  was  born  November  20,  1827  ;  had  four  children. 

CHARLES  and  MORGAN,  twins,  born  March  13,  1820;  Charles  married,  first, 
Sophia  B.  Koomby,  September  2,  1846,  who  died  October  15,  1854  ;  second  wife, 
Margaret  Fleming,  married  June  9,  1857,  and  had  eight  children.  Morgan 
married,  December  23,  1845,  Sarah  J.  Wilson.  She  was  born  June  3,  1828  ; 
had  nine  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  His  eldest  son,  William, 
died  January  20,  1872,  aged  twenty-six. 

SARAH,  of  whom  no  further  mention  is  made. 

MARGARET,  born  May  15,  1829;  married  Alexander  McKinley  of  Washington, 
Pa.,  April  27,  1852.  He  was  born  January  4,  1817.  She  died  in  Christian 
hope,  March  5,  1871.  They  had  eight  children. 

DIADEMA  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Simeon  and  Margaret  Phelps  Higley,  was 
born  April  30,  1784,  and  died,  unmarried,  at  Canaan,  Conn.,  August  6,  1853. 

SIMEON  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  second  child  of  his  parents  by  this  name,  and  the  sixth 
child  of  Simeon  and  Margaret  Phelps  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn. 
October  17,  1786  ;  married  Wealthy  Noble,  daughter  of  Matthew  Noble,  February 
22,  1822.  She  was  born  February  7,  1794.  He  died  December  i,  1871.  Their 
children  : 

ELIZABETH,  born  December  14,  1822,  married  Charles  B.  Maltbie,  M.  D.,  of 
Norfolk,  Conn.,  May  22,  1848.  The  children  of  Dr.  and  Elizabeth  (Higley) 
Maltbie  were : 

Seraph  Elizabeth,  born  May  18,  1852  ;  married  Lee  P.  Dean  of  Canaan,  Conn.  Mary  Alice, 
born  October  7,  1854  ;  married  Willard  S.  Brown  ;  reside  in  Falls  Village,  Conn.  Charles^  born 
September  22,  1858  ;  died  Jannary  4,  1878.  C.  Belle,  born  January  27,  1867. 

The  children  of  Lee  P.  Dean,  are  Lee  Maltbie,  born  May  16,  1875  ;  Willard  Parker,  born 
October  a,  1879 ;  Henry  Charles,  born  June  8,  1885  ;  Olive  Elizabeth,  born  June  6,  1886. 

MARY,  the  second  daughter  of  Simeon  Higley,  Jr. ,  and  Wealthy  Noble,  was  born 
July  20,  1825  ;  married  Chester  Holcombe  of  Canaan,  Conn.,  May  26,  1847. 
Children  :  Margaret  Higley  Holcombe,  born  March  23,  1856  ;  married,  1877,  Burritt 
Yale  of  Cornwall,  Conn. 

HENRY  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  and  youngest  child  of  Simeon  and  Margaret  Phelps 
Higley,  was  born  July  7,  1792  ;  married  Caroline  Phelps,  March,  1851.  He  died 
April  26,  1872.  They  resided  at  Canaan,  Conn.  Their  children  : 

Henry  Irving,  born  March  II,  1852,  married  Sophia  Call ;  Eugene  Greenville, 
born  February,  1855. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

HANNAH    HIGLEY    OWEN    MILLS. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  100. 
Hannah,  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

The  roots  of  humanity  are  so  inextricably  intertwined  that  we  must  grow  together  if  we  grow  at 
all. — DORA  GREHNWELL. 

HANNAH,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  was  born 
in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  December  17,  1717,  and  named,  no  doubt, 
for  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Hannah  Trumbull. 

She  was  unquestionably  a  woman  of  strong  character,  and  had 
the  conditions  in  which  she  lived  been  in  the  present  day,  she 
would  have  had  a  distinct  personality. 

She  married,  first,  about  1734,  Elijah  Owen,  the  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  Holcombe  Owen,  and  grandson  of  John  Owen,  a 
Welshman  who  came  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  about  the  year  1634. 
They  settled  in  Turkey  Hills  (now  East  Granby).  The  farm  is 
still  pointed  out. 

Her  husband,  Elijah  Owen,  died  September,  1741,  at  forty-one 
years  of  age,  leaving  his  wife  a  young  widow  of  but  twenty-four. 

After  a  lapse  of  seven  years,  Mrs.  Owen  married,  in  1748, 
Pelatiah  Mills  of  Wintonbury,  Conn.,  grandson  of  "the  ancestor 
of  the  race  of  Miles  or  Mills,  who  came  from  Holland,"  and  whose 
Dutch  name,  tradition  says,  was  changed  to  "  Mills "  on  his 
arrival  in  America. 

It  is  said  of  Pelatiah  Mills  that  "he  was  a  man  held  in  high 
estimation,  both  in  civil,  ecclesiastical,  and  religious  concerns." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  walked  side  by  side  in  happy  union  for 
thirty-eight  years.  In  the  repose  of  their  advanced  years  their 
excellencies  and  virtues  shone  so  conspicuously  that  they  seemed 
"  laying  aside  their  earthly  garments  one  by  one,  and  dressing 
themselves  for  heaven."  It  is  said  that  they  were  commonly 
alluded  to  as  "the  good  Deacon  Mills  and  his  pious  wife — that 
good  woman." 

Pelatiah  Mills  died  in  1786,  at  an  advanced  age.     Hannah  Hig- 

377 


378  THE  HIGLEYS  AND   THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ley,  his  wife,  survived  her  husband  twenty  years  and  died  in  1806, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety.* 

By  her  two  marriages  Hannah  Higley  was  the  mother  of  eleven 
children,  several  of  her  descendants  becoming  marked  characters. 

Children  by  the  first  marriage  :  an  infant,  who  died;  Elijah 
Owen,  Jr.,  born  1738;  Hannah,  born  1740;  and  Rebecca,  born  1744. 

Children  by  second  marriage: 

Pelatiah,  Jr.,  Samuel,  Roger,  "Patsey"  or  Martha,  Eli,  Frederick, 
Susannah,  and  Elihu. 

ELIJAH  OWEN,  JR.,  the  eldest  son  of  Hannah  Higley  and  Elijah  Owen,  was  of 
pious  character,  and  from  early  manhood  was  of  great  activity  and  usefulness  in  the 
affairs  of  the  church  at  Turkey  Hills.  He  died  at  Otis,  Mass.,  in  1814,  aged 
seventy-six. 

REBECCA,  her  eldest  daughter,  married  Benedict  Alford  and  settled  at  Windsor, 
Conn.,  but  removed  to  Vermont  about  1790.  She  lived  to  an  extreme  old  age, 
ninety-five.  Her  husband,  Benedict  Alford,  Sr.,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
He  was  born  probably  about  1730.  It  is  stated  that  later  in  life  they  removed  to 
Geauga  County,  Ohio,  where  they  both  died. 

HANNAH,  the  third  child  of  Hannah  Higley  and  Elijah  Owen,  married,  in  1757, 
Captain  John  Brown  of  Wintonbury  (now  Bloomfield),  Conn.,  a  direct  descendant 
from  Peter  Brown,  a  Mayflower  Puritan.  She  was  the  grandmother  of  John 
Brown,  the  slave  liberator.4  They  settled  at  West  Simsbury. 

Captain  John  Brown,  her  husband,  was  born  November  4,  1728.  He  received 
his  commission  from  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  who  was  first  cousin  to  his 
wife's  mother,  May  23,  1776. 

On  the  nth  of  June  he  was  directed  by  order  of  his  colonel,  John  Pettibone,  to 
enlist  one  third  part  of  his  company  to  serve  as  minute  men,  "for  the  defense  of 
their  own  and  the  adjoining  colonies."  Soon  after,  Captain  John  Brown  with  his 
men  joined  the  Revolutionary  Army  at  New  York,  where,  after  two  months'  ser- 
vice, he  was  taken  ill  with  dysentery,  and  died  in  a  barn  on  the  3d  of  September, 
1776,  shortly  before  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  in  which  his  regiment  took  part. 

His  wife,  Hannah  Owen  Brown,  was  left  a  widow  with  a  hard  struggle  before  her, 
and  in  a  trying  situation,  with  eleven  children,  four  sons  and  seven  daughters  ;  the 
eldest  but  seventeen,  and  the  youngest  born  after  the  death  of  his  father.  These 
children  all  lived  to  maturity,  and  she  saw  each  one  comfortably  married  and  all 
except  one  have  families. 

She  was  a  woman  of  rare  courage.  Her  great-grandson,  Heman  H.  Barbour, 
writes  of  her  :  "  I  well  remember  my  great-grandmother,  Hannah  (Owen)  Brown, 
daughter  of  Elijah  Owen  and  Hannah  Higley,  who  died  in  1831,  aged  ninety-one. 
She  retained  her  mental  faculties  in  a  remarkable  degree  to  the  last,  and  very  enter- 
taining stories  did  she  tell  us  children  of  her  eventful  life. 

"  The  responsibilities  and  labors  of  bringing  up  her  family,  and  managing  the 

1  The  children  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  particularly  his  daughters  and  some  of  their  descendants, 
were  noted  for  their  longevity.  It  is  said  that  the  ages  of  his  eight  children,  when  added  together, 
make  the  round  number  646  years,  averaging  a  longevity  of  more  than  eighty  years  each. 

a  See  sketch  of  John  Brown,  chapter  1. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  1ST.  379 

farm  affairs,  were  met  and  discharged  with  such  fortitude,  discretion,  and  patience 
as  are  seldom  exhibited  by  woman.  The  suffering  and  hardships  of  the  hard 
winter  of  .the  Revolution,  1777-78,  were  peculiarly  severe.  For  a  long  time  she  was 
obliged  to  provide  water  for  her  cattle  by  melting  snow  ;  and  repeatedly  during  this 
winter  did  she  go  on  horseback  several  miles  to  a  mill,  with  a  bag  of  grain  for  grind- 
ing. Her  faith  in  God,  with  a  naturally  energetic,  brave,  and  indomitable  spirit, 
sustained  her  through  all  her  trials,  and  she  kept  her  family  together  and  reared  her 
children  to  respectable  stations  in  life.  She  was  a  noble  woman." ' 

Of  this  numerous  family  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah  (Owen)  Brown, 

HANNAH,  the  eldest,  born  1758,  became  the  second  wife  of  Solomon  Humphrey 
and  was  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  Heman  Humphrey,  president  of  Amherst  College. 

DEACON  JOHN  BROWN,  the  eldest  son,  born  1767,  resided  in  New  Hartford, 
Conn.,  "  an  honored  and  faithful  man."  He  married,  first,  Millicent  Gaylord,  and 
second,  Mrs.  Case,  a  widow. 

Hon.  FREDERICK  BROWN,  the  seventh  child,  born  1769,  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature  in  1812,  and  in  1816  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Wadsworth,  O., 
where  he  was  on  the  bench  fourteen  years.  He  married,  first,  Catherine  Case  ; 
second,  Chloe  S.  Pettibone. 

OWEN  BROWN,  the  eighth  child,  born  1771,  was  known  as  "  Squire  Brown." 
He  and  his  first  wife  Ruth,  granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  Gideon  and  Elizabeth 
(Higley)  Mills  were  the  parents  of  John  Brown  of  Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  fame. 
He  was  twice  married  after.  He  died  in  1856. 

ABIEL  BROWN,  the  youngest  son,  born  in  1776,  after  his  father's  death  in  the 
army,  was  the  hfstorian  of  Canton,  Conn.,  a  valuable  work  containing  sketches  of 
the  early  settlers  of  that  town.  He  married  Anna  Lord  of  Lyme.  He  died  in  the 
year  1856. 

The  daughters,  besides  Hannah  mentioned  above,  were,  viz. :  Azubah,  born  1760  ; 
married  Michael  Barber.  Esther,  born  1762  ;  married  Timothy  Case.  Margery, 
born  1764  ;  married,  first,  David  Giddings  ;  second,  Prince  Taylor.  Lucinda, 
born  1765  ;  married  Russel  Borden.  Thede,  born  1773  ;  married  William  Mer- 
rells;  and  Roxy  R.,  born  1775;  married  Alexander  Humphrey. 

The  sons  of  Hannah  Higley,  of  whom  her  second  husband, 
Pelatiah  Mills,  was  the  father,  left  numerous  descendants,  whose 
lives  are  worthy  of  extended  record. 

Her  daughter  Martha,  or  Patsey,  as  she  was  familiarly  called, 
married  James  Barnard,  of  a  highly  respectable  family  of  Bloom- 
field,  Conn. 

Susannah,  married Hubbard,  also  of  Bloomfield. 

1  "  My  Wife  and  Mother,"  by  H.  H.  Barbour,  p.  75. 


CHAPTER   L. 

JOHN    BROWN.1 

Owen  Brown,  Hannah  Owen  Brown,  Hannah  Higley  Owen,  Brewster  Higley,  ist, 
Captain  John  Higley. 

The  blast  that  startled  camp  and  town, 
And  shook  the  walls  of  slavery  down — 
The  spectral  march  of  old  John  Brown  ! 

— WHITTIER. 

JOHN  BROWN,  the  son  of  Owen  Brown  and  Ruth  Mills,  both  of 
whom  were  the  grandchildren  of  the  two  sisters,  Hannah  Higley 
Owen  and  Elizabeth  Higley  Mills  (daughters  of  Brewster  Higley, 
ist),  was  born  at  Torrington,  Conn.,  where  his  parents  then 
resided,  May  9,  1800. 

The  family  moved  to  Hudson,  O.,  in  1805,  and  here  his  youth 
was  spent.  He  was  never  fond  of  school.  However,  on  reach- 
ing early  manhood  and  desiring  to  enter  the  ministry,  he  re- 
turned to  Connecticut  and  studied  under  a  private  tutor,  the 
Rev.  Moses  Halleck,  who,  it  is  said,  fitted  him  for  college.  The 
impairment  of  his  eyesight  compelling  him  to  give  up  his  studies, 
he  returned  to  his  Ohio  home.  He  then  learned  the  tanner's 
trade,  which  he  followed  twenty  years,  during  which  period, 
except  for  his  marriages,  no  marked  events  in  his  life  took  place. 

His  first  marriage  is  found  upon  record  thus  : 

"  John  Brown  and  Dianthe  Lusk  were  legally  joined  in  competent  authority,  on 
the  2ist  day  of  June,  1820.  REV.  WILLIAM  HANFORD." 

Dianthe  Lusk  was  of  Portage  County,"  Ohio.  She  died  August 
10,  1832,  having  become  the  mother  of  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  survived  her.  His  second  marriage  took  place  July  n, 

1  From  The  Century  Magazine. —  Woodman's  Portrait  of  John  Brown. 

DANVERS,  8mo.,  16,  1882. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  :  Thy  portrait  of  John  Brown  is  by  far  the  best  I  have  ever  seen.     It  is  the 
•man— not  only  the  physical  man,  but  his  inner  self  also.     It  is  he  at  his  best  and  truest. 
Thanking  thee  for  the  picture,  I  am 

Very  truly  thy  friend, 
ToSeldonJ.  Woodman.  JOHN  G.  WHITTIER. 

I  have  seen  Mr.  Woodman's  portrait  of  my  husband.  I  think  it  a  very  good  likeness  of  him, 
and  the  more  I  see  it  the  more  I  like  it. 

MRS.  JOHN  BROWN. 
TOPEKA,  KANSAS,  November  15,  1882. 

9  Book  a,  "  Records  of  Portage  County,  Ohio." 

380 


By  courtesy  of  THE  CENTURY  Co. 
Copyright,  1883,  by  THE  CENTURY  Co. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  1ST.  381 

1833,  with  Mary  Anne  Day,  of  northern  New  York,  who  was  then 
but  seventeen  years  of  age.  She  bore  thirteen  children.  Seven 
of  these  died  in  childhood. 

Space  will  not  permit  in  these  pages  of  a  lengthened  biographi- 
cal sketch,  or  an  acute  analysis  of  John  Brown's  life  and  char- 
acter, which  developed  strong  types  of  a  vigorous  individuality, 
one  which  was  a  singular  compound  of  enlarged  capacities  and 
admirable  virtues,  but  strangely  balanced  and  difficult  to  inter- 
pret, a  character  of  marked  integrity,  of  splendid  earnestness, 
conscientious  to  a  high  degree,  strictly  free  from  the  use  of  all 
intoxicants,  devotional  in  habit,  adhering  with  rigid  fidelity  to 
narrow  religious  ideas,  yet  withal  laden  with  many  defects.  He 
was  severe  in  his  utterances  of  pronounced  opinions,  might  often 
have  been  called  uncharitable  in  his  condemnatory  judgments, 
was  shrewd  and  cunning  in  devising  a  purpose,  a  full  believer  in 
retaliation,  in  the  sword,  and  in  war,  and  finally  proved  himself 
equal  to  deep  intrigue. 

And  yet  the  great  final  act  of  his  life,  the  seizing,  with  his  force 
of  only  twenty-two  armed  men,1  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment arsenals  at  Harper's  Ferry,  W.  Va.,  October  17,  1859,  to 
procure  equipments  for  slaves  for  insurrectionary  purposes,  was 
the  consummate  outcome  of  a  heroic  and  noble  sentiment,  a  pro- 
found and  living  sympathy  for  the  human  beings  whom  he  be- 
lieved to  be  unjustly  suffering  the  wrongs  of  human  bondage. 

In  his  last  speech  before  the  court  which  sentenced  him  to  the 
gallows,  his  recorded  testimony  is  but  one  prbof  among  many 
others  that  he  acted  in  this  event  in  accordance  with  his  deeply- 
rooted  convictions  and  his  utter  abhorrence  of  slavery. 

He  said  : 

"  This  court  acknowledges,  as  I  suppose,  the  validity  of  the  Law  of  God.  I  see 
a  book  kissed  here  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  Bible  or,  at  least,  the  New  Testa- 
ment. That  teaches  me  '  that  all  things  whatsoever  I  would  that  men  should  do 
unto  me,  I  should  do  even  so  to  them.'  It  teaches  me  further,  to  '  remember  them 
that  are  in  bonds  as  bound  with  them.'  I  endeavored  to  act  up  to  that  instruc- 
tion. 1  say,  I  am  yet  too  young  to  understand  that  God  is  any  respecter  of  per- 
sons. I  believe  that  to  have  iuterfered  as  I  have  done — as  I  have  always  freely 
admitted  I  have  done — in  behalf  of  his  despised  poor,  was  not  wrong,  but  right." 

Said  a  South  Carolina  gentleman,  who  was  early  at  the  scene 
of  the  Harper's  Ferry  raid,  a  man  at  that  time  full  of  political 
prejudices,  in  speaking  of  this  would-be  liberator  : 

1  Brown's  force  consisted  of  seventeen  white  and  five  black  men. 


382  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"  It  is  impossible  not  to  feel  respect  for  men  who  offer  up  their  lives  in  support 
of  their  convictions."  ' 

And  Bishop  Phillips  Brooks  remarked  : 

"Alas,  for  the  man  who  will  not  rush  through  fire  though  it  burn,  through  water 
though  it  drown,  to  do  the  work  that  his  soul  knows  it  must  do." 

Some  of  John  Brown's  more  prominent  characteristics,  showing 
the  elements  in  his  nature  which,  influenced  by  a  fanatical  zeal, 
fitted  him  for  the  bold  and  defiant  undertaking  which  cost  him 
his  life,  cannot  perhaps  better  be  given  than  the  following  per- 
sonal reminiscences  narrated  to  the  writer  by  his  old-time  friend, 
William  H.  Ladd,  for  some  years  president  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  of  Ohio,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  later  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

"I  knew  him  well,"  says  Mr.  Ladd.  "  He  began  operating  in  the  wool  trade 
about  three  years  before  I  met  him.  From  the  day  that  he  came  to  my  father's 
house,  in  the  year  1843,  to  the  time  he  began  to  devise  practically  his  plans  and  pur- 
poses for  the  last  great  event  of  his  life,  he  was  often  a  guest  in  our  home. 

"  We  were  both  interested  at  that  time,  and  for  a  few  years  afterward,  in  stock 
and  fine  wool-growing,  and  our  acquaintance  thus  formed  brought  us  into  many 
relations,  not  only  of  business  but  those  of  a  social  and  friendly  nature.  We  fre- 
quently attended  the  different  State  Fairs  together,  and  were  often  out  on  long 
journeys.  On  one  of  these  journeys  in  New  York  and  New  England,  we  traveled 
for  three  months  together,  mostly  by  private  conveyance,  frequently  occupying  the 
same  bed-chamber.  This  was  in  1846. 

"  During  these  travels,  John  Brown  would  not  go  about  on  Sundays,  nor  could  he 
be  induced  to  talk  of  or  make  any  allusion  to  business  matters  from  sunset  on 
Saturday  evening  till  Monday  morning.  And  wherever  we  happened  to  find  our- 
selves on  the  Sabbath,  he  strictly  attended  a  church  service. 

"After  I  was  married,  it  was  the  custom  in  my  home  on  taking  our  seats  at  meals 
to  bow  our  heads  and  ask  a  silent  blessing,  but  when  John  Brown  was  my  guest  he 
invariably  asked  a  blessing  audibly,  whether  invited  to  do  so  or  not ;  and  when  our 
breakfast  was  over  he  never  failed  to  kneel  in  vocal  prayer,  though  we  did  not 
suggest  it. 

"  Though  an  agreeable  companion,  I  cannot  say  that  he  was  genial  and  social  by 
nature.  If  interested  in  a  subject  and  aroused,  he  conversed  freely,  but  easily 
settled  again  into  a  mental  retreat  and  introspection.  This  gave  him  an  air  of 
seeming  coolness  and  immovability.  His  accustomed  positive  bearing  had  the 
effect  to  hold  those  with  whom  he  was  in  contact  somewhat  at  a  distance  and  in  a 
sort  of  awe.  Being  matter-of-fact  and  practical,  he  cared  little  for  a  joke,  yet  could 
not  be  called  sanctimonious  in  manner. 

"  My  old  friend  could  make  a  fair  speech — not  fluent,  but  of  few  words,  very 
terse  and  directly  to  the  point.  He  had  no  respect  for,  and  was  impatient  with,  any 

1 "  Life  and  Letters  of  John  Brown,"  p.  6ix. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  \ST  383 

speaker  who  took  the  time  and  attention  of  an  audience,  "  without,"  as  he 
expressed  it,  "saying  something."  To  receive  a  long  letter  was  a  positive  vexa- 
tion to  him.  He  scarcely  ever  read  a  letter  to  the  end  if  it  covered  more  than  one 
page. 

"  He  entertained  an  abhorrence  of  shams,  hating  hypocrites,  and  greatly  enjoyed 
tearing  the  mask  from  people  and  things.  While  he  was  entirely  respectful  in  an 
argument,  he  was  thoroughly  independent,  decided,  and  fearless,  expressing  his 
convictions  in  a  downright  fashion  from  which  he  could  not  be  swerved. 

"  I  never  found  him  a  man  to  interfere  with  other  people's  matters  unless  he  saw 
or  knew  something  going  on  which  his  convictions  led  him  to  feel  was  wrong  ; 
then  he  was  outspoken,  harsh,  and  rancorous. 

"  We  were  once  together  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  on  one  of  our  journeys,  and 
were  invited  to  the  home  of  a  friend  of  mine,  a  wealthy  manufacturer,  to  stay  over 
the  Sabbath.  We,  of  course,  accompanied  the  family  to  their  church,  a  large  and 
elegant  edifice,  in  which  worshiped  a  refined  congregation.  We  were  seated  in  a 
corner  pew  to  the  right  of  the  pulpit.  During  the  service  I  noticed  John  Brown 
constantly  glancing  at  the  choir,  which  was  made  up  of  twenty-four  young  persons, 
and  was  located  in  the  gallery  at  the  back  of  the  audience.  They  were  behaving 
in  a  frivolous  manner,  smiling,  making  signals,  etc.  This  shocked  his  sense  of 
propriety.  He  was  disgusted  and  restless.  Finally  he  seemed  to  forget  the 
sermon  and  the  service  altogether,  keeping  close  watch  upon  them.  The  bene- 
diction had  scarcely  escaped  the  minister's  lips,  when  he  exclaimed  in  a  loud, 
indignant  tone,  '  What  a  mockery  ! '  and  much  to  my  mortification,  when  my 
host,  who  was  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  congregation,  introduced  us  to 
his  pastor  immediately  after,  John  Brown,  though  he  had  never  before  met  him, 
without  any  sort  of  formal  greeting,  ungraciously  descended  upon  him  with  a  volume 
of  scathing  reproof  for  permitting  such  conduct  in  the  house  of  worship. 

"  An  intense  love  of  investigation  was  one  of  his  prominent  characteristics.  He 
liked  prying  to  the  bottom  of  matters  and  unearthing  the  foundations.  In  this 
connection  his  associations  at  the  college  at  Bethany,  W.  Va.,  of  which  Alexander 
Campbell,  the  founder  of  the  sect  called  Campbellites,  or  '  Christians,'  was  then 
the  president,  were  most  congenial  to  him,  and  afforded  a  pleasant  place,  both  from 
a  business  and  a  religious  standpoint,  to  which  he  delighted  to  resort.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell was  at  that  time  an  extensive  fine  wool  grower,  and  engaged  as  well  in  dealing 
penetratingly  with  theological  and  anti-slavery  themes. 

"  Brown  was  a  vigorous  observer  of  men,  a  close,  shrewd  scrutinizer,  and  always 
examined  a  proposition  which  was  laid  before  him  with  great  care,  in  business  as 
well  as  other  matters.  During  a  period  of  full  thirty  years  before  his  death,  long 
before  I  knew  him,  he  gave  much  of  his  time  and  thought  and  action  to  the  cause 
of  the  abolition  of  slavery.1  He  was  neither  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  publicly 
denounce  the  system  at  any  time  or  in  any  place.  I  have  often  heard  him  say  that 
he  '  would  kill  any  man  whom  he  might  see  taking  a  slave  back  into  slavery,  rather 
than  allow  him  to  do  it."  He  always  declared  his  creed  to  be,  '  He  that  stealeth  a 
man  and  selleth  him,  shall  be  put  to  death ' — '  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth.' 

1  He  was  associated  from  the  beginning  with  the  band  of  those  citizens  of  our  Northern  States 
who,  in  defiance  of  then  existing  laws,  were  conductors  of  the  Underground  Railway,"  whose  trains 
ran  mostly  at  night  and  gave  no  return  tickets."  The  passengers  were  ths  fleeing  slaves. — THB 
EDITOR. 


384  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"All  the  while  I  knew  him  he  put  his  abolition  principles  severely  into  practice. 
He  rigidly  refused  to  use  rice  or  sugar  or  any  other  product  from  the  slave  States, 
fearing  he  might  encourage  the  slave  power.  He  even  refused  coffee  when  a  guest 
at  my  home  or  on  our  journeys,  unless  he  was  quite  sure  that  it  was  the  product  of 
free  labor. 

"His  eldest  four  sons  removed  to  Kansas  in  1854,  and  Brown  himself  followed 
them  about  the  year  1855  with  his  family.  During  the  bloody  drama  enacted 
there  in  1856-57,  in  which  he  gained  laurels  at  Ossawattomie  in  the  border  warfare, 
his  son,  Frederick  Brown,  was  murdered  before  his  eyes.  This  act,  no  doubt, 
boiled  John  Brown's  opinions  on  slavery  to  overflow,  and  brought  to  culmination 
his  long-cherished  and  misguided  plan  for  its  overthrow  [a  plot  to  furnish  the  slaves 
with  arms  and  incite  them  to  rise  in  revolt],  upon  which  he  had  deliberated  for  full 
twenty  years.  I  think  it  was  soon  after  the  assassination  of  this  son  that  he  began 
maturing  his  secret  scheme. 

"  I  have  been  told  that  a  small  circle  of  his  intimate  and  trusted  friends  among 
the  Abolitionists  were  made  acquainted  as  early  as  1858  with  the  fact  that  he  early 
intended  a  raid  of  some  sort.  But  he  did. not  make  his  project  known  to  the  most  of 
us,  nor  did  he  even  visit  us  while  perfecting  it,  having  fears,  no  doubt,  that  we 
would  antagonize  his  purpose,  knowing  that  he  would  receive  our  strong  dis- 
approval of  his  proposed  method  of  action." 

Twenty-one  years  after  his  execution  at  Charlestown,  Va., 
his  old  friend,  the  Hon.  Frederick  Douglass,  claiming  in  an  elo- 
quent address  that  "John  Brown's  zeal  in  the  cause  of  liberty 
resulted  in  the  immediate  cause  of  the  war  between  the  Northern 
and  Southern  States  of  our  Union,"  used  the  following  expressive 
language  : 

"If,"  said  he,  "John  Brown  did  not  end  the  war  that  ended 
slavery,  he  at  least  begun  the  war  that  ended  slavery.  If  we  look 
over  the  dates,  places,  and  men  for  which  this  honor  is  claimed, 
we  shall  find  that  not  Carolina,  but  Virginia;  not  Fort  Sumter, 
but  Harper's  Ferry  and  the  arsenals;  not  Major  Anderson,  but 
John  Brown,  began  the  war  that  ended  American  slavery  and 
made  this  a  republic.  Until  this  blow  was  struck  the  prospect 
for  freedom  was  dim,  shadowy,  and  uncertain.  The  irrepressible 
conflict  was  one  of  words,  votes,  and  compromises.  When  John 
Brown  stretched  forth  his  arm,  the  sky  was  cleared,  the  armed 
hosts  of  freedom  stood  face  to  face  over  the  chasm  of  a  broken 
union,  and  the  clash  of  arms  was  at  hand."1 

Sixteen  days  after  John  Brown's  unsuccessful  attempt  at  Har- 
per's Ferry  to  lead  the  slaves  to  liberty,  in  which  several  lives 
were  sacrificed  on  both  sides,  among  them  his  two  sons,  Watson 
and  Oliver  Brown,  and  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Thompson,  the  sen- 

lTAe  Century,  July,  1883. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  \ST.  385 

tence  from  which  he  suffered  the  penalty  of  death  was  pronounced 
against  him  by  a  Virginia  court  at  Charlestown,  where  he  had 
been  taken  for  trial.  He  was  declared,  "  Guilty  of  treason 
against  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia,  conspiring  and  advising 
with  negroes  and  others  to  produce  insurrection,  and  of  murder 
in  the  first  degree." 

In  his  defense  he  refused  to  acknowledge  any  intention  of  com- 
mitting murder  or  treason.  From  first  to  last  he  adhered  to  the 
statement  that  he  was  not  in  any  way  guilty  at  the  bar  of  his  own 
conscience. 

Froude  once  said,  "  High  treason  is  either  the  greatest  of 
crimes,  or  the  noblest  of  virtues,"  and  "  which  it  is,"  says  Stearns, 
"depends  upon  the  circumstances  of  the  case." 

The  incidents  and  conditions  during  the  brief  interval  between 
his  capture  and  his  death  were  touching  in  the  extreme.  He  was 
shackled  at  the  ankles,  and  fastened  by  a  large  chain  to  the  floor 
of  his  prison  cell,  though  there  was  little  need  of  this  precaution, 
for  during  much  of  the  period  he  was  confined  to  a  pallet  disabled 
by  severe  wounds  which  he  received  while  defending  his  little 
party  in  the  historic  engine-house  which  was  his  citadel  at  Har- 
per's Ferry.  With  his  efforts  blasted,  and  his  plot  overthrown, 
stricken  down  and  helpless,  he  appeared  entirely  resigned  to  bow 
before  his  fate  ;  while  affecting  nothing  heroic,  he  yielded  the  pur- 
suit of  his  long  devised  purpose  with  resolute  and  courageous 
fortitude,  steadfastly  clinging  to  a  strong  and  lively  faith  in  the 
ultimate  successful  issue  of  the  cause  he  was  serving  in  sincerity 
of  heart. 

"  I  can,"  he  writes  to  his  family,  "  trust  God  with  both  the  time 
and  the  manner  of  my  death,  believing  as  I  now  do  that  for  me 
at  this  time  to  seal  my  testimony  for  God  and  humanity  with  my 
blood,  will  do  vastly  more  toward  advancing  the  cause  I  have 
earnestly  endeavored  to  promote  than  all  I  have  done  in  my  life 
before.  I  beg  you  all  meekly  and  quietly  to  submit  to  this,  not 
feeling  yourselves  in  the  least  degraded  on  that  account. 

"  May  God  Almighty  comfort  all  your  hearts,  and  soon  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  your  eyes  !  Think  of  the  crushed  millions 
who  'have  no  comforter.'  I  charge  you  all  never  in  your  trials 
to  forget  the  griefs  '  of  the  poor  that  cry,  and  of  those  that  have 
none  to  help  them.'  " 

"  Tell  our  children,"  said  he,  in  the  pathetic  and  only  interview 


386  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

he  had  with  his  wife  in  his  cell,  "  that  their  father  died  without  a 
single  regret  for  the  course  he  has  pursued — that  he  is  satisfied 
that  he  is  right  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  of  all  just  men."  ' 

He  declared  in  another  letter  :  "  The  near  approach  of  my  great 
change  is  not  the  occasion  of  any  particular  dread." 

When  he  came  to  the  scaffold  he  walked,  never  faltering  in  his 
step,  to  the  platform  and  waited  in  silence.  To  the  end  he  was 
calm  and  dignified  in  bearing,  gentle  and  resigned,  meeting  his 
death  with  perfect  composure. 

At  the  time  of  his  execution,  December  2,  1859,  his  family  was 
residing  on  a  farm  at  North  Elba,  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the 
Adirondack  Mountains.  To  this  spot  his  body  was  conveyed  for 
burial.  He  had  made  the  request,  "  When  1  die,  bury  me  by  the 
big  rock  where  I  loved  to  sit  and  read  the  Word  of  God,"  and 
here  he  was  laid  in  the  frozen  ground,  on  Thursday  the  8th,  a  bleak 
December  day.* 

"  The  body  was  borne  by  six  of  his  neighbors  from  his  own  roof 
to  the  rock  near  by,  under  the  shadow  of  which  he  had  directed  it 
laid.'  The  coffin  had  been  previously  placed  in  front  of  his  door- 
step, where  sympathizing  neighbors  came  to  take  a  last  look. 
Before  leaving  the  house  John  Brown's  favorite  hymn,  'Blow  ye 
the  Trumpet,  Blow,'  was  sung,  and  an  impressive  prayer  was  offered 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Young  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  who  with  others  of 
that  city  had  ridden  all  night  to  be  present.  Remarks  were  then 
made  by  J.  M.  McKim  of  Philadelphia,  followed  by  an  address  by 
Wendell  Phillips  of  Boston,  amid  the  strong  emotion  and  deep 
sympathy  of  the  family  and  friends.  It  was  deeply  touching  to 
see  the  three  widows,  his  wife  and  the  wives  of  his  two  sons, 
Watson  and  Oliver,  leaning  on  the  arms  of  strangers  and  reliev- 
ing their  broken  hearts  by  sobs." 

1  "  Life  and  Letters  of  John  Brown,"  by  F.  B.  Sanford,  p.  586. 

4  The  "  John  Brown  Farm,"  at  North  Elba,  was  purchased  in  1869  by  a  syndicate,  Kate  Field, 
Sinclair  Tousey,  the  sons  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  several  other  admirers  of  John  Brown, 
and  held  as  a  reserve  till  January,  1896,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  State  of  New  York  to  be 
used  as  a  public  park,  the  old  homestead  and  his  grave  to  be  preserved.  A  monument  is  to  be 
erected.  The  place  is  annually  visited  by  hundreds  of  tourists. 

3  The  epitaphs  inscribed  on  a  tombstone  near  the  bowlder  are  as  follows  :  "  In  memory  of  Capn 
John  Brown  [See  Captain  John  Brown,  chapter  xlix.  p.  378],  who  died  at  New- York  Sept.  ye  3, 
1776,  in  the  48th  of  his  age."  Below  this  is  the  following  inscription  :  "John  Brown,  born  May 
9, 1800,  was  executed  at  Charlestown,  Va.,  Dec,  2,  1859."  Close  to  the  ground  is  still  another 
inscription:  "Oliver  Brown,  born  March  9,  1837,  killed  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Oct.  17,  1859."  ^n 
the  other  side  of  the  tombstone  is  the  inscription  :  "  In  memory  of  Frederick,  son  of  John  and 
Dianthe  Brown,  born  Dec.  21,  1830,  and  murdered  at  Ossawattomie,  Kansas,  Oct.  30,  1856,  for 
his  adhesion  to  the  cause  of  freedom."  Still  another  inscription  on  this  side  of  the  stone  reads  : 
"  Watson  Brown,  born  October  7,  1835  ;  wounded  October  17,  and  died  October  19,  1859." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  \ST.  387 

Says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lundy  :  "  His  simple  gravestone  in  his  old 
favorite  resort  behind  a  great  bowlder  in  his  beloved  North  Elba, 
where  he  came  to  read  his  Bible,  pray,  and  meditate,  is  the  noblest 
monument  through  which  to  perpetuate  the  name  and  the  memory 
of  human  greatness. 

"  As  a  prophet,  he  foresaw  and  foretold  the  great  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  .  .  As  a  hero  he  did  what  he  could,  almost  single- 
handed,  both  in  Kansas  and  Virginia,  to  rouse  the  nation,  or  at 
least  the  servile  portion  of  it,  to  make  this  Republic  in  reality 
what  it  was  only  in  name — a  land  of  freemen. 

"His  confidence  in  the  negro  character  being  misplaced  and 
mistaken,  there  was  no  uprising  as  he  had  expected,  and  John 
Brown  suffered  a  capital  sentence. 

"  It  was  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  remarkable  executions 
that  has  ever  occurred  in  history.  It  produced  a  profound  im- 
pression throughout  this  country  and  Europe,  and  did  much  to 
make  John  Brown  one  of  the  foremost  figures  of  the  Western 
World.  His  tragic  end  did  as  much  as  anything  else  to  pre- 
cipitate the  final  and  distressing  conflict  between  Slavery  and 
Freedom." 

"  One  of  the  most  dramatic  acts  of  the  life  of  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  belonged  to  this  epoch.  It  was  in  the  old  Broadway 
Tabernacle,  New  York  City,  which  was  packed  from  floor  to 
ceiling.  The  chains  with  which  John  Brown  had  been  bound  had 
been  brought  into  the  meeting,  and  lay  upon  the  table  upt>n  the 
platform.  The  orator  kindled  as  he  spoke;  the  chains  before 
him  became  a  symbol  of  the  chains  that  bound  the  wrists  of  three 
million  slaves,1  and  in  an  outburst  of  passion  he  seized  upon 
them,  cast  them  upon  the  floor,  and  ground  them  beneath  his 
heel  as  though  he  would  then  and  there  grind  the  whole  power  of 
slavery  to  dust  beneath  his  feet.  The  effect  was  indescribable. 
The  whole  audience  cheered  till  the  roof  rang,  and  all  hearts 
took  a  new  vow  to  march  on  till  every  chain  should  be  broken 
and  every  siave  set  free. " " 

Let  us  sit  down  by  his  grave  at  North  Elba,  and  read  his  last 
touching  letter  written  to  his  kinsman,  the  Rev.  Luther  Hum- 
phrey, twelve  days  before  his  execution: 

CHARLESTOWN,  JEFFERSON  Co.,  VA.,  isth  November,  1859. 
"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND — Your  kind  letter  of  the  twelfth  inst.  is  now  before  me. 
So  far  as  my  knowledge  goes  as  to  our  mutual  kindred,  I  suppose  I  am  the  first 

1  Three  millions  and  upward.        *  "  Life  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,"  by  Lyman  Abbott,  D.  D.,p.  145. 


388  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

since  the  landing  of  Peter  Brown  from  the  Mayflower  that  has  either  been  sen- 
tenced to  imprisonment  or  the  gallows.  But,  my  dear  old  friend,  let  not  that  fact 
alone  grieve  you.  You  cannot  have  forgotten  how  and  where  our  grandfather 
(Captain  John  Brown)  fell  in  1776,'  and  he  too  might  have  perished  on  the  scaffold 
had  circumstances  been  but  very  little  different. 

"  The  fact  that  a  man  dies  under  the  hand  of  an  executioner,  or  otherwise,  has  but 
little  to  do  with  his  true  character,  as  I  suppose.  .  .  Whether  I  have  any  reason  to 
be  of  '  good  cheer,'  or  not,  in  view  of  my  end,  I  can  assure  you  that  I  feel  so.  .  .  I 
feel  neither  mortified,  degraded,  nor  in  the  least  ashamed  of  my  imprisonment,  my 
chains,  or  my  near  prospect  of  death  by  hanging.  .  .  I  should  be  sixty  years  old 
were  I  to  live  till  May  gth,  1860.  I  have  enjoyed  much  of  life  as  it  is,  and  have 
been  remarkably  prosperous,  having  early  learned  to  regard  the  welfare  and  pros- 
perity of  others  as  my  own.  I  have  never,  since  I  can  remember,  required  a  great 
amount  of  sleep,  so  that  I  conclude  that  I  have  already  enjoyed  full  an  average 
number  of  waking  hours  with  those  who  reach  their  '  three  score  years  and  ten.' 
I  have  not  as  yet  been  driven  to  the  use  of  glasses,  but  can  still  see  to  read  and 
write  quite  comfortably.  But  more  than  that,  I  have  generally  enjoyed  remark- 
ably good  health.  I  might  go  on  to  recount  unnumbered  and  unmerited  blessings, 
among  which  would  be  some  very  severe  afflictions,  and  those  the  most  needed 
blessings  of  all.  And  now,  when  I  think  how  easily  I  might  be  left  to  spoil  all  -I 
have  done  and  suffered  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  I  would  hardly  dare  risk  another 
voyage,  even  if  I  had  the  opportunity.  It  is  a  long  time  since  we  met,  but  we  shall 
now  soon  come  together  in  our  Father's  house,  I  trust.  Let  us  hold  that  fast 
which  we  already  have,  remembering  that  '  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not.' 

"  Thanks  be  ever  unto  God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord. 

"And  now,  my  old,  warm-hearted  friend — Good-bye. 

"Your  affectionate  cousin, 

"JOHN  BROWN."2 

"And  now,  indeed,"  writes  Doctor  Lundy,  "his  'soul  goes 
marching  on.'  Under  the  shadow  of  the  grand  mountain  peak — 
old  Whiteface — 

"  '  John  Brown's  body  lies  a-moldering  in  the  grave,' 

as  the  most  precious  treasure  held  in  the  trust  and  keeping  of 
those  everlasting  hills.  His  name  shall  for  ages  to  come  connect 
the  Adirondacks  and  human  liberty  together." 

Thus  John  Brown  laid  down  his  life,  giving  lofty  expression  of 
his  faithfulness  and  sincerity  to  the  grand  principle  of  human 
rights  and  justice.  He  did  not  live  in  this  life  to  see  "the  sword 
cut  the  fetter,"  but  from  the  height  of  some  far  away  celestial 
hill,  out  of  reach  of  the  clank  of  chains,  the  jeers  of  the  hooting 
crowd,  and  the  turmoil  and  ghastly  sights  of  war,  he  saw  the 

1  See  sketch  of  Captain  John  Brown,  chapter  xlix.  p.  378.  a  From  the  original  letter. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  \ST.  389 

complete  fulfillment  of  his  purpose,  and  the  end  which  his  clear, 
far-away  vision  had  traced.  Only  three  years,  less  one  month, 
from  the  day  of  his  death  the  shackles  of  more  than  three  mil- 
lions of  slaves  in  the  United  States  of  America  were  loosened  by 
proclamation  of  President  Abraham  Lincoln. 

NOTE. — A  marble  bust  of  John  Brown,  executed  by  E.  A.  Brackett,  was  unveiled 
on  Emancipation  Day,  January  i,  1863,  in  Medford,  Mass.  It  was  afterward  placed 
on  exhibition  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 

A  handsome  memorial  gold  medal  in  honor  of  John  Brown,  modeled  by  the 
Brussels  artist,  Wurder,  was  presented  to  Mrs.  Brown  by  distinguished  French 
citizens  in  1874.  Among  those  who  did  this  graceful  act  were  Victor  Hugo  and 
Louis  Blanc.  The  presentation  was  accompanied  by  a  highly  gratifying  address. 
The  inscription  is  as  follows  : 

"  A  la  memoire  de  John  Brown,  assassine  juridiquement  a  Charleston,  le  2 
decembre  1859.  Et  a  celle  de  ses  fils  et  de  ses  compagnons  morts,  victimes  deleur 
de'vouement  a  la  cause  de  la  liberte  des  noirs." 

An  iron  steamer  built  at  London,  which  plies  on  the  coast  of  West  Africa  for  the 
use  of  the  colored  missionaries  at  British  Sherbro,  fitly  bears  the  name  of  John 
Brown. 


26 


CHAPTER   LI. 

HESTER    HIGLEY    CASE. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  100. 
Hester,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Love  I  esteem  more  strong  than  age,  and  truth  more  permanent  than  time — MRS.  JAMESON. 

HESTER,  the  fifth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  was  born 
December  3,  1719,  and  married  in  1740  Captain  Josiah  Case, 
whose  father,  the  Hon.  James  Case,  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut General  Assembly  for  a  number  of  years.  Captain 
Case  was  born  1717. 

Of  the  Case  family  there  were  many  members  in  successive 
generations  who  bore  military  titles.  Its  ancestors  settled  in 
Simsbury  as  early  as  1669,  and  founded  a  numerous  and  highly 
respected  family  line.  There  have  been  numerous  intermarriages 
with  the  Higleys  and  their  relations  among  the  descendants. 

Captain  Josiah  Case  and  Hester  first  settled  at  Terry's  Plain. 
Great  difficulties  and  disagreements  in  the  old  parish  at  Sims- 
bury  led  to  the  formation  of  a  new  settlement  and  church  society 
in  West-Simsbury,  now  Canton.  To  this  neighborhood  Captain 
Case,  with  his  wife,  removed  about  the  year  1743,  becoming  the 
owners  of  lands  which,  since  that  time,  have  been  held  by  their 
descendants — their  grandson,  General  Jarvis  Case,  having  occu- 
pied the  old  homestead  on  Chestnut  Hill 1  till  after  the  middle  of 
the  present  century. 

During  a  married  life  extending  through  a  period  of  nearly 
half  a  century,  they  dignified  human  existence  in  their  domestic 
relations  by  the  practice  of  love  and  sweetness  of  temper.  It  is 
recorded  of  them  that  they  lived  together  in  the  full  enjoyment 
of  uninterrupted  happiness,  and  that  they  were  constantly  spoken 
of  by  their  friends  and  neighbors  as  a  living  example  of  conjugal 
felicity. 

Captain  Josiah  Case  died  November  21,  1789.  Hester  Higley, 
his  wife,  died  September  15,  1807,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Their 
children  : 

Lois,  born  1741,  died  March   21,  1759.     James,  born  April  2, 

1  Known  also  as  East  Hill  school-district. 
390 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,\ST.  391 

1744;  married  first,  Phebe  Tuller,  second,  Lydia  Case.  He  died 
January  7,  1822.  Hester,  born  May  16,  1745;  married  first, 
Thomas  Case;  her  second  marriage  was  to  Carmi  Higley,  her 
first  cousin,  and  her  third,  to  Abram  Pinney.  Hannah  was  born 
June  23,  1749,  and  married  Amos  Wilcox;  she  died  September 
5,  1833,  aged  eighty-three.  Betty,  born  April  26,  1752,  married 
John  Barber;  she  died  May  26,  1817.  Captain  Fithen,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1758,  married  Amarilla  Humphrey;  he  died  1829. 

The  last-named  were  the  parents  of  General  Jarvis  Case  of 
Canton,  who  distinguished  himself  by  organizing  the  "Canton 
Cadets  "  which,  it  is  said,  took  precedence  as  being  the  finest 
military  company  in  Connecticut.  General  Case  was  first  captain 
of  this  company,  then  colonel,  and  afterward  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  general  under  the  old  militia  law. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

JOHN    HIGLEY,   SR. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  100. 

John,  Sr.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  Sic  transit  gloria  munde."  > 

THE  sixth  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist,  was  baptized  John. 
His  birth,  which  took  place  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  is  thus 
recorded : 

"John  Higley,  Ye  fourth  son  of  Bruster  Higley  was  born  febuary  iyth  1722."* 

He  was  trained  in  the  home  circle  to  the  same  sound  principles 
and  example  of  industry  which  characterized  the  heads  of  that 
well-governed  household. 

Of  his  youth  there  is  little  trace.  Later  on  his  life  is  found  to 
have  been  one  of  stimulated  energy.  There  are  many  signs  of 
him  having  borne  his  full  part  in  the  responsible  public  interests 
of  the  town. 

"  At  ye  Town  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Simsbury  Regularly  assembled  for  the 
Choice  of  Town  Officers  on  the  Third  monday,  being  the  Twentieth  day  of  Decem- 
ber A.  D.  1756,  John  Higley  was  chosen  a  Collector  to  Collect  ye  Town  Rates  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  Salmon  Brook  Society  for  ye  year  Ensuing  ;  Alsoe,  John  Higley  was 
chosen  Constable  for  the  year  ensuing." 

Appointments  of  minor  importance,  from  the  time  he  was  yet 
a  young  man,  fell  to  his  lot,  such  as  fence-viewing,  leather- 
sealer,  grand  juror,  etc.,  and  as  has  been  stated  in  the  narrative 
of  his  sister  Elizabeth  (Higley)  Mills,  he  was  intrusted  with  the 
collection  of  the  Church  society  tithes. 

He  was  well-to-do  in  the  world,  receiving  lands  by  deed  from 
his  father  while  his  father  was  yet  living,  and  at  his  decease  he 
inherited  a  legacy  of  additional  lands,  and  two  hundred  pounds 
in  money.  Being  one  of  the  heirs  to  his  mother's  property,  he 
received  his  portion  of  her  estate  at  her  decease. 

During  the  war  between  Great  Britain  and  France,  the  com- 

1  "So  passes  away  the  glory  of  this  world."  *  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  iii.  p.  261. 

393 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,  1ST.  393 

bined  forces  of  the  French  and  Indians,  approaching  from 
Canada,  did  savage  work.  The  Colony  of  Connecticut  gave 
noble  service.  The  State  militia  about  this  time  was  very 
numerous,  according  to  the  population.  It  is  stated  that  early  in 
1759  Connecticut  had  more  than  six  thousand  men  in  actual 
service. 

On  April  18,  1758,  John  Higley,  together  with  his  half  cousin, 
Samuel  Higley,1  joined  the  Provincial  troops,  enlisting  in  Captain 
Nathaniel  Holcombe's  company  of  six-months'  men.  Whether  he 
re-enlisted  at  the  expiration  of  his  time,  the  following  November, 
has  not  been  ascertained. 

When  the  War  of  the  Revolution  required  men,  though  he  was 
now  a  man  of  fifty-four  years,  lacking  only  one  year  of  the  limit 
in  age,  he  again  served  his  country,  enlisting  in  Company  8, 
i8th  Regiment  of  the  Connecticut  Militia,  under  Captain  John 
Brown,  his  cousin  by  marriage.  He  arrived  in  New  York  and 
joined  the  army  August  19,  1776. 

John  Higley  married,  about  1745, — the  exact  date  not  appear- 
ing,— Apphia,  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Jonathan  and  Mercy 
(Ruggles)  Humphrey,  and  great-grandchild  of  Michael  Hum- 
phrey of  Windsor,  Conn.,  the  ancestor  of  all  the  Connecticut 
families  by  that  name.  Apphia  Humphrey  was  born  May  9,  1726. 

They  resided  on  the  line  between  old  Simsbury  and  what  was 
afterward  the  town  of  Canton,  though  the  most  of  his  lands  lay 
within  the  Simsbury  boundary. 

The  parish  of  Canton  was  established,  and  the  first  Congrega- 
tional church  organized,  in  1750.  It  does  not  appear  that  John 
and  Apphia  Higley  joined  this  parish,  but  continued  their  con- 
nection with  the  old  church  at  Simsbury. 

Apphia  Higley  died  August  27,  1762.  Her  tombstone  is  still 
standing  in  the  ancient  burial  ground  in  Simsbury. 

John  Higley's  second  marriage  was  with  a  "Widow"  Clark. 
He  appears  about  the  time  of  this  marriage  to  have  been  baptized 
into  the  Church  of  England  at  St.  Andrews,  Bloomfield,  five  miles 
distant. 

He  died  May,  1802,  aged  eighty  years. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1802,  his  son,  John  Higley,  Jr.  (or  2d), 
and  two  men  of  New  Hartford  were  appointed  administrators  to 
his  estate.  They  gave  bond  for  two  thousand  dollars.  The 
inventory  *  amounted  to  $1740.90. 

1  Son  of  Nathaniel  Higley.  *  "  Simsbury  Probate  Records,"  book  vi.  p.  223. 


394  THE  HIGLEY S  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY. 

John  and  Apphia  (Humphrey)  Higley  had  children  as  follows  : 
Apphia,  born  March  27,  1746;  John,  Jr.  (zd),  born  February  i, 
1748;  Carmi,  born  May  16,  1749;  Rosanna,  of  whom  no  data  is 
found  and  probably  did  not  survive  infancy;  Isaac,  born  June  22, 
1753;  Obed,  born  October  25,  1757;  and  Eber,  baptized  July  17, 
1763.  By  second  wife:  Roger,  baptized  January  13,  1765;  Martha, 
baptized  June  29,  1766;  and  Job,  baptized  July  31,  1768. 

APPHIA,  the  eldest,  born  March  27,  1746,  married,  March  n, 
1767,  Jared  Mills  of  Canton,  and  became  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren. She  died  1783.  Her  husband,  Elder  Jared  Mills,  was 
afterward  twice  married.  In  1808  he  was  ordained  by  the  Baptist 
Church  to  preach. 

JOHN  HIGLEY,  Jr.  (2d),  the  eldest  son  of  John,  Sr.,  and 
Apphia  (Humphrey)  Higley,  was  born  February  14,  1748.  His- 
torical information  concerning  him  is  very  meager.  He  married 

Dibble,1  probably  during  the  year  1772.  The  given  name 

of  his  wife  cannot  be  discovered.  They  resided  on  the  farm 
which  had  belonged  to  his  father,  which  lay  in  the  northwest 
part  of  the  Farm's  school  district  in  West  Simsbury  or  Canton. 
The  "  ear-mark  "  granted  him  for  his  cattle,  sheep,  and  swine 
was  placed  upon  the  town  records  February  3,  1784. 

John  Higley,  Jr.,  was  one  of  three  administrators  to  his 
father's  estate.  He  died  in  1802,  a  few  months  after  his  father's 
decease. 

Five  children  were  born  to  John  Higley,  Jr.  (2d),  and  his  wife, 
viz. : 

Hannah,  born  March  25,  1773;  John,  3d,  born  November  12, 
1774;  Lois,  born  October  i,  1776,  who  died  in  childhood;  Timothy, 
born  November  30,  1781;  Dan,  born  December  22,  1789. 

HANNAH,  the  eldest  child,  born  March  25,  1773,  married 
Abraham  Barber,  Jr.,  the  grandson  of  Sergeant  Thomas  Barber, 
a  leading  character  of  his  day.  Abraham  Barber  was  born  1767. 
They  resided  in  Canton. 

JOHN  HIGLEY,  3d,  and  eldest  son  of  John  Higley,  Jr.  (or  2d), 
and  the  third  in  this  line,  was  born  November  12,  1774.  He 
married,  in  1796,  Lodama,  the  daughter  of  Simeon  Messenger  of 
Barkhamstead,  one  of  the  old  Simsbury  families.  Simeon  Mes- 

1  The  Dibbles  were  descendants  of  Thomas  Dibble,  an  early  settler  at  Dorcester,  Mass.,  and  of 
Windsor,  Conn.  John  Higley,  Jr.'s  wife  probably  belonged  to  one  of  the  families  then  residing  at 
Salmon  Brook,  a  few  miles  from  Simsbury,  Conn. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER   IIIGLEY,\ST.  395 

senger  was  the  fourth  of  the  fifteen  children  of  Isaac  Messenger,1 
whose  father,  Joseph  Messenger,  removed  to  West  Simsbury  in 
1742,  being  the  first  by  the  name  who  settled  there.  Lodama 
Messenger  was  born  April  i,  1780.  John,  3d,  and  Lodama  Higley 
settled  upon  the  farm  in  Canton  that  had  been  occupied  by  his 
grandfather  and  father.  John  Higley,  3d,  though  he  had  some 
unfortunate  habits,  was  known  as  a  hardworking  man,  and  bore 
the  reputation  in  the  community  for  being  clever  and  talented, 
and  capable  of  accomplishing  almost  any  sort  of  handicraft. 

Lodama  (Messenger)  Higley  died  March  28,  1830.  The  Rev. 
Jarius  Burt  preached  her  funeral  sermon  from  the  text,  Hebrews 
xii.  14.  John  Higley,  3d,  died  in  Canton  May  i,  1833,  on  the 
farm  upon  which  he  was  born.  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached 
from  the  text,  Ecclesiastes  xii.  7,  by  the  same  minister  :  "Then 
shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was  :  and  the  spirit  shall 
return  unto  God  who  gave  it." 

John,  3d,  and  Lodama  (Messenger)  Higley  had  a  large  family — 
eleven  children.  They  were  as  follows  : 

Apphia,  Pamelia,  Jasper,  Dency,  William,  Alanson,  Jfayden, 
Harriet,  Coy,  Charles,  and  Julina. 

APPHIA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  August 
23,  1798,  and  married,  1817,  Amos  Oviatt  of  Milford,  Conn., 
where  they  resided.  She  died  November  5,  1820.  They  had 
one  child,  viz.  : 

ORIN  W.  OVIATT,  who  was  born  May,  1820.  He  was  an  infant  six  months 
old  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  decease.  He  became  the  ward  of  his  uncles, 
Alanson  and  Hayden  Higley.  When  he  became  of  age  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  on 
the  1st  of  December,  1842,  married  Delia  Wadsworth  of  Monroe  Falls,  Summit 
County,  in  that  State.  They  resided  in  the  towns  of  Edinburg  and  Wadsworth,  O., 
till  the  spring  of  1852,  when  they  removed  to  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and  lived  there 
twelve  years.  They  then  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  where  they  remained  till  1887, 
when  they  returned  to  Mr.  Oviatt's  native  town,  Milford,  Conn.  They  finally 
went  to  Chicago,  where  Mrs.  Delia  Oviatt  died  December  n,  1888,  aged  sixty- 
six  years  and  eleven  months.  She  was  buried  at  St.  Joseph,  Mich. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oviatt  were  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Marion  Annett  and  Delia 
Irene. 

MARION  A.,  the  oldest,  married,  in  1866,  Captain  John  H.  Langley,  and  resides 
in  St.  Joseph,  Mich.  They  have  three  children,  viz.: 

John  H.  Langley,  Jr.,  Marion  Bernice,  and  Ruth. 

DELIA  IRENE  married,  in.  1878,  George  Crafton,  and  has  one  child — a  son  named 
Robert  W.  They  reside,  in  Chicago,  111. 

1  Isaac  Messenger  was  one  of  four  residents  of  Canton,  living  neighbors,  who  had  forty  sons 
between  them,  thirty  nine  of  whom  lived  to  manhood. 


396  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

PAMELIA  HIGLEY-STURDIVANT,  the  second  child  of  John  Hig- 
ley,  3d,  and  Lodama  Messenger,  was  born  May  25,  1800.  She 
married  John  Sturdivant  of  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in  1821,  and  died 
January  26,  1888.  They  had  eight  children,  all  born  in  Sims- 
bury,  viz. : 

EMELINE,  born  1822,  who  died  at  Chicopee  Falls,  Mass.,  1842. 

DENCY,  born  1823,  who  married  Loren  Worster  of  Naugatuck,  Conn.,  1840. 
They  had  two  sons,  Charles  Worster,  who  was  accidentally  killed  by  an  explosion 
in  a  powder  mill,  and  Orin,  who  resides  at  Naugatuck. 

ELIZA,  born  1825,  married  John  Potter  1842.  They  had  one  child  Antonette, 
who  married  Luzern  Gunn  and  resides  in  Union  City,  Conn. 

JULINA,  born  1827  and  died  1829. 

HARRIET,  born  1828,  married  Ruggles  Baker,  1846.  They  had  two  children  : 
Ella,  who  married  James  Wright,  and  one  son— James  Baker.  Harriet  L.  Baker 
died,  1885,  at  Naugatuck. 

HENRY,  born  1830,  married  Augusta  Turner,  1859.  They  had  daughters  :  Ida 

and  Carrie,  who  died ,  and  Clara  P.,  who  died  August,  1879.  Henry 

Sturdivant  resides  at  Miles  Grove,  Pa. 

CHARLES,  born  1832,  married  Nettie  Watson  of  Columbus,  O.,  1860.  They  had 
two  sons,  Charles  Watson  and  Frank,  who  reside  in  Miles  Grove,  Pa.  Nettie 
Watson  Sturdivant  died  August  23,  1875. 

SUSAN,  born  1838,  married  Alonzo  H.  Turner,  and  resided  at  Union  City,  Conn. 
She  died  September  T2,  1887,  leaving  no  children. 

JASPER  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama 
(Messenger)  Higley,  was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  March  9,  1802, 
and  married  Laura  Haskins,  1825.  She  was  born  September, 
1805.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
after  which  he  was  for  a  few  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Kelloggs, 
machine  builders,  of  Hartford,  Conn.  He  then  went  into  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Simsbury.  He  embraced  religion  while  yet  a 
young  man,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Church.  Later  on,  an 
unfortunate  internal  injury  destroyed  his  health,  causing  him 
much  suffering  the  remainder  of  his  life.  This  stopped  his  busi- 
ness, and  brought  his  family  into  reduced  circumstances.  He 
died  August  20,  1840.  He  was  known  as  an  honest-hearted 
citizen.  His  wife  died  December  16,  1893,  aged  eighty-eight 
years.  She  had  married  a  second  time.  Jasper  and  Laura 
(Haskins)  Higley  had  two  children,  viz. :  Wilson  and  Elizabeth  P. 

WILSON  HIGLEY,  born  March  27,  1827,  married  July  8,  1849,  Sabra  A.  Tuller. 
They  had  five  children  : 

Franklin  P.,  Eugene,  William,  Rosa,  who  died  young,  and  Charles.  His  wife, 
Sabra  A.  Higley,  died  March  9,  1879. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BRE  WSTER  HIGLE  Y,  1ST.  397 

ELIZABETH  P.,  born  January  9,  1836,  married,  September  II,   1853,  Dwight 
Gates,  and  had  four  children  : 
Juliette,  Ida,  Emily,  and  Laura.     They  reside  in  Simsbury. 

DENCY  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama 
(Messenger)  Higley  [page  395],  was  born  December  13,  1803, 
and  married  Orin  Case  of  Barkhamstead,  Conn.  They  emigrated 
to  the  State  of  Ohio  in  1822,  making  the  journey  of  six  weeks 
with  an  ox  team.  They  settled  at  Ridgeville,  O.  Later  in  life 
they  removed  to  Iowa.  Their  children  were  Seymour,  Alanson, 
and  Austin. 

AUSTIN  CASE  resides  in  Milford,  la.  He  married  [date  not  given]  and  has  an 
interesting  family.  He  is  a  highly  respected  and  influential  citizen.  His  son, 
Eugene,  who  is  postmaster  of  the  town,  is  a  clever,  enterprising  young  man  of 
excellent  standing.  Mrs.  Dency  (Higley)  Case  died  of  pneumonia,  in  Iowa,  Janu- 
ary 24,  1879.  From  the  Okoboy  paper  the  following  is  taken  :  "  Mrs.  Dency  Case 
was  the  mother  of  Austin  Case,  Esqr.,  and  was  highly  respected  and  esteemed  by 
all  who  knew  her.  She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  died  in  the  full  assurance  of  life  beyond  the  grave.  Few  women  lived  who 
possessed  a  warmer  heart  or  more  lovable  nature  ;  endowed  with  purest  womanly 
virtues,  she  was  ever  sympathizing,  genial,  and  a  faithful  friend.  Of  her  it  may 
truly  be  said,  '  The  world  is  better  for  her  having  lived.'  " 

WILLIAM  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama 
(Messenger)  Higley,  was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  June  25,  1806. 
He  married  Lydia  J.  Matson  of  Granby,  Conn.,  about  1825. 
They  resided  in  Hartford  County,  Connecticut.  He  died,  1839. 

They  had  four  children,  viz.  : 

JULIA  ANN,  born  1827,  who  married  Truman  A.  Case,  and  has  two  daughters, 
Nellie  and  Rosie.  They  reside  in  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

MILES  PORTER,  born  October  7,  1830  ;  served  in  the  late  Civil  War  with  the 
Federal  forces.  He  died  before  the  close  of  the  war  of  disease  contracted  in  the 
field. 

WILLIAM  EMERSON,  born  in  Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  October  7,  1835  ; 
married,  March  I,  1870,  Clara  S.  Ingham  of  Middletown,  Conn.  They  reside  in 
Chicago,  where  the  following  children  were  born  : 

William  Lewis,  born  February  I,  1871  ;  died  September  10,  1871.  Clara 
Julia,  born  April  15,  1872.  Walter,  born  October  12,  1874  ;  died  May  4,  1884. 
Arthur  Montague,  born  June  9,  1876,  and  Clinton  Emerson,  born  July  12,  1879. 

WILBURT  J.,  the  youngest  child  of  William  and  Lydia  J.  (Matson)  Higley,  born 

1838  ;  married  ,  and  has  five  children.     They  reside  in  Sullivan  County, 

Pennsylvania.     No  data  furnished. 


398  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ALANSON  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  John,  3<3,  and  Lodama  (Mes- 
senger) Higley  [page  395],  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  July  26, 
1808,  and  married  November  i,  1830,  Mary  Carlton  of  Derry, 
N.  H.  She  was  born  June  20,  1811.  Alanson  Higley  was  a  man 
of 'fine  physique,  full  of  animation  and  hilarity,  popular  with  his 
friends,  and  counted  a  "jovial  good  fellow."  The  responsibili- 
ties of  bringing  up  a  family  of  nine  children  fell  largely  upon  the 
excellent  wife  and  mother,  a  woman  of  sterling  qualities,  gifted 
with  wise  strength,  uniting  action  with  much  thoughtfulness  and 
lovableness  of  character.  Alanson  Higley  died  December  29, 
1869.  They  resided  at  Candia,  N.  H.,  where  their  children 
were  born,  viz. : 

Mary  Ann,  Harriet,  JohnH.,  Charles  W.,  Harriet  W.,  2d,  Eben 
N. ,  Albert  A. ,  Sarah  J. ,  and  Hannah  N. 

MARY  ANN,  the  eldest,  born  October  4,  1831  ;  married  William  Benson,  May  8, 
1851.  She  died  December  29,  1852.  They  resided  at  South  Berwick,  Me.  They 
had  one  child,  Sallie,  born  June  I,  1852  ;  died  an  infant. 

HARRIET,  the  second  child,  born  November  6,  1832  ;  died  September  25,  1836. 

JOHN  H.,  the  third  child,  born  November  21,  1834,  at  Candia,  N.  H.  ;  died 
January  10,  1855. 

CHARLES  W.,  born  February,  1837  ;  left  home  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  never 
was  heard  of  after. 

HARRIET  W.,  the  fifth  child  of  Alanson  and  Mary  (Carlton)  Higley,  was  born 
April  22,  1839,  and  married  June  18,  1859,  Ira  T.  Warren.  They  reside  at  Cape 
Elizabeth,  Me.,  where  Mr.  Warren  has  accumulated  a  considerable  property,  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  goodly  portion  of  real  estate  in  the  town  in  which  they  live.  He 
is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  and  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics.  For  near  thirty 
years  he  has  been  an  engineer  on  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railway.  His  wife, 
Harriet  W.  Higley,  is  an  amiable  Christian  woman,  a  friend  true  to  the  core, 
possessing  marked  stability  of  character.  Their  children  are  : 

Mary  Ella,  born  July  22,  1860,  and  died  January  25,  1875  ;  George  F.,  born 
March  9,  1862,  and  Mamie  E.,  born  July  n,  1875. 

EBEN  N.,  the  sixth  child  of  Alanson  and  Mary  (Carlton)  Higley,  was  born 
in  Westford,  Mass.,  May  20,  1843.  His  parents  removed  to  Candia,  N.  H.,  in 
1847,  when  he  was  four  years  old.  Here  his  younger  years  were  spent.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  he  was  "  bound  "  to  a  farmer  in  the  same  town,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained four  years.  He  then  secured  a  situation  in  a  cotton  factory  at  South  Ber- 
wick, Me.,  remaining  with  his  employer  till  the  year  1861.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  went  to  sea  before  the  mast,  enlisting  on  June  I,  1861,  in  the  United  States 
Naval  Service  for  one  year,  from  which  he  was  honorably  discharged,  July  9,  1862. 

Soon  after  the  last  date  he  entered  the  Navy  Yard  at  Kittery,  Me.,  but  deciding 
upon  joining  the  forces  in  the  Civil  War,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  27th  Maine 
Volunteers,  for  nine  months'  service.  The  wing  of  the  army  to  which  his  regiment 
was  assigned  served  mostly  in  Virginia.  On  being  mustered  out,  July  17,  1863,  he 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,\ST.  399 

went  to  Lake  Village,  N.  H.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist.  Here  he  remained 
more  than  a  year.  Before  the  close  of  '64  he  again  entered  the  United  States  Naval 
Service,  and  was  transferred  from  the  receiving  ship  to  the  United  States  Sloop-of- 
War  San  Yacinto.  While  on  a  voyage  she  was  shipwrecked,  January  I,  1865,  on 
No-name  Key,  the  Bahama  Banks,  an  uninhabited  island,  where  the  officers  and 
marines  were  obliged  to  remain  nineteen  days  before  being  taken  off. 

Mr.  Higley  was  then  transferred  to  the  United  States  Ship  Fort  Henry,  and  was 
on  board  when  she  was  sunk  in  the  St.  Marks  River,  Florida.  He  received  his  dis- 
charge July  6,  1865,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  having  served  honorably. 

In  March,  1866,  he  went  to  Great  Falls,  N.  H.,  engaging  with  a  large  manufac- 
turing company.  Here  he  remained  three  years.  March,  1869,  he  began  the  ma- 
chinist business  for  himself,  in  which  he  continued  till  1882,  when  he  sold  out,  and 
being  given  to  practical  thinking,  he  entered  with  some  enthusiasm  into  inventions, 
in  which  he  succeeded  by  virtue  of  his  natural  genius  and  perseverance.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years  his  experiments  had  resulted  in  him  taking  out  above  thirty 
patents,  which,  together  with  mining  interests,  brought  him  a  comfortable  fortune. 
Some  of  his  enterprises  were  of  a  scientific  character. 

Mr.  Higley  is  at  present  the  treasurer  of  the  Beaver  Dam  Mining  Company  of 
Nova  Scotia  ;  the  president  of  the  Golden  Gate  Mining  Company  of  South  Carolina, 
and  president  of  the  Deer  Creek  Gold  Mining  Company  of  Idaho. 

On  December  28,  1868,  he  married  Hannah  B.  Morrison  of  South  Parsonfield, 
Me.  They  have  resided  much  of  their  married  life  at  Somersworth,  N.  H.,  but 
spent  a  few  years  in  New  York  City. 

Eben  and  Hannah  (Morrison)  Higley  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  born 
in  Somersworth,  N.  H.,  viz.  : 

Winfield  C. ,  born  May  12,  1870  ;  died  August  14,  1871.  Maud,  bom  February 
7,  1875  ;  and  Florence,  born  June  I,  1879  ;  died  January  13,  1884. 

ALBERT  A.,  the  seventh  child  of  Alanson  and  Mary  (Carlton)  Higley,  was 
born  February  22,  1845.  When  the  emergency  of  the  Civil  War  demanded 
men,  he  enlisted  in  the  8th  Maine  Regiment,  Company  F,  August  14,  1861. 
He  fell  ill  early  in  the  following  autumn,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge  on 
the  I5th  of  December,  1861,  at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C.  After  remaining  a  few  months 
on  the  coast,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Maine.  His  health  having  improved, 
he  again  enlisted  September  10,  1862,  in  the  27th  Maine  Regiment,  Company  B, 
and  served  his  time,  at  the  expiration  of  which  he  was  honorably  discharged, 
July  17,  1863.  His  health,  however,  became  permanently  impaired  during  his 
war  service.  He  now  resides  in  Eliot,  Me. 

SARAH  J.,  the  eighth  child  of  Alanson  and  Mary  (Carlton)  Higley,  born 
August  26,  1849^  married  David  Stewart  Worster,  July  4,  1878.  Mr.  Worster 
served  his  country  during  the  Civil  War,  enlisting  in  the  14th  Maine  Regiment, 
Company  E,  in  1861,  and  continuing  throughout  the  conflict,  received  an  honor- 
able discharge  at  Augusta,  Me.,  September  n,  1865.  He  was  promoted  to 
the  office  of  sergeant,  and  took  part  in  six  battles.  He  conducts  a  business  in 
carriage  and  sign  painting  in  Deering,  Me.,  where  the  family  now  resides,  and  where 
Mr.  Worster  has  attained  deserved  popularity  both  in  his  line  of  business  and  as  a 
citizen. 

His  wife,  Sarah  J.  Higley,  is  bright,  energetic,  full  of  glowing  feeling,  exempli- 
fying in  her  tasteful  home  and  love  of  home  interests,  to  a  large  degree  the  strongly 


400  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

marked  characteristics  of  the  New  England  woman.  The  study  of  music  has  been 
her  specialty,  in  which  she  has  made  successful  progress. 

Not  having  children  of  their  own,  their  active  sympathies  led  them  to  receive 
into  their  home  two  motherless  boys,  upon  the  training  and  guidance  of  whom  they 
have  spent  much  faithful  endeavor  ;  and  in  1889  they  adopted  a  daughter,  eight 
years  of  age,  whom  they  call  Florence  M.  Worster. 

HANNAH  N.,  the  youngest  child  of  Alanson  and  Mary  (Carl ton)  Higley,  was 
born  December  13,  1851.  From  her  childhood  she  suffered  from  scrofula,  which, 
as  she  grew  in  years,  foreshadowed  an  early  death.  Her  life,  during  which  she 
exhibited  a  lovable,  patient  nature,  closed  at  twenty-three  years  of  age,  February 
8,  1875- 


HAYDEN   HIGLEY. 


CHAPTER   LIII. 

HAYDEN    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  395. 
Hayden,  John,  3d,  John,  Jr.,  John,  Sr.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

There  is  an  unfading  glory  in  the  labors  of  good  men  ;  and  though  death  is  permitted  to  draw 
a  dark  shadow  over  their  persons,  they  will  live  in  the  just  reputation  of  their  good  works. — 
R.  BARCLAY. 

HAYDEN  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  and  fourth  son  of  John,  3d, 
and  Lodama  (Messenger)  Higley,  was  born  at  the  old  farm  home 
in  Canton,  Conn.,  September  13,  1810,  where  his  father  and 
grandfather  had  spent  their  lives.  The  large  family  which  made 
up  the  household,  together  with  limited  means,  caused  his  parents 
to  place  this  son  in  a  situation,  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years, 
away  from  home.  He  lived  in  different  places  doing  "chores," 
till  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  went  to  Ansel  Humphrey  of  Canton 
to  learn  the  clothier's  trade,  with  whom  he  remained  two  and  a 
half  years,  receiving  the  first  year  twenty-five  dollars,  and  thirty- 
five  dollars  for  the  second  year. 

From  the  time  that  he  began  earning  for  himself,  a  deep 
longing  took  possession  of  his  heart  to  do  something  for  the  aid 
of  his  younger  sister  Harriet,  who  was  a  deaf  mute.  Resolving 
that  she  should  be  educated  at  the  asylum  for  deaf  mutes  founded 
by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Gaudalet  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  he  put  forth 
his  best  efforts  to  raise  the  required  means,  and  by  untiring  zeal 
and  earnest  labor  he  met  with  success.  She  entered  the  school 
and  was  supported  by  him  for  three  years. 

Under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Jairus  Burt,  and  during  the 
time  of  a  great  revival  in  Canton,  Hayden  became  a  professor  of 
religion,  uniting  with  the  Congregational  Church  in  Novem- 
ber, 1827.  On  the  same  day  130  persons  were  received  into 
membership. 

The  year  1829  he  traveled  in  New  Hampshire  as  a  trunk  sales- 
man, afterward  entering  the  house  of  Freeman  Parker  of  Candia 
in  the  clothing  business,  with  whom  he  continued  two  and  a  half 

401 


402  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

years.  Two  years  later  he  rented  the  woolen  mill  belonging  to 
Mr.  Parker,  and  began  business  for  himself. 

On  the  3ist  of  December,  1835,  he  married  Sabrina  Fitts,  the 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Susanna  (Lane)  Fitts.  She  was  born 
in  Candia,  N.  H.,  May  n,  1813. 

April  i,  1837,  he  purchased  one-half  the  interest  in  a  woolen 
mill  in  West  Epping,  N.  H.,  where  he  remained,  with  David 
Bunker  as  his  partner,  nine  years,  in  the  business  of  carding  wool 
and  dressing  cloth.  While  here  he  attended  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Raymond,  N.  H.,  his  wife  uniting  with  the  same 
church  on  profession  of  her  faith. 

In  1846  he  purchased  Mr.  Bunker's  interest  in  the  mill,  conduct- 
ing the  business  himself  for  two  years.  He  then  accepted  Jacob  E. 
Prescott  as  partner,  enlarging  the  mill  and  extending  the  business. 
For  twelve  years  their  affairs. prospered.  In  1860  he  retired  from 
this  branch  of  business.  Later  on  he  purchased  additional  lands  to 
property  he  already  owned,  fitted  up  a  pkasant  home,  and  opened 
a  small  grocery  business,  which  proved  successful,  till  August  29, 
1878,  when  his  two  business-houses  and  his  dwelling  were  suddenly 
destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Higley,  now  well  on  in  years,  and  having 
had  the  burden  and  care  of  an  active  business  life  for  a  long 
period,  did  not  re-enter  business,  but  erected  a  business  building  on 
one  of  the  lots,  which  his  son-in-law  now  occupies.  As  his  age  ad- 
vanced he  enjoyed  open  air  exercise  on  the  farm  and  in  the  garden. 

On  February  5,  1858,  Hayden  Higley  was  unanimously  elected 
to  the  office  of  deacon  of  the  church  at  Epping,  N.  H.  For 
twenty  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school.  On 
the  28th  of  December,  1866,  he  and  his  wife  severed  their  con- 
nection with  the  Epping  Church,  after  their  removal  to  Raymond, 
N.  H.,  the  town  adjoining. 

His  pastor,  the  Rev.  Josiah  Stearns,  says:  "Deacon  Higley 
was  highly  respected  by  the  community  as  a  man  of  enterprise 
and  integrity  in  business,  ever  acting  the  part  of  a  man  of 
firm  Christian  principle.  This  gave  him  weight  of  character 
which  was  felt  for  good  in  all  his  efforts  for  the  welfare  of  the 
people.  Though  his  home  was  three  miles  from  the  church,  he 
was  very  constant  at  all  the  services,  both  week  days  and  Sun- 
days. In  pecuniary  matters,  whether  for  the  support  of  religious 
institutions  at  home  or  abroad,  he  aided  with  such  cheerful  readi- 
ness as  to  stir  others  to  well  doing.  He  was,  in  fact,  a  pleasant 
friend  and  valuable  helper  to  every  pastor." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLE  Y,  SR.  4°3 

Sherburne  P.  Blake,  clerk  of  the  church  at  Raymond,  N.  H., 
of  which  Deacon  Hayden  Higley  is  a  member,  writes:  "  He  was 
chosen  superintendent  of  our  Sabbath  school  in  the  spring  of 
1864,  and  held  the  position  with  honor  for  five  consecutive  years. 
On  the  lyth  of  May,  1867,  he  was  elected  deacon  in  this  church, 
and  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  its  most  worthy  officials.  He 
was  elected  treasurer  of  the  society  in  1872,  holding  the  position 
five  years,  and  for  many  years  has  served  on  committees  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  church  and  society.  His 
life  in  this  connection  has  been'one  of  steady  labor  in  the  Master's 
vineyard,  the  church  and  society  having  been  regularly,  almost 
without  an  exception,  honored  by  his  presence  at  all  their 
meetings. 

"  His  noble  heart  has  at  all  times  beaten  in  unison  with  God's 
true  followers,  and  his  purse  has  always  been  open  wide  and  deep 
to  aid  in  every  good  word  and  deed.  He  is  found  always  stand- 
ing ready  with  a  kind  persuasive  word  to  any  who  are  grieved  or 
wounded;  always  charitable  in  judgment,  and  in  his  admonitions 
he  evinces  a  Christian  spirit  seldom  equaled.  That  he  may  be 
spared  to  us  for  many  years  to  come  is  the  prayer  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Raymond,  N.  H." 

The  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  in  Raymond,  N.  H.,  was  celebrated  Octo- 
ber 22,  1891.  It  was  a  noteworthy  occasion  of  deep  interest  to 
Deacon  Hayden  Higley,  as  well  as  to  every  citizen  of  the  town. 
Deacon  Higley  was  chosen  one  of  the  three  speakers  to  represent 
"Personal  Reminiscences  "  at  the  evening  session.  For  turning 
the  leaves  of  the  past  he  was  singularly  qualified,  as  his  speech 
gave  evidence,  having  left  the  burden  and  heat  of  many  years 
behind  him,  spent  in  this  and  the  adjoining  town  since  he  was  a 
very  young  man,  and  lived  a  life  fraught  with  much  experience,  a 
life  now  clothed  with  the  wisdom  of  years  in  a  green  and  peaceful 
old  age. 

After  having  spent  his  long  and  useful  life  in  the  practice  of 
"sweet  mercy,  nobility's  true  badge,"  the  chord  that  linked  his 
earth-life  to  heaven  was  severed  and  his  spirit  went  to  God  who 
gave  it,  December  6,  1894. 

His  wife,  Sabrina  F.  Higley,  died  March  5,  1880,  having  sus- 
tained a  lovely  Christian  character. 

They  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Elma  A.  and  Harlan  P. 
Higley. 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ELMA  A. ,  the  eldest  child  of  Deacon  Hayden  and  Sabrina  (Fitts)  Higley,  was 
born  in  Candia,  N.  H.,  January  27,  1837,  and  baptized  the  1 5th  of  the  follow- 
ing October,  after  the  removal  of  her  parents  to  Raymond. 

In  1860  she  learned  the  milliner's  business.  After  she  had  gained  some  experi- 
ence, her  father  purchased  the  business  house  and  stock  of  goods  of  Charles  E. 
Eaton  of  Raymond,  of  which  she  took  entire  charge  on  her  own  responsibility,  and 
conducted  the  business  successfully  seven  years. 

She  married  Charles  A.  Shepard,  October  23,  1866.  They  reside  in  Raymond, 
N.  H.,  where  Mr.  Shepard  is  a  merchant  and  the  postmaster  of  the  town. 
Charles  A.  Shepard  served  three  years  during  the  late  Civil  War,  belonging  to 
Company  A,  nth  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Regiment.  During  the  entire  period 
of  the  war  he  was  not  absent  a  single  day  from  his  post  of  duty. 

They  had  two  children,  viz.:  Charles  S.,  born  April  4,  1867,  and  Abby  Ho-we 
Shepard,  born  May  19,  1874. 

CHARLES  S.  SHEPARD  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad  Co., 
which  position  he  has  held  since  the  year  1887. 

ABBY  HOWE,  the  only  daughter,  died  May  29,  1891,  aged  seventeen  years.  Her 
young  life  was  clouded  by  chronic  disease.  She  was  a  constant  invalid  ;  her  last 
years  were  years  of  great  suffering.  She  possessed  natural  excellent  abilities,  was 
of  an  affectionate  disposition,  and  especially  attached  to  her  "  dear  grandfather." 

To  her  it  was  a  joyous  release  when  the  day  came  that  she  was  freed  from  earth's 
pain  and  struggle  with  infirmity,  and  entered  the  realities  of  the  heavenly  realm. 

HARLAN  P.,  the  second  child  and  only  son  of  Hayden  and  Sabrina  (Fitts 
Higley,  was  born  June  27,  1839.  When  the  late  civil  conflict  of  war  began  he 
had  just  reached  the  full  tide  of  young  manhood,  and  life  before  him  was  bright 
with  promise.  He  espoused  the  Union  cause,  and  volunteered  his  services  in  the 
army,  November  14,  1861,  joining  Company  D,  the  8th  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teers, which  was  mustered  into  service  on  the  2Oth  of  the  same  month.  After  a 
year's  gallant  services  he  died  of  fever  in  an  army  hospital  at  Carrolton,  near  New 
Orleans,  November  21,  1862. 

HARRIET,  the  eighth  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama  (Mes- 
senger) Higley  [page  395],  was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  March 
19,  1813.  From  her  birth  she  was  a  deaf  mute.  As  has  been 
already  narrated,  she  was  educated  by  her  next  older  brother, 
Hayden  Higley,  in  the  asylum  for  deaf  mutes  founded  by  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Gaudalet  in  Hartford,  Conn.  Here  she  received 
a  fair  education,  which  added  greatly  to  her  enjoyment  of  life. 

She  married,  1839,  when  twenty-six  years  old,  Ephraim 
McEwen,  who  was  also  a  deaf  mute.  They  resided  at  Bridge- 
port, Conn. 

Harriet  Higley  McEwen  died  of  pneumonia,  February  4,  1890. 
Ephraim  McEwen  died  of  cancer,  the  date  not  given. 

They  had  three  children,  viz. :  Mary  Ann,  David,  and  Martha. 

MARY  ANN,  born  February  13,  1845,  married,  first,  Theodore  Dutton,  February 
16,  1862.  They  had  one  child,  Nellie,  born  March  12,  1863,  and  married  William 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  405 

Blackburn,  September  13,  1886.  Theodore  Button  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  Civil 
War  and  died  in  the  service  October  10,  1864.  His  wife  married,  second,  Charles 
Frear,  December  6,  1865.  They  had  one  child,  flattie,  born  May  28,  1866,  a 
woman  of  quick  perception  and  attractive  qualities.  She  married  Frederick 
Stickle,  June  27,  1887.  They  reside  in  Worcester,  Mass. 

DAVID  McEwEN,  the  second  child  of  Harriet  Higley  and  Ephraim  McEwen, 
was  born  July  7,  1847,  and  married,  1870,  Lizzie  Shay.  They  had  three  children: 

Willie,  died  1872;  Emma,  died  1874;  and  Minne,  born  1875. 

MARTHA,  the  third  child  of  David  and  Harriet  (Higley)  McEwen,  born  April  15, 
1854;  married,  first,  Albert  Wiggins,  May  2,  1870.  He  died  April  6,  1873.  They 
had  one  son,  George  H.,  born  August  25,  1871.  Martha  married,  second,  Charles 
A.  Gould,  July  17,  1875.  They  reside  in  Bridgeport,,  Conn. 


Coy,  John,  3d,  John,  Jr.,  John,  St.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Continued  from  page  395. 

COY  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama  (Mes- 
senger) Higley,  was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  February  10,  1815. 
When  quite  a  young  man,  scarcely  twenty-one,  he  went  to  Merri- 
mac,1  Mass.,  and  there  married  Sarah  Kendrick,  a  native  of  that 
town.  She  was  born  April  12,  1817.  They  settled  in  a  home  of 
their  own,  where  they  resided  in  quiet  habits  in  the  same  house 
and  on  the  same  spot,  fifty-seven  years,  respected  and  beloved 
by  the  whole  community.  Mr.  Higley,  during  his  active  years, 
was  engaged  in  a  lucrative  business. 

The  tranquil  married  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coy  Higley,  which 
was  a  treasure  of  happiness  and  sympathetic  companionship,  was 
celebrated  at  their  fifty-first  wedding  anniversary,  June  9,  1887. 

A  golden  wedding  is  always  an  event  which  claims  genuine 
interest.  Thackeray  says:  "To  see  a  young  couple  loving  each 
other  is  no  wonder;  but  to  see  an  old  couple  loving  each  other  is 
the  best  sight  of  all." 

The  added  year  in  this  instance — the  fifty-first — did  not  dimin- 
ish the  lively  pleasure  taken  by  their  friends  and  kinspeople  from 
far  and  near,  on  the  occasion  of  a  large  reception  which  they 
gave  at  their  home  on  the  date  above  named,  at  which  the  aged 
couple  received  notable  assurance  of  the  affectionate  esteem  in 
which  they  were  held. 

Gifts  in  great  variety,  in  silver,  china,  and  glass,  and  valuable 
bric-a-brac,  together  with  a  purse  of  gold,  were  presented.  A 
brother,  aged  seventy-five,  of  the  bridegroom  of  fifty-one  years, 
was  present;  also  a  sister  of  the  bride,  aged  eighty-one.  During 

1  This  town  was  formerly  known  as  West  Amesbury. 

27 


4°6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  evening  the  pastor  of  their  church,  Rev.  Mr.  Lunt,  and 
guests  from  Newburyport,  Haverhill,  and  other  adjacent  towns, 
made  congratulatory  addresses,  wishing  the  "happy  pair" 
many  more  years  of  conjugal  bliss.  The  exercises  of  the  evening 
were  interspersed  with  old-time  songs,  and  were  closed  with 
a  fervent  prayer  by  their  pastor. 

But  they  were  destined  to  but  few  more  years  of  married  hap- 
piness in  this  life;  the  time  of  separation  finally  came — Coy 
Higley  died  March  29,  1893. 

Coy  and  Sarah  (Kendrick)  Higley  had  one  child,  a  son,  viz. : 

OILMAN  SMITH  HIGLEY,  born  July  9, 1837.  He  married,  March  3,  1861,  Ellen, 
daughter  of  R.  Leach,  of  Hallowell,  Me. 

Early  in  the  late  Civil  War  he  enlisted  for  a  term  of  three  years  in  the  23d  Regi- 
ment, Company  A,  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  called  the  Salem  Zouaves.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  he  re-enlisted  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  Company  K,  1st 
Regiment,  United  States  Veteran  Volunteers,  General  Hancock  commanding,  and 
bravely  served  his  entire  time  in  both  enlistments,  remaining  in  faithful  service  till 
the  bells  of  peace  rang  out  their  glad  chimes  over  war  and  carnage  ended. 

Oilman  S.  and  Ellen  (Leach)  Higley  had  children,  viz.: 

Sadie  Smith,  born  July  7,  1862  ;  George  £.,  born  July  18,  1867  ;  LilKe,  born 
October  22,  1869,  died  September  12,  1870  ;  and  Nabbie,  born  August  30,  1871. 

Oilman  S.  Higley  met  his  death  by  accidental  drowning  in  the  Merrimac 
River,  August,  1873. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  John,  3d,  and  Lodama 
(Messenger)  Higley,  was  born  April  6,  1817. 

He  went  to  South  America,  and  it  is  supposed  he  died  in  that 
country,  no  tidings  having  been  received  of  him  for  full  forty 
years. 

JULINA  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  John  and 
Lodama  (Messenger)  Higley,  born  August  n,  1819,  died  an 
infant,  May  21,  1820. 

Continued  from  page  394. 

We  now  return  to  the  direct  line  of  the  family  of  John  Higley, 
Jr.  (or  2d),  in  the  person  of  his  second  son. 

TIMOTHY  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  John  Higley,  Jr.  (2d), 

whose  wife  was Dibble,  was  born  in  the  farm  homestead 

which  had  descended  from  father  to  son  in  the  line  of  the 
"Johns"  Higley,  which  lay  in  the  "Farm's  school  district  in 
Canton,  Conn.,  November  30,  1781.  He  married  Polly  Allen, 
who  was  born  1787.  They  resided  for  a  number  of  years — till 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  407 

later  than  1822 — in  West  Hartland,  Conn.  Subsequently  they 
removed  to  Pennsylvania,  taking  a  family  of  children,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Athens  Township,  Crawford  County.  Here  they 
and  their  descendants  spent  their  lives  as  plain  farming  folk. 

Timothy  Higley  died  1868.  His  wife  died  many  years  before — 
1845.  They  lie  buried  in  a  private  burial  plot  on  a  farm  that  has 
been  owned  in  the  family  for  two  or  more  successive  generations, 
five  miles  from  Townville,  Crawford  County,  Pa. 

Timothy  and  Polly  (Allen)  Higley  had  four  children,  viz. : 

MARIA,  who  married  Solomon  Sturdivant,  both  of  whom  died  many  years  ago. 
CHESTER,  married  Bulah  Vanzcise.     Not  living. 
ALVIN,  little  is  known  of  him.     He  married  and  had  one  child. 
SYLVESTER,  born  1814,  married  Eliza  Vanderhoof,  who  was  born  the  same  year. 
They  resided  at  Townville,  Pa. ,  and  had  five  children,  viz. : 
Aha,  James,  Emily,  Milo  J.,  Mary. 

ALVA  HIGLEY,  born  August  27,  1838  ;  married  Martha  Lilibridge.  Alva 
Higley  served  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  killed  in  battle.  They  resided  in  Spring- 
field, 111.,  and  had  one  child,  named  James  C.,  born  March  n,  1862. 

JAMES  HIGLEY,  son  of  Sylvester  and  Eliza  Higley,  was  born  August  10,  1840, 
married  Julia  A.  Lilibridge.  James  Higley  served  twenty-two  months  in  the  Civil 
War.  They  had  two  children  :  Eva  J.  and  Alva  E.,  who  was  born  April  2,  1861, 
and  married  Mary  E.  Ralston.  She  was  born  October  27,  1858. 

Alva  E.  and  Mary  (Ralston)  Higley  have  three  children,  as  follows  :  Cornelius  J. 
born  July  II,  1882  ;  Julia  E.,  born  May  6,  1887  ;  and  Thomas  IV.,  born  April  22, 
1889.  They  reside  at  Townville,  Crawford  County,  Pa. 

EMILY  HIGLEY,  born  December  n,  1842,  married  Charles  Bromley.  She  died 
February  20,  1883.  No  children. 

MILO  J.  HIGLEY,  born  July  2,  1845,  married  Ellen  Lilibridge.  They  reside  at 
Townville,  Pa.,  and  have  twelve  children  (two  of  whom  are  not  living),  viz.: 

Nettie,  Timothy,  Mary,  Henrietta,  Teressa,  John,  Charles,  Jennie,  Paulina, 
George  E.,  Alva,  and  Mack. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  born  April  7,  1851,  married  Hugh  Bromley.  They  reside  at 
Riceville,  Crawford  County,  Pa.  They  have  no  children. 

DAN  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  John  Higley,  Jr.  (or  ad), 
and  his  wife Dibble,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1789. 

He  was  thirteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death, 
and  being  a  minor,  Ezra  Adams,  Esq.,  was  appointed  his  guar- 
dian. Mr.  Adams  bound  the  boy  as  an  apprentice  to  Theopolis 
Humphrey  of  Canton.  In  course  of  time,  when  scarcely  eigh- 
teen, Dan  married  and  soon  afterward  absconded,  on  or  about 
November  17,  1807;  in  consequence  of  which  Mr.  Humphrey 
brought  suit  against  his  guardian  for  damages  to  which  he 
thought  he  was  subjected.  The  sum  of  $163.43  was  awarded 
him,  and  the  court  authorized  the  guardians  to  sell  seven  acres 
of  the  land  belonging  to  Dan  Higley,  a  legacy  from  his  father, 


4°8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

to  satisfy  the  claim.1  The  town  of  Canton  was  also  reimbursed 
for  expenses  attending  his  young  wife.  What  became  of  young 
Dan  is  not  known. 


Among  the  few  miscellaneous  characters  bearing  the  Higley 
name  who  appear  to  have  been  connected  by  heredity  was  : 

JOHN  A.  HIGLEY,  who  was  born  either  in  Simsbury  or  Canton, 
Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1793.  During  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain,  1812-14,  he  served  under  Com- 
mander Isaac  Phelps,  enlisting  August  18,  1814,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  with  the  troops,  October  25,  1814.  During  the 
early  wars  of  our  country  the  terms  of  enlistment  were  short; 
many  however  re-enlisted,  and  John  A.  Higley  may  have  been 
among  that  number.  For  many  years  he  received  a  United 
States  pension. 

He  married  at  Simsbury,  Jerusha  Fuller.  They  resided  in 
Simsbury,  Conn.  John  A.  Higley  died  November  17,  1841.  His 
wife  died  March  i,  1861,  aged  seventy-four.  They  were  interred 
in  the  Simsbury  cemetery.  Their  children  : 

George  Byron  Higley,  born  October  14,  1823;  Sabria,  born 
April  2,  1826.  Both  are  living  and  are  unmarried.  They  reside 
in  Simsbury. 

1  Simsbury  Probate  Records,  book  vi.  p.  183. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

/ 

CARMI   HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  394. 
Carmi,  John,  Sr.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  And  yet  he  was  not  alone.     About  him  stood  the  mighty  spirits  of  the  past,  who  fought  and 
became  immortal  in  the  cause  of  Liberty." 

CARMI  HIGLEY,  son  of  John  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Apphia  (Hum- 
phrey) Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  May  16,  1749.  He 
married  his  cousin,  Hester,  the  widow  of  Thomas  Case,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Josiah  Case  and  his  wife,  Hester  Higley.1  She 
was  born  May  10,  1745.  They  resided  in  Canton. 

Carmi  Higley  joined  the  army  of  the  Revolution  in  1776,  Colo- 
nel Huntington's  regiment,  Captain  E.  Fitch  Bissell's  company. 
After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  August  27,  1776,  he  was  reported* 
"  missing."  a  Subsequently  it  was  found  that  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner of  war,  and  was  for  some  time  confined  in  one  of  the  New 
York  churches,  which  was  used  as  a  prison  ;  but  his  lot  finally  fell 
with  the  large  number — more  than  twelve  thousand  men* — who 
were  placed  in  the  wretched  hulks  of  British  prison-ships  moored 
near  the  site  of  where  the  United  States  Navy  Yard  at  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  now  is,  and  were  starved  to  death.  Historical  record  tells 
that  from  these  "  floating  dungeons  their  bodies  after  death  were 
taken  on  shore."  One  of  the  Revolutionary  poets  thus  describes 
the  manner  in  which  their  remains  were  disposed  of  : 

"  Each  day  at  least  six  carcasses  we  bore, 
And  scratched  their  graves  along  the  sandy  shore  ; 

1  Page  391. 

2  "Colonel  Huntington's  regiment  was  reorganized  for  the  year  1776.     After  the  siege  of  Bos- 
ton it  marched  under  Washington  for  New  York,  via  New  London,  at  which  point  it   boarded 
schooners  and  passed  through  Long  Island  Sound.     It  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  from 
April  to  the  close  of  the  war,  assisting  in  fortifying  the  city.      August  24  it  was  ordered  to  the 
Brooklyn  front  and  engaged  in  the  Battle  of  Long  Island,  Augusta?,  fought  near  where  Greenwood 
Cemetery  now  is,  and  being  surrounded   by  the  British,  lost  heavily  in  prisoners." — Record  of 
Connecticut  Men  in  War  of  tke  Revolution. 

*  "  Of  this  number  the  '  Society  of   Old  Brooklynites,'  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  have  obtained  from 
the  records  of  the  British  War  Department  eight  thousand  names." 

409 


410  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

By  feeble  hands  the  shallow  graves  were  made, 
No  stone  memorial  o'er  the  corpses  laid  ; 
In  barren  sands  and  far  from  home  they  lie, 
No  friend  to  shed  a  tear  when  passing  by." 

For  thirty-two  years  these  noble  dead  lay  in  their  unmarked  and 
unnoticed  graves,  the  bones  of  some  being  washed  out  of  their 
shallow  sepulchers  by  the  tides  which  swept  the  beach,  till  a  move- 
ment was  made  in  the  year  1808  by  the  "Columbian  Order"  of 
New  York  City,  which  resulted  in  having  them  collected  and 
buried  with  imposing  ceremonies,  "  in  which  the  governors  of  sev- 
eral States,  mayors  of  cities,  and  civil,  military,  and  ecclesiastical 
dignitaries  from  all  parts  of  the  country  took  part."  Ultimately 
the  Park  Commissioners  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn  "prepared  with 
great  care  and  expense  a  permanent  tomb  for  the  reception  of 
these  sacred  remains,  on  the  historic  ground  of  Fort  Green,  a 
charming  elevation  in  Washington  Park,  overlooking  the  scene  of 
their  sufferings  and  death — to  which  they  were  carefully  removed 
and  deposited." 

Here  our  national  colors  float  over  them  on  all  national  holi- 
days and  public  days  of  consequence.  The  debt  of  gratitude 
which  our  country  owes  to  the  memory  of  these  gallant  heroes, 
who  sacrificed  their  lives  in  horrible  prisons,  under  circumstances 
which  tested  their  loyalty  to  the  cause  of  liberty  even  more  than 
that  of  the  soldier  who  fought  in  the  excitement  of  the  battle-field, 
meeting  death  as  they  did  under  slow  and  torturing  fate,  and 
when  persistently  importuned  to  choose  between  the  prison-ships 
and  enlistment  in  King  George's  army,  exclaimed  : 

"  GIVE  us  THE  PRISON-SHIPS  AND  DEATH,  OR  WASHINGTON 
AND  LIBERTY  !  " 

should  be  forever  recorded  in  the  hearts  of  a  grateful  country,  and 
preserved  in  imperishable  granite. 

Carmi  and  Hester  Higley  had  one  child — a  son  who  bore  his 
father's  name.  Hester  Higley  settled  the  estate  of  her  husband, 
exhibiting  an  inventory  in  court,  March  2,  1779.  She  died  in 
1790. 

CARMI  HIGLEY,  2d,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  about  1775.  He  married  Sally 
Kelsey,  who  was  born  in  1783.  He  perished  at  sea  in  the  prime  of  life,  in  1814. 
His  wife  died  January  25,  1850.  They  had  three  children,  viz.  : 

Sally,  Carmi,  3d,  and  Festus. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLE  Y,  SR.  411 

SALLY  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  1809.  She  married,  first,  Wadsworth 
Brown,  and  second,  Hiram  Webster.  No  children.  She  died,  1849. 

CARMI,  3d,  the  second  child  of  Carmi,  2d,  and  Sally  (Kelsey)  Higley,  was  born 

1810.  He  married  a  widow,  Coates.  They  resided  in  Bloomfield,  Conn., 

where  Mr.  Higley  owned  a  neat  property,  and  followed  the  trade  of  builder.  They 
had  no  children.  He  died  October  2,  1859. 

FESTUS  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Carmi  Higley,  2d,  and  Sally  (Kelsey)  Higley, 
was  born  1814.  He  married  Theda  Burr,  July  25,  1842.  She  was  born  April  15, 
1817.  They  had  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Lura.  Festus  Higley  died  May  i, 
1869.  His  wife  died  April  4,  1884. 

LURA  HIGLEY,  daughter  of  Festus,  was  born  August  4,  1846,  and  married,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1884,  William  J.  Pease.  He  was  born  May  6,  1837.  The  only  child  of 
William  J.  and  Lura  Higley  Pease  is  named  Carrie  Florence,  born  January  25,  1886. 
They  reside  in  Hartford,  Conn. 


Continued  from  page  394. 

ISAAC  HIGLEY,  son  of  John,  Sr.,  and  Apphia  (Humphrey)  Hig- 
ley, was  born  in  Canton  Conn.,  June  22,  1753.  Well  established 
family  tradition  states  that  he  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  join- 
ing Colonel  Belden's  regiment  in  company  with  his  brother,  Obed, 
in  1777,  which  is  probably  correct,  as  he  was  then  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  but  no  recorded  facts  are  furnished. 

He  married  Anna  Clark  and  resided  in  Simsbury.  His  name  is 
found  in  the  town  records1  as  "  Fence  Viewer,"  December  1,1800. 

In  the  year  1808  he  purchased  a  tract  of  128  acres  of  land,  at 
two  dollars  per  acre,  in  the  town  of  Elba,  Genesee  County,  New 
York,  to  which  he  removed  with  his  family.  Here  he  died  two 
years  later — 1810. 

Isaac  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Anna  (Clark)  Higley  had  seven  children, 
viz. : 

Isaac,  Jr.,  Abby,  Ruth,  Adah,  Anna,  Hannah,  and  Candace,  all 
born  at  Simsbury,  Conn. 

ABBY,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  September  15,  1783,  married  Elias  Pettibone  ; 
died  October  4,  1806. 

RUTH,  born  September  12,  1784,  married  Daniel  Mills  and  lived  in  Elba,  N.  Y. 
She  died  October  10,  1870. 

ADAH,  born  June  26,  1791,  married,  first,  Zebulon  Woodruff;  second,  Reuben 
Norton.  She  died  July  29,  1824. 

ANNA,  born  March  17,  1793,  married  Samuel  Lampson,  and  lived  in  Onondaga 
County,  New  York.  She  died  January  8,  1873  ;  he  died  September  6,  1855. 

HANNAH  married  William  Knapp,  and  lived  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio.  Both 
were  buried  in  Andover,  O. 

CANDACE,  born  October  9,  1793,  married  John  Hawkins  and  lived  at  Alexander- 
N.  Y.  She  died  May  18,  1864. 

1  Simsbury  Town  Records. 


412  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ISAAC  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  only  son  and  eldest  child  of  Isaac,  Sr., 
and  Anna  (Clark)  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  July 
21,  1779. 

He  married  Dorothy,  placed  upon  record  "Dolly,"1  daughter 
of  Timothy  Kilburn  of  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  afterward  of  Sims- 
bury.  She  was  born  in  1783.  She  received  a  bequest  from  her 
father's  estate,  August,  13,  1814. 

Isaac,  Jr.,  and  Dorothy  Higley  emigrated  to  Genesee  County, 
western  New  York,  in  1808,  with  Isaac  Higley,  Sr.,  and  his 
family.  Here  they  lived  and  died.  After  his  father's  decease  it 
fell  upon  Isaac  to  assume  the  remaining  debt  upon  the  land 
which  they  had  taken  on  contract  from  a  land  agency,  to  be 
cleared  and  paid  for  in  eight  years.  The  fine  and  beautiful 
Genesee  country  was  at  that  time  an  uncultivated  forest.  But 
despondency  had  no  place  in  his  nature,  and  with  a  stout  heart 
he  proceeded  to  conquer  the  difficulties  of  the  task  before  him. 
A  comfortable  farm  was  in  due  time  under  cultivation,  and  the 
price  of  the  land  nearly  trebled  in  a  very  few  years. 

When  the  war  of  1812  was  declared,  the  men  of  his  neighbor- 
hood were  ordered  to  the  front.  Isaac  Higley,  with  his  uncle 
and  nephew,  reported  for  service  at  Buffalo,  taking  blankets  and 
three  days'  provisions.  It  was,  however,  found  that  the  Govern- 
ment had  not  sufficient  equipments  for  all  the  men,  and  he,  being 
among  a  number  who  had  left  young  families  behind  them,  was 
sent  back  to  his  home. 

He  was  one  of  three  commissioners  appointed  to  divide  the 
township  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  into  two  townships,  and  it  was  he 
who  gave  the  town  of  Elba  its  name. 

In  1820,  at  the  first  town  meeting  which  was  held  in  Elba,  he 
was  elected  commissioner  of  schools,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
for  many  years. 

His  life  stood  the  test  of  trial  and  time.  He  lived  to  make  a 
name  and  a  place  respected  among  the  early  settlers  of  Genesee 
County. 

He  died  July  31,  1832.     His  wife  died  November  4,  1852. 

Isaac,  Jr.,  and  Dorothy  (Kilburn)  Higley  had  seven  children, 
viz. : 

Emily,  Horace,  Maria,  Eber,  Anson,  Isaac  Newton,  Alvira. 

EMILY,  the  eldest,  born  February  28,  1802,  married  Walter  Holbrook,  and  lived 
in  Leon,  Ashtabula  County,  O.     They  had  a  family.     Names  not  given. 
1  Simsbury  Probate  Record,  book  vi.  p.  266. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  4*3 

HORACE  HIGLEY,  born  September  20,  1803  ;  never  married.  Died  December 
28,  1828. 

MARIA,  born  December  10,  1805,  married  Isaac  Tinkham.  They  lived  and 
died  in  Ashtabula,  O.,  leaving  a  family  of  seven  children. 

EBER  HIGLEY,  born  June  18,  1808,  married  Abigail  Lester  of  Tiffin,  O.  They 
reside  in  Prescott,  Wis.,  no  data  furnished. 

ANSON  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Isaac,  Jr.,  and  Dorothy  (Kil- 
burn)  Higley,  was  born  in  Elba,  N.  Y.,  November  13,  1811.  He 
was  but  eighteen  years  of  age  when  death  deprived  him  of  his 
father's  care  and  counsel.  Although  young,  he  was  capable  of 
rendering  valuable  assistance  to  his  widowed  mother  in  settling 
the  estate. 

His  educational  advantages  were  limited,  but  having  a  great 
desire  for  knowledge,  he  resolved  to  supply  the  need  he  felt,  and 
used  every  opportunity  within  his  reach.'  Being  a  diligent 
reader,  his  mind  became  stored  with  a  large  amount  of  general 
information,  especially  on  historical  and  Biblical  subjects.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Higley  was  an  old  time  Whig,  and  later  on  a  pro- 
nounced Republican,  taking  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs. 

He  grew  up  in  league  with  the  advancing  interests  and  growth 
of  the  section  of  Genesee  County  in  which  he  lived,  faithfully 
serving  his  town  and  county  in  public  appointments.  He  served 
four  terms  as  supervisor,  was  repeatedly  elected  assessor,  and 
acted  as  commissioner  of  highways  sixteen  years. 

He  was  always  actively  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
was  one  of  the  best  known  agriculturists  in  western  New  York. 
For  several  years  he  was  the  president  of  the  Genesee  County 
Agricultural  Society.  At  one  time  he  owned  and  managed  over 
four  hundred  acres  of  land.  Till  the  close  of  his  life  he  held  a 
farm  of  156  acres  in  the  town  of  Elba,  which  was  noted  for  its  great 
productiveness  and  beauty  of  situation.  During  the  last  few  years 
he  resided  in  Batavia,  the  county-seat  of  Genesee  County,  New 
York,  where  he  owned  a  handsome  residence  with  grounds  sur- 
rounding. 

In  1885  Anson  Higley  and  his  wife  united  with  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Batavia  on  profession  of  his  faith.  He  had 
believed  himself  a  Christain  for  fifty  years,  but  for  certain  reasons 
had  not  entered  a  denominational  communion.  He  fully  identi- 
fied himself  with  all  of  the  active  interests  of  his  church,  and  was 
a  regular  attendant. 

Anson  Higley  was  twice  married.     His  first  wife  was  Lydia  C. 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Newkirk  of  Byron,  N.  Y.,  whom  he  married  January  24,  1838. 
She  died  October  5,  1867.  On  the  i$th  of  April,  1875,  he  mar- 
ried Lizzie  Cassidy  of  Rochester,  Vt. 

He  died,  after  a  brief  illness,  February  8,  1894. 

Anson  Higley  and  his  first  wife,  Lydia  C.  Newkirk,  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children,  viz.: 

Mary  Pamelia,  Sarah  Ellen,  Isaac  Anson,  Elizabeth  Wakeman, 
John  Osborn,  and  Emma  Gertrude. 

MARY  PAMELIA,  the  eldest,  was  born  February  22,  1840.  She  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Elba,  N.  Y.,  her  native  town,  and  at  the  Genesee  and  Wyoming 
Seminary. 

On  the  i6th  of  March,  1865,  she  became  the  wife  of  Milton  M.  Browne.  Mr. 
Browne  was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1861,  and  is  now  a  prominent 
lawyer.  They  have  resided  for  thirty  years  at  Osage,  Mitchell  County,  la. 
They  are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  residents  honored  and 
esteemed.  They  have  one  child,  viz.: 

GALEN  HIGLEY  BROWNE,  who  was  born  March  15,  1872.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Cedar  Valley  Seminary,  a  flourishing  institution  of  learning  located  in  the 
town  in  which  they  reside,  June,  1890. 

SARAH  ELLEN,  the  second  child  of  Anson  Higley  and  his  first  wife,  Lydia  (New- 
kirk) Higley,  was  born  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  April  12,  1842.  She  married  Francis  P. 
Terry,  March  15,  1860.  They  resided  at  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  for  many  years.  Their 
home  is  now  in  Buffalo.  Mrs.  Terry  is  an  active  member  of  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union.  They  have  five  children,  viz.  : 

George  Higley  Terry,  born  November  II,  1863,  who  married  Myrta  Loomis, 
September  15,  1882;  reside  in  Batavia,  N.  Y.  Fred  Raymond,  born  April  17, 
1866;  died  October  29,  1876.  Earl  Gordon,  born  June  22,  1870.  John  C.,  born 
July  6,  1874.  And  Grace  E.,  born  November  12,  1879. 

ISAAC  ANSON,  the  third  child  of  Anson  and  Lydia  (Newkirk)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  November  18,  1843,  and  married,  March  22,  1870,  Louise 
Campbell.  They  reside  near  Elba,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Higley  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
148  acres.  He  engages  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day,  belonging  to  the 
Republican  party.  Their  children  : 

Levi  C.,  born  March  18,  1871;  Frank  Chase,  born  October  6,  1872,  died  Jan- 
uary 17,  1876;  Anson  Holbrook,  born  January  28,  1874;  Irving  Wilson,  born 
May  7,  1879;  Leicester  Charles,  born  February  26,  1886. 

ELIZABETH  WAKEMAN,  the  fourth  child  of  Anson  and  Lydia  (Newkirk)  Higley, 
was  born  February  24,  1846,  and  married  Burr  Humphrey.  She  died  Sep- 
tember 20,  1879.  They  had  one  child,  viz.: 

Clarence  Anson,  born  January  23,  1871. 

JOHN  OSBORN,  the  fifth  child  of  Anson  and  Lydia  (Newkirk)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  February  19,  1849,  and  married  Almedia  Churchill, 
March  11,  1875.  He  owns  97  acres  of  fine  farming  land,  which  lies  on  the 
town  boundary  between  Batavia  and  Elba,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.  He  takes 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  415 

part  in  political  matters,  supporting  the  Republican  party.  They  have  one 
child,  viz.: 

Homer  D.,  born  August  30,  1880. 

EMMA  GERTRUDE,  the  sixth  child  of  Anson  and  Lydia  (Newkirk)  Higley, 
was  born  April  i,  1851,  and  married  William  F.  Robe,  December  n,  1873. 
They  reside  at  Elba,  N.  Y.  They  have  three  children,  viz. : 

Gertrude  Abbie,  born  March  19,  1875;  Mary  Eva,  born  August  13,  1878;  Guy 
Higley,  born  January  16,  1891. 


Continued  from  page  412. 

ISAAC  NEWTON  HIGLEY,  son  of  Isaac,  Jr.,  and  Dorothy  (Kilburn)  Higley,  was 
born  May  4,  1814,  and  died  on  his  twenty-fifth  birthday,  May  4,  1838;  unmarried. 

ALVIRA,  the  seventh  and  youngest  child  of  Isaac,  Jr.,  and  Dorothy  (Kilburn) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  February  16,  1817.  She  married  Charles 
Ames,  March  7,  1837.  Charles  Ames  was  born  March  20,  1812.  They  removed 
to  Republic,  O.,  May  13,  1843,  taking  a  family  of  three  children  with  them. 
Here  they  have  since  resided,  having  six  more  children.  Their  children  : 

Andrew  Judson,  Henry,  Louisa,  William  Waller,  Emily  Ann,  Maryetta,  Joseph, 
Charles,  and  David  Erwin. 

ANDREW  JUDSON  AMES,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  January  18,  1838, 
and  married  Theby  Burge,  a  widow,  September  21,  1864. 

He  entered  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  fought  with  bravery.  At  the  battle 
of  Chancellorsville,  May  2,  1863,  he  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  leg,  which 
caused  a  lameness  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

SERGEANT  HENRY  AMES,  the  second  child  of  Charles  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames, 
was  born  July  24,  1840,  at  Elba,  N.  Y. 

He  was  an  early  volunteer  soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War,  re-enlisting  in  the  66th 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  one  of  the  veteran  victors  with 
General  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea.  For  his  meritorious  service  he  was  ele- 
vated to  office  of  sergeant.  Receiving  a  gun-shot  wound,  he  was  sent  to  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn. ,  where  he  died  from  its  effects,  and  was  interred  in  the  national 
cemetery  at  that  place. 

LOUISA,  the  third  child  of  Charles  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames,  was  born  at  Elba, 

N.  Y.,  December  27,  1842,  and  married  ,  November  2,  1865.  They  live 

near  Republic,  O. 

WILLIAM  WALTER,  the  fourth  child  of  Charles  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames,  was 
born  at  Republic,  O.,  August  21,  1844.  He  resides  at  Fargo,  N.  D. 

EMILY  ANN,  the  fifth  child,  was  born  at  Republic,  O.,  November  20,  1845, 
and  married ,  April  10,  1866. 

MARYETTA,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  at  Republic,  O.,  September  25,  1848,  and 
married  Joseph  An  way,  December  1 6,  1869.  They  reside  in  her  native  town. 

JOSEPH,  the  seventh  child  of  Charles  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames,  was  born  at 
Republic,  O.,  July  12,  1850.  He  lives  at  Fargo,  N.  D. 

CHARLES  ALBERT,  the  eighth  child  of  Charle*-  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames,  was 
born  at  Republic,  O.,  October  8,  1855.  He  resides  at  Fargo,  N.  D. 

DAVID  IRWIN,  the  ninth  child  of  Charles  and  Alvira  (Higley)  Ames,  was  born 
at  Republic,  O.,  February  8,  1858.  He  lives  at  Fargo,  N.  D. 


CHAPTER   LV. 

"  DEACON  "  OBED    HIGLEY,   SR. 

Continued  front  page  394. 
Obed,  Sr.,  John,  Sr.  (or  ist),  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  There  is  not  a  human  life  that  is  now  potent  for  good,  which  is  not  shaped  and  swayed  in  a 
large  measure  by  the  influence  of  lives  which  have  passed  from  earth." 

OBED  HIGLEY,  SR.,  son  of  John  and  Apphia  (Humphrey)  Hig- 
ley, was  born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  October  25,  1757,  and  always  lived 
there.  He  was  a  man  in  his  day  of  much  force  of  character,  and 
of  considerable  prominence,  mingling  in  church  and  public  affairs; 
his  life  being  apparently  marked  by  respectability,  thrift,  and  fore- 
sight. 

He  joined  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  Colonel  Belden's  regi- 
ment, Captain  Abel  Pettibone's  company,  March  26,  1777,  and 
received  at  the  end  of  his  service  an  honorable  discharge.  His 
name  was  placed  upon  the  list  of  United  States  pensioners,  the 
act  of  1832,  "who  served  two  years  or  more";  he  drew  a  pension 
till  his  death,  at  eighty-four  years  of  age. 

December  14,  1801,  he  served  as  grand  juror,  and  in  the  set- 
tlement of  an  estate,  December,  1813,  he  is  upon  record  as 
"Attorney." 

The  old  church  in  Canton,  of  which  he  was  deacon,  was  a  part 
and  parcel  of  his  special  interests.  According  to  the  old  New 
England  custom,  he  was  always  known  as  "  Deacon  "  Obed  Higley. 

His  first  wife,  Rebecca  Mills,  whom  he  married  about  1786,  and 
who  was  the  mother  of  his  children,  was  born  August  13,  1766. 
She  died  October  15,  1827.  His  second  wife  was  Phebe  Hum- 
phrey, for  whom  he  provided  in  his  will,  which  indicates  that  he 
had  a  comfortable  property  for  support  in  his  old  age.  In  his 
declining  years  he  was  cared  for  by  his  son,  Alson  Higley.  He 
died  January  24,  1841. 

His  will  was  produced  in  court,  February  3,  1841,  in  which  he 
mentions,  besides  his  wife,  Phebe,  his  nine  children. 

A  private  letter  written  to  the  Higleys  of  Vermont  by  the  Hon. 
Jeffrey  O.  Phelps  of  Simsbury,  about  the  year  1852,  contains  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  4*7 

following  remark:  "Obed  Higley  left  a  large  family,  many  of 
them  now  living  in  Simsbury  and  Canton,  and  most  of  them 
wealthy  and  respectable." 

Deacon  Obed,  Sr.,  and  Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  his  first  wife, 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  viz. : 

Sally,  Theda,  Obed,  Jr.  (or  2d),  Alson,  Luther,  Correll,  Pomeroy, 
Amelia,  Almenia,  and  Emeline. 

SALLY,  their  eldest  child,  was  born  September  30,  1787  ;  married 
Allen  Case  of  Canton.  He  was  born  1785.  She  died  in  1815, 
at  thirty  years  of  age.  He  married  the  second  time.  Allen 
Case  died  1849. 

THEDA,  the  second  child  of  Obed  and  Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley, 
was  born  August  10,  1789,  and  married  Benjamin  Goff.  She 
died  1853. 

Hon.  OBED  HIGLEY  (2d),  the  eldest  son  of  Deacon  Obed,  Sr., 
and  Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  January 
5,  1791.  He  was  a  brickmaker  by  trade.  He  married,  December 
n,  1811,  Mary  Dickinson,  who  was  born  August  9,  1793.  Their 
married  life  covered  a  period  of  nineteen  years,  during  which  they 
had  a  family  of  four  children.  She  died  August  23,  1830.  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1831,  he  married  Anna  Hastings.  The  same  year  Obed 
Higley  was  chosen  by  his  townspeople  as  representative  from 
Simsbury  in  the  Connecticut  General  Assembly,  and  was  again  a 
member  in  1835.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church  in  Can- 
ton, and,  like  his  father,  he  was  designated  as  "  Deacon  Obed  "  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  always  resided  in  Canton,  Conn.  He 
died  March  21,  1878.  His  second  wife,  Anna  (Hastings)  Hig- 
ley, died  December  13,  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Chil- 
dren of  Hon.  Obed  Higley  (2d)  and  Mary  Dickinson  : 

Mary  Ann,  born  March  16,  1814  ;  died  April  17,  1817.  Lyman 
Owen,  born  May  26,  1816.  Marietta,  born  April  4,  1818  ;  died 
January  17,  1819.  Marietta  (ad),  born  January  30,  1822  ;  died 
March  9,  1825. 

LYMAN  OWEN  HIGLEY,  the  only  son  of  Hon.  Obed  (2d)  and  Mary  (Dickinson) 
Higley,  and  the  only  child  who  lived  to  maturity,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  May 
26,  1816.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Woodford,  who  was  born  December  26,  1817. 
The  marriage  took  place  November  16,  1837.  They  resided  in  Canton.  He  died 
November  30,  1884. 

They  had  four  children,  viz.  : 

Lyman  Owen  Higley,  Jr.,  born  July  18,  1839;  died  October  2,  1839.  Burton 
Obed,  born  September  30,  1842.  Anna  Maria,  born  August  n,  1845  ;  married 


41 8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Orlando  Miner,  June  10,   1873.      Maiy  Gertrude,  born  October  8,   1847  ;    died 
November  4,  1860. 

BURTON  OBED  HIGLEY,  son  of  Lyman  O.  and  Sarah  A.  (Woodford)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Canton,  Conn.,  September  30,  1842.  He  married,  September  3,  1867,  E. 
Josie  Woodford.  She  was  born  February  27,  1847.  Mr.  Higley  is  a  man  of  con- 
siderable prominence  in  his  town,  bearing  the  respect  of  the  entire  community.  He 
is  a  farmer  and  resides  in  Canton,  Conn.  No  children. 

ALSON  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  and  fourth  child  of  Deacon 
Obed,  Sr.  (or  ist),  and  Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  at  Can- 
ton, Conn.,  February  20,  1793. 

When  about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Genesee  County, 
New  York,  and  was  residing  with  his  uncle,  Isaac  Higley,  Sr., 
when  the  War  of  1812  was  declared.  The  men  of  that  part  of  the 
country  were  ordered  into  service.  Alson  Higley,  with  his  uncle, 
Eber  Higley,  and  his  cousin,  Isaac,  Jr.,  taking  with  them  blankets 
and  three  days'  rations,  reported  for  duty  at  Buffalo.  Arms  and 
ammunition  being  scarce,  the  volunteer  soldiers  could  not  all  be 
supplied,  and  a  number  of  men  who  had  young  families  were  sent 
back  to  their  homes.  Among  these  was  Isaac  Higley,  Jr.  Alson 
entered  the  ranks  and  was  forwarded  with  the  troops  to  Queens- 
town  Heights.  Here  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  in  the 
severe  engagement  fought  October  13,  1812,  and  conveyed  to 
Halifax,  where  he  was  held  fourteen  months. 

Before  leaving  his  uncle's  home  at  Elba,  N.  Y.,  he  concealed 
thirty  dollars,  sewing  it  up  inside  of  his  shirt  pocket.  With  this 
money  he  procured  by  stealth,  during  his  imprisonment,  sufficient 
necessaries  for  immediate  subsistence,  which  prevented  him  shar- 
ing the  sad  fate  that  met  so  large  a  number  of  those  noble  sol- 
diers— death  by  starvation.  His  family  and  friends  at  his  home 
in  Canton,  Conn.,  obtaining  no  tidings  of  him  during  the  long 
months  of  silence,  gave  him  up  for  dead  and  had  his  memorial 
sermon  preached.  To  their  utter  astonishment  he  one  day 
appeared  at  the  door.  There  followed,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
great  rejoicings  among  kith  and  kin. 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1816,  he  married  Christian  Robbins  at 
Avon,  Conn.  She  was  born  at  Farmington,  Conn.,  July  27,  1795. 
They  settled  in  Canton,  and  finally  resided  in  the  homestead  of 
his  father,  Deacon  Obed  Higley,  Sr. ,  administering  to  his  needs 
during  the  declining  years  of  his  old  age.  Farming  was  the  occu- 
pation of  Alson  Higley's  life. 

The  old  residents  of  the  town  who  lived  during  his  time  will 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  4*9 

never  fail  to  recall  the  great  contest  in  the  courts  which  occurred 
at  a  much  later  period, — about  1844, — involving  a  long  and  try- 
ing litigation  in  which  he  was  a  party.  It  was  an  event  that 
produced  a  powerful  influence  in  the  community  and  great  ex- 
citement and  feeling.  The  case  called  out  Mr.  Higley's  untiring 
and  relentless  defense,  into  which  he  put  all  the  energy  of  his 
strong  nature,  giving  his  opponents  a  lot  of  trouble.  It  was 
probably  at  this  period  of  his  life  that  his  strongest  personal 
characteristics  were  exhibited.  He  and  his  friends  were  in  the 
end  gratified  by  the  final  decision  of  the  courts  being  in  his 
favor. 

He  died  in  Canton,  September  i,  1863.  His  wife  died  at 
Bloomfield,  Conn.,  July  23,  1870. 

They  had  nine  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  at  Canton, 
Conn.,  viz.  : 

Sally,  Erastus,  George,  Willard,  Oliver,  Adelene,  Angeline,  Eliza 
Ann,  and  Willard  Alson. 

SALLY,  the  eldest,  was  born  May  30,  1817.  She  married  William  A.  Curtis, 
September  12,  1838.  They  resided  at  Meriden,  Conn.,  where  she  died  March 
24,  1847. 

ERASTUS,  the  second  child,  was  born  July  8,  1822  ;  married  Mary  A.  Belding, 
March,  1847.  He  died  at  Meriden,  where  they  lived,  December  2,  1869. 

GEORGE,  the  third  child,  was  born  February  6,  1824,  and  married  Ruth  E.  Cook, 
June  5,  1854.  She  was  born  September  7,  1831.  He  died  June  13,  1868.  She 
died  March  3,  1863.  They  were  interred  at  Meriden,  Conn. 

They  had  one  child  : 

GEORGE  E.,  born  February  16,  1856,  at  Meriden,  Conn.  George  E.  Higley 
married,  March  20,  1877,  Susan  N.  Dolph,  who  was  born  at  Guildford,  Conn., 
September  4,  1856. 

George  E.  and  Susan  (Dolph)  Higley  have  children,  viz. : 

William  C.,  born  April  19,  1878  ;  George  E.,  Jr.,  born  September  12,  1880  ; 
Raymond  C.,  born  August  5,  1882  ;  Bertha  L.,  born  February  17,  1884  ;  LenaM., 
born  February  4,  1886.  They  reside  at  Stony  Creek,  Conn. 

WILLARD,  the  fourth  child  of  Alson  and  Christian  (Robbins)  Higley,  was  born 
April  13,  1825  :  died  when  twelve  days  old. 

OLIVER,  the  fifth  child  of  Alson  and  Christian  (Robbins)  Higley,  was  born 
January  27,  1827  ;  married  Phynetta  Rice.  He  died  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1866.  They  had  two  children,  Frank  and  Eva.  Frank  died  . 

Eva  married  Martin  Bidwell.  They  lived  at  Hartford,  Conn. 

ADELINE,  a  twin  daughter,  the  sixth  child  of  Alson  and  Christian  (Robbins) 
Higley,  was  born  February  24,  1829.  She  married,  August  22,  1847,  William  A. 
Curtis,  the  former  husband  of  her  sister  Sally.  They  had  one  child,  Willis 
Curtis,  born  July  24,  1848. 

ANGELINE,  twin  sister  to  Adeline,  born  February  24,  1829,  married,  November 
21,  1855,  Norris  Holcombe  of  Canton.  He  was  born  1829.  They  have  no  children. 


420  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ELIZA  ANN,  the  eighth  child  of  Alson  and  Christian  (Robbins)  Higley,  was 
born  January  24,  1831  ;  married  May  30,  1853,  Wells  A.  Lawton.  He  was  born 
at  Goshen,  Conn.,  September  19,  1830. 

Their  children  are  : 

Eliza  A.,  born  May  10,  1865,  died  June  2,  1865.  Freddie  Higley,  born  April  8, 
1867.  And  George  Clark,  born  October  3,  1869. 

WILLARD  ALSON,  the  ninth  child  of  Alson  and  Christian  (Robbins)  Higley,  was 
born  January  2,  1834,  and  died  at  Canton,  Conn. ,  October  i,  1860,  unmarried. 


Continued  from  page  417. 

LUTHER  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Deacon  Obed,  Sr.,  and  Re- 
becca (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  November  9, 
1794,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  there.  He  worked  at 
manual  labor  on  his  father's  farm  during  his  early  years,  and 
received  an  ordinary  education  in  the  country  school.  His  think- 
ing mind  was  afterward  the  cause  of  him  obtaining  a  special 
knowledge  of  law,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  with  recognized 
ability  in  years  later  on.  . 

In  the  year  1818  he  began  selling  "Yankee"  clocks,  traversing 
the  States  of  Maine,  Vermont,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 
land, and  the  Carolinas,  which  gave  him  a  store  of  knowledge  of 
every  kind.  In  this  business  he  continued  more  or  less  till  1839, 
accumulating  from  this  source  alone  about  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  He  also  at  one  time  owned  an  interest  of  considerable 
value  in  a  powder  mill,  engaging  in  shipping  powder  over  an 
extensive  territory.  About  the  year  1820  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
his  native  town,  which  was  his  home  till  the  year  1856.  Here 
his  children  were  born. 

He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in  1825,  which  office  he. 
held  with  little  exception  as  long  as  he  resided  in  Canton  town- 
ship. In  1850  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Thomas  H.  Sey- 
mour judge  of  probate  for  the  district  of  Canton,  continuing  in 
this  service  for  a  number  of  years.  From  the  time  of  his  first 
appointment  as  justice  till  his  removal  from  Canton,  thirty-one 
years,  he  was  constantly  engaged  in  important  actions,  and  there 
was  probably  tried  before  him  as  many  cases  during  those  years 
as  before  any  other  justice  in  Hartford  County.  In  one  special 
case,  a  litigation  in  which  his  brother  was  involved,  he  devoted 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  for  one  entire  year. 

In  1850  he  purchased,  together  with  his  brother,  Pomeroy 
Higley,  several  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  States  of  Illinois 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  421 

and  Louisiana.  This  enterprise  was  successful.  He  held  large 
quantities  of  Illinois  land  till  his  decease. 

August,  1856,  he  sold  his  farm  in  Connecticut  and  bought 
farming  lands  at  Bainbridge,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  to  which 
place  he  removed  the  following  November,  and  there  resided  till 
his  death,  which  took  place  on  the  3ist  of  December,  1857. 

Judge  Luther  Higley  was  three  times  married,  his  last  two 
wives  being  sisters. 

His  first  wife,  whom  he  married  October  8,  1816,  was  Electa 
Woodford,  who  was  born  November  24,  1794.  She  died  February 
4,  1818,  in  little  more  than  a  year  after  their  marriage,  leaving 
no  child.  He  married,  second,  Flora  Bidwell,  who  was  born 
October  24,  1796.  She  became  his  wife  April  14,  1819.  She  died 
February  24,  1826,  leaving  two  children.  His  third  wife  was 
Sarah  F.  Bidwell,  born  January  3,  1801.  Their  marriage  took 
place  November  13,  1826.  Sarah  (Bidwell)  Higley  died  June  19, 
1874.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children. 

Children  by  second  wife: 

Luther  Bidwell  and  Thomas  Baxter.     By  his  third  wife: 

Walter,  Edwin,  Rollin,  and  Truman. 

LUTHER  BIDWELL  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Luther  and  his 
second  wife,  Flora  (Bidwell)  Higley,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Canton,  Conn.,  April  25,  1821.  Here  he  resided  with  his  parents 
till  the  year  1840,  having  been  engaged  since  reaching  manhood 
in  the  delivery  of  powder  manufactured  by  his  father  in  his 
powder  mill. 

About  this  time  he  became  acquainted  with  Phylecta  Wood- 
ford,  the  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Jane  (Boyd)  Woodford  of 
Lincolnton,  N.  C.,  who  was  attending  a  school  in  Hartford, 
Conn.  Their  congeniality  of  tastes  ended  in  a  happy  marriage, 
which  took  place  on  the  2ist  of  November,  1842.  Phylecta 
Woodford  was  born  February  19,  1828,  and  was  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage  scarce  fifteen  years  of  age,  while  the  young  bride- 
groom was  only  turned  of  twenty-one. 

Luther  B.  Higley  very  soon  took  his  youthful  bride  to  her  native 
State,  and  there  they  established  their  home  on  a  plantation  of 
six  hundred  acres,  which  lay  about  seven  miles  north  of  Lincoln- 
ton,  Lincoln  County,  N.  C.,  adjoining  that  of  her  father.  Here 
they  resided  till  the  year  1866,  soon  after  the  Civil  War,  and  it 
was  here  that  eight  of  their  family  of  eleven  children  were  born. 
28 


422  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

From  early  life  Luther  B.Higley  was  fond  of  fine  horses,  which 
became  a  well-known  characteristic.  It  was  his  good  fortune, 
while  yet  in  his  prime,  and  until  his  death,  to  gratify  this  predi- 
lection, spending  his  money  in  a  liberal  and  enterprising  way  in 
his  favorite  fine-blooded  animals,  and  eliciting  applause,  from 
everybody  interested  in  this  line,  by  his  fine  driving. 

His  love  of  music  was  another  leading  characteristic  which  was 
deep-rooted  from  his  early  life.  It  always  kindled  his  higher 
emotional  faculties.  He  was  a  fond  husband  and  father,  and 
never  was  he  better  or  in  happier  mood  than  when  his  large 
family  were  gathered  about  him,  singing  together  and  having 
cheery  "goings-on." 

When  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  in  his  neighboring  State, 
and  the  Civil  War  began,  Luther  B.  Higley,  at  no  time  an  ex- 
treme partisan,  did  not  incline  to  enter  the  ranks  of  the  Con- 
federate Army.  From  the  Southerners'  point  of  view,  and  in 
sympathy  with  the  people  and  land  of  his  adoption,  he  took  sides 
with  his  State;  but  the  strong  natural  affection  he  bore  toward 
his  family,  and  the  thought  of  encountering  danger  when  sepa- 
rated from  them,  together  with  his  natural  regard  for  his 
Northern  kindred,  caused  him  to  withhold  from  volunteering 
for  active  service.  He  was,  however,  twice  drafted  and  twice 
marched  to  the  front.  The  nearest  scenes  of  the  war  lay  full 
fifty  miles  away  from  his  home.  But  the  plantation  owners  were 
greatly  harassed  by  detachments  of  cavalry  from  the  Confed- 
erate army,  which  galloped  through  the  surrounding  country, 
collecting  horses  and  provisions,  and  stripping  the  farmer  of 
every  conceivable  thing  upon  which  they  could  lay  their  hands, 
which  made  occasion  for  Mr.  Higley  to  exercise  vigilance  over  his 
stables  and  property. 

In  his  military  service  the  last  two  years  of  the  war  he  was 
fortunate  in  securing,  through  the  influence  of  a  Southern  colonel 
who  was  his  personal  friend,  a  position  unattended  with  danger, 
being  detailed  to  superintend  a  large  forge,  located  within  a  few 
miles  of  his  home,  belonging  to  the  Confederate  Government. 

Each  time  that  he  was  ordered  to  the  front  he  was  absent  less 
than  two  weeks,  the  engagements  in  which  he  took  part  amount- 
ing to  little  more  than  mere  skirmishes. 

When  the  war  was  over,  the  despoiled  plantations  and  houses, 
and  the  generally  impoverished  state  of  the  South,  brought  on 
by  the  failing  Confederate  cause,  presented  a  discouraging  pic- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  423 

ture  for  the  future,  and  Luther  B.  Higley  early  determined  on 
removing  his  family  to  one  of  the  rich  farming  Middle  States. 
He  chose  Illinois.  Selling  his  Southern  plantation,  with  all  of 
its  appointments,  at  a  great  sacrifice,  he  purchased  a  farm  six 
miles  west  of  Waukegan,  Warren  Township,  to  which  he  removed 
with  his  family,  leaving  North  Carolina  October  15,  1866.  There 
the  family  afterward  resided.  He  died  December  29,  1879. 

His  wife,  Phylecta  (Woodford)  Higley,  was  born  at  Lincolnton, 
N.  C.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  seven  years  of  age.  She 
lived  for  a  few  years  under  the  care  of  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Timothy 
Case,  and  was  then  placed  in  a  young  lady's  seminary  in  Hart- 
ford, Conn.  As  has  been  already  stated,  she  married  before  she 
reached  her  fifteenth  birthday.  As  she  was  the  only  surviving 
child  of  her  father,  he  was  earnest  that  the  young  couple  should 
settle  near  to  him  in  North  Carolina. 

After  her  bereavement  by  the  death  of  her  husband  in  1879, 
Mrs.  Higley,  with  the  assistance  of  her  younger  children,  con- 
ducted the  farm  near  Waukegan,  111.,  till  the  year  1890,  when  she 
removed  with  her  family  to  Libertyville,  111.  During  these  years 
she  had  an  ample  field  for  the  exercise  of  her  exceptional  virtues 
and  fine  capabilities,  pressing  forward,  embracing  hope  and 
courage,  and  preserving  a  calm  temper  of  mind  as  she  occupied 
herself  with  the  responsibilities  of  a  large  family  of  fatherless 
children,  now  left  upon  her  to  bear  alone.  Together  with  her 
husband  she  had  lived  and  walked  in  the  midst  of  her  loved  ones 
in  bonds  of  unrestrained  affection;  never  was  her  joy  so  expanded 
and  complete  as  when  her  family  was  gathered  about  her;  she 
made  the  home  the  center  of  all  that  was  tender  and  true. 
With  her  children  she  maintained  the  most  intimate  maternal 
relations,  and  from  them  she  derived  abundant  sources  of  com- 
fort. They  were  devotedly  fond  of  their  mother,  and  were 
accustomed  to  minister  to  and  support  her  with  the  profoundest 
sentiments  of  filial  love. 

After  a  long  and  painful  illness,  she  fell  asleep  to  awaken  in 
a  better  world — May  9,  1892. 

"  '  Blessed,'  saith  the  Spirit,  '  are  the  dead 

Who  in  the  Lord  do  die. 
For  they  from  labor  rest.     No  more  of  strife 

Of  cares,  no  more  to  sigh 
Over  shortcomings  many.     All  fears  have  fled 
And  now  is  perfect  day.'  " 

— JOSEPHINE  BIDWELL. 


424  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Luther  B.  and  Phylecta  (Woodford)  Higley  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  viz. : 

Isadore,  Theodore  Luther,  Lyman  Baxter,  James  Edward,  Almena, 
Lauraett,  Willisburton,  Anna,  Jennie,  Clarence  Pinkney,  Walter  Fred. 

ISADORE,  the  eldest  child,  born  September  5,  1846  ;  married,  January  6, 
1876,  Thomas  H.  Williams.  They  are  farmers,  residing  at  Platte  Centre,  Neb. 
Children  : 

Arthur,  Maud,  George,  John,  Earl,  Edward,  Bessie. 

THEODORE  LUTHER,  the  second  child,  born  July  24,  1849;  unmarried.  He  is 
a  farmer ;  resides  at  Platte  Centre,  near  Stuart,  Neb. 

LYMAN  BAXTER,  the  third  child,  born  January  24,  1851;  unmarried.  He  is  a 
farmer  ;  resides  near  Stuart,  Neb.,  adjoining  his  brother. 

JAMES  EDWARD,  the  fourth  child,  born  near  Lincolnton,  N.  C.,  April  15,  1854, 
and  removed  with  his  parents  to  Waukegan,  111.,  when  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age.  He  received  a  common  school  education  at  the  district  school.  He 
is  an  enterprising  man,  possessing  quickness  of  perception,  excellent  business 
ability,  and  bearing  a  fine  character.  He  resides  at  Russell,  111.,  where  he  has  for 
some  years  held  the  position  of  station  agent  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railroad.  Mr.  Higley  is  a  Master  Mason  ;  also  an  active  member  of  the 
"  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,"  a  popular  and  growing  organization,  with 
a  membership  covering  a  broad  field,  and  fast  increasing  in  power  and  influence. 
He  was  administrator  to  the  estates  of  both  his  parents.  He  married,  September 
27,  1882,  Hattie  S.  Sherman  of  Shermanville,  111.,  daughter  of  Joel  S.  Sherman 
and  his  wife,  Harriet  Read  Botsford,  both  natives  of  Connecticut,  who  settled  in 
Chicago  in  the  year  1843,  an(i  there  became  a  prominent  family.  Mr.  Higley 
owns  a  neat  home  at  Russell  ;  also  property  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  Like  his 
father  he  is  a  lover  of  high-blooded  horses  and  is  the  owner  of  some  very  good 
stock.  They  have  one  child,  viz. : 

Howard  James  Higley,  born  August  II,  1884. 

ALMENA,  the  fifth  child  of  Luther  B.  and  Phylecta  Woodford  Higley,  was  born 
May  20,  1856,  died  November  28,  1857.  She  was  interred  beside  her  grand- 
parents on  the  family  plantation  in  Catawba  County,  N.  C. 

LAURAETT,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  near  Lincolnton,  N.  C.,  October  27,  1858. 
She  married,  September  12,  188-,  Charles  Herbert  Galloway,  who  was  born 
October  6,  1856,  in  Northfield,  Cook  County,  111.,  son  of  Job  Galloway,  formerly 
of  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  his  wife,  Emma  Millen,  a  native  of  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Galloway  has  the  habit  of  pleasant  expression  and  agreeable 
manners.  These  traits,  associated  with  a  most  estimable  character,  together  with 
good  business  ability,  doubtless  contribute  largely  to  his  present  business  success. 
Those  who  come  within  his  orbit  know  him  to  be  straightforward  and  of  high 
principle.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Galloway  Glass  Co.  of  Chicago,  an  enter- 
prising firm  doing  a  prosperous  business.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Galloway  own  a  pretty 
home  at  Highland  Park,  a  suburb  of  Chicago.  They  have  one  child,  viz.: 

Clayton  Higley  Galloway,  born  February  13,  1893. 

WILLISBURTON  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child,  born  August  7,  1862,  married  Carrie 
Lux,  September  12,  1889.  He  is  acting  as  General  Station  Agent  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  resides  at  Gray's  Lake,  111. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  425 

ANNIE,  the  eighth  child  of  the  family  of  Luther  B.  and  Phylecta  (Woodford) 
Higley,  was  born  November  25,  1864. 

She  grew  to  young  womanhood  one  of  those  favored  and  attractive  souls  whose 
amiable  qualities,  warm  natural  impulses,  and  purity  of  spirit,  caused  hearts  to 
open  to  her  "  as  flowers  do  to  the  sunshine."  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  devoted  to  its  interests,  acting  as  the  church  organist,  faithful  in 
the  Sunday  school  and  in  the  Young  People's  Association. 

She  was  summoned  from  this  life  by  a  tragic  death.  While  on  a  visit  to 
a  married  sister  in  Chicago,  on  the  evening  of  June  I,  1889,  she  went  with  a  friend 
to  a  railway  station.  While  on  the  platform  she  unfortunately  came  too  near 
a  track  on  which  a  fast-going  train  was  swiftly  passing,  when  her  clothing  was  sud- 
denly caught  by  the  strong  suction,  and  in  a  twinkling  flinging  her  with  tremendous 
force  under  the  train,  killed  her  instantly. 

At  her  funeral  services  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frothingham  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  her 
memory,  testifying  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  she  was  held  in  her  wide  circle  of 
acquaintance,  her  useful  life,  her  gentle,  affectionate,  and  sunny  disposition,  and  her 
beautiful  and  unwavering  devotion  to  her  widowed  mother. 

"Sure  when  thy  gentle  spirit  fled 

To  lands  beyond  the  azure  dome, 
With  arms  outstretched  God's  angel  said 
'  Welcome  to  heaven's  home,  sweet  home.'  " 

JENNIE,  the  ninth  child,  born  February  28,  1867,  near  Waukegan,  111.,  married, 
August  10,  1893,  Henry  Charles  Morgan.  Mr.  Morgan,  the  son  of  George  and 
Harriet  Morgan,  was  born  in  Tunbridge,  County  Kent,  England.  They  reside  at 
Highland  Park,  near  Chicago. 

CLARENCE  PINKNEY  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  Luther  B.  and  Phylecta  (Wood- 
ford)  Higley,  born  March  12,  1869,  married,  May  18,  1893,  Amelia  Taylor.  They 
reside  in  Chicago.  He  is  a  mechanical  engineer. 

WALTER  FRED  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child,  was  born  March  4, 
1872.  He  resides  at  Geneseeo,  111.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  Chicago  &  Rock 
Island  Railroad  service.  He  is  unmarried. 


Continued  from  page  421. 

THOMAS  BAXTER  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Luther  and  his 
second  wife,  Flora  (Bidwell)  Higley,  was  born  at  Canton,  Hartford 
County,  Conn.,  March  14,  1824.  He  went  to  California  in  the 
early  history  of  the  gold  excitement  in  that  State,  sailing  "around 
the  Horn  "  in  1849.  He  died  on  the  26th  of  December  the  same 
year,  and  was  interred  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento  River.  A 
monument  to  his  memory  was  erected  at  his  native  town — 
Canton,  Conn. 

WALTER  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Luther  and  his  third  wife, 
Sarah  (Bidwell)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  April  9, 
1828.  He  married,  first,  Flora  Bidwell,  March  16,  1854,  who 


426  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

died  ten  months  later,  January  19,  1855.  He  married,  second, 
December  13,  1859,  Alice  C.  Wade. 

Mr.  Higley  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  owning  and  residing  upon 
the  farm  which  his  father  purchased  in  1856,  at  Bainbridge, 
Chenango  County,  N.  Y.  x 

By  his  first  wife  he  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  Viroqua,  who 
died  April  28,  1875.  By  second  wife  : 

Homer  ff.,  born  April  i,  1861;  William  IV.,  born  March  14, 
1863,  died  October  21,  1881;  Sarah  A.,  born  February  3,  1865; 
Mary  Elizabeth,  born  April  8,  1868;  and  Sterling  F.  Higley. 

HOMER  H.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  married,  February  4,  1892,  Cornelia  M. 
Martin.  He  is  engaged  in  a  general  hardware  business,  and  resides  at  Nor- 
wich, N.  Y. 

EDWIN  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  son  of  Luther  Higley  and  the 
second  child  by  his  wife  Sarah  (Bidwell)  Higley  [page  421],  was 
born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  November  6,  1831;  married  Harriet 
Underwood  of  New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  February  u,  1859.  She 
was  born  January  7,  1837.  Edwin  Higley  served  three  years  in 
the  late  Civil  War,  under  General  Sherman,  in  a  New  York 
cavalry  company. 

Their  children  were  : 

LUTHER  E.,  born  January  23,  1861,  at  Sidney,  N.  Y.,  who  married,  November 
3,  1886,  Carrie  Rich  of  Hobart,  N.  Y. 

CHARLES  A.,  born  June  27,  1863,  at  Franklin,  N.  Y.,  who  married,  October 
15,  1884,  Carrie  E.  Emmonds  of  Sidney,  N.  Y.  They  have  a  son  named  Luther 
E.  Higley,  Jr.,  born  in  Sidney,  March  n,  1886. 

ROLLIN  HIGLEY,  the  third  son  of  Luther  and  his  wife  Sarah 
(Bidwell)  Higley  [page  421],  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  March 
29,  1835,  and  married  Henrietta  Sisson,  March  23,  1858.  He 
died,  November  25,  1870.  They  had  children,  viz. : 

Ida  V.,  born  August  10,  1861,  who  married  James  M.  Gladwin, 
December  5,  1883.  Addie  IV.,  born  April  7,  1864;  died  Septem- 
ber, 1884. 

TRUMAN  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Luther  and  his  wife 
Sarah  (Bidwell)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  April  n,  1837. 
He  resides  at  Bainbridge,  N.  Y.,  retired  from  a  farming  life. 
He  is  unmarried. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  427 

Continued  from  page  417. 

CORRELL  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Deacon  Obed,  Sr.,  and 
Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  February  12, 
1796,  and  married  Nancy  Phelps.  They  first  resided  at  Avon, 
Conn.,  afterward  removing  to  Indiana  (the  name  of  the  town  not 
given),  in  which  State  they  both  died.  Correll  Higley  served  in 
the  War  of  1812,  entering  the  ranks  under  command  of  Captain 
Isaac  Phelps,  August  18,  1814.  His  company  was  discharged 
October  25,  1814.  Correll  Higley  died  in  1865. 

They  had  two  children,  viz.: 

Catherine,  who  married  Allen  E.  Phelps,  and  died ;  and 

Phelps  Higley,  who  resides  in  Lafayette,  Ind. 


CHAPTER   LVI. 

POMEROY   HIGLEY,    SR. 

Continued  front  page  417. 
Pomeroy,  Sr.,  Obed,  Sr.,  John,  Sr.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Thus  learned  I  from  the  shadow  of  a  tree, 
That  to  and  fro  did  sway  upon  the  wall : 
Our  shadow-selves,  our  influence  may  fall 
Where  we  can  never  be. 

— A.  E.  HAMILTON. 

POMEROY  HIGLEY,  Sr.,  the  seventh  child  of  Deacon  Obed  and 
Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Hartford  County, 
Conn.,  November  10,  1798.  He  married,  August  7,  1821,  Eunice 
Delight  Humphrey  of  Canton,  who  was  born  April  2,  1803.  They 
always  resided  in  their  native  town,  occupying  a  homestead  which 
stood  in  Canton  village,  and  which  is  still  occupied  (1892)  by 
their  youngest  son,  Howard  Higley.  They  were  both  members 
of  the  Baptist  denomination. 

For  energy  and  business  capacity  Pomeroy  Higley  was  excelled 
by  few  men.  He  possessed  both  brain  power  to  project  measures 
for  the  realization  of  his  ambitions  and  capability  to  execute 
them.  Life  to  him  was  one  persistent  and  constant  pressure  for 
gain.  He  devoted  himself  almost  entirely  to  the  accumulation  of 
lands  and  property. 

He  had  a  prime  constitution.  Physically,  he  required  but  few 
hours  sleep.  Rising  long  before  day,  it  was  his  habit  to  rouse 
the  whole  household  and  have  things  sprouting  and  growing  by 
sunrise. 

While  he  never  sought  public  honors,  he  won  his  way  to  a 
degree  of  prominence,  and  was  no  inconsiderable  man  in  the 
community,  his  fellow-citizens  having  full  confidence  in  his 
integrity  and'indomitable  energy. 

He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in  1842,  and  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  Hartford  County  for  a  term  of  years. 

All  through  life  he  cut  his  way  with  a  two-edged  sword.  His 
concise,  commanding  force  of  character  caused  most  people  to 
interpret  him  as  austere,  yet  he  had  a  quick  appreciation  of 
gentleness  and  possessed  kindly  impulses.  In  his  family  his  word 
was  law. 

He  disliked  to  be  trammeled.     His  restless  ambition  craving  a 

4*8 


POMEROY   HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HISLEY,  SR.  4*9 

larger  opportunity  for  accumulation  and  business  than  a  Con- 
necticut farm  afforded  him,  he  identified  himself,  while  yet  a  young 
man,  with  business  interests  which  took  him  traveling  much  of 
the  time  for  several  years  in  the  South.  During  these  absences, 
even  then,  while  sitting  in  hotels  in  distant  cities  and  towns,  his 
clear  head  kept  pace  with  every  detail  of  the  farm  work,  and  he 
wrote  explicit  directions  as  to  what  work  each  son  and  farmhand 
was  to  do  in  a  given  period  of  time.  These  directions  he  ex- 
pected to  be  strictly  carried  out. 

His  energy  and  practical  knowledge  of  business  brought  him 
much  success,  and  he  dred,  having  accumulated,  for  those  times, 
a  comfortable  fortune,  leaving  a  property  of  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
besides  lands,  etc. 

His  decease  took  place  November  7,  1868.  The  interment 
was  in  the  cemetery  at  Canton. 

The  virtues  of  Eunice  D.  Higley,  his  wife,  shone  throughout  a 
life  conspicuously  beautiful  in  her  home  and  to  all  who  knew  her. 
Her  bosom  concealed  a. heart  full  of  gentleness  of  temperament. 
She  was  a  woman  in  every  way  worthy  to  be  remembered.  Gifted 
with  wisdom  and  intelligence,  an  efficient  helper  of  her  husband, 
patient  with  his  peculiar  personalities,  rising  at  a  very  early 
morning  hour  and  busying  herself  till  late  at  night  in  active  work 
for  the  household,  with  a  vast  amount  of  care  devolving  upon 
her,  her  noble  nature  and  the  Christian  spirit  she  manifested  in 
her  relation  to  life  was  all  the  while  inspiring  her  children  to 
ideas  of  right  living,  and  a  sense  of  something  higher  than  the 
simple  daily  round  of  life's  unremitting  toil. 

She  departed  this  life  September  27,  1875. 

Pomeroy  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Eunice  Delight  Humphrey  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  viz. : 

Pomeroy,  Jr.,  Warren,  Clarissa,  Eunice,  Mary,  Martha  Ann, 
Caroline,  Howard,  and  Susan. 

POMEROY  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  eldest  child  of  Pomeroy,  Sr.,  and 
Eunice  Delight  (Humphrey)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton  Centre, 
Hartford  County,  Conn.,  June  8,  1823. 

His  early  years  were  spent  in  the  daily  plow-boy  life  usual  to 
the  sons  of  well-to-do  New  England  farmers;  he  attended  the 
country  school  in  Canton  when  opportunity  afforded,  which  was 
mostly  in  the  winter  season,  and  remained  at  his  parents'  home 
till  he  was  twenty-four  years  old. 


43°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

From  his  father  he  inherited  the  natural  ability  and  aptitude 
for  business  which  insures  success,  together  with  the  kindly  dis- 
position his  mother  possessed,  her  agreeable  social  air,  and  many 
of  her  pleasing  qualities. 

Mr.  Higley  has  followed  the  business  methods  of  his  father, 
but  devoted  himself  less  to  money-making.  He  is  a  man  who  has 
a  good  knowledge  of  human  nature,  bearing  an  excellent  reputa- 
tion for  integrity,  and  managing  his  affairs  with  prudence  and 
coolness.  He  is  unassuming,  having  no  wish  for  empty  honors, 
and  is  of  thoroughly  domestic  tastes. 

About  the  year  1847  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  town  of 
Bloomfield,  Conn.,  where  he  resided  ten  years,  then  sold  it  and 
removed  to  his  present  homestead. 

He  received  by  inheritance  a  goodly  share  of  his  father's 
estate,  which  by  successful  management  he  has  gradually  in- 
creased. He  is  now  the  owner  of  an  estate  containing  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  The  farm  home  in  which  he  resides  is  one  of 
substantial  comfort,  and  stands  a  little  north  of  the  hamlet  and 
post  office  of  West  Simsbury,  Conn.,  and  about  five  miles  from 
the  ancient  village  of  Simsbury.  Besides  agricultural  pursuits, 
Mr.  Higley  pays  considerable  attention  to  fine  blooded  stock- 
raising,  making  throughbred  Jerseys  and  the  dairy  a  specialty. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  are  regular  attendants  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  North  Canton,  having  joined  by 
letter  from  the  church  at  Bloomfield,  with  which  they  united  on 
profession  of  their  faith. 

In  August,  1890,  Pomeroy  Higley  contributed  largely  as  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  to  the  very  successful 
and  pleasurable  event  of  the  Family  Reunion  and  "clam-bake," 
which  was  held  by  the  Higleys  at  Old  Simsbury;  his  well 
arranged  plans,  practically  carried  out,  together  with  his  genial 
presence,  reviving  the  old-time  forcibleness  of  character  borne  by 
the  ancient  ancestry  of  Higley-town.  He  is  almost  the  last  living 
representative  of  the  Higleys  living  in  the  precincts  of  Simsbury. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1845,  Pomeroy  Higley,  Jr.,  married 
Minerva  Shepard  of  Simsbury,  daughter  of  Whiting  Shepard, 
Esq.,  a  noteworthy  family  of  good  old  Connecticut  stock.  She 
was  born  October  13,  1822. 

To  a  delicate  organization  is  linked  in  her  a  well-balanced 
mind,  serene  in  temper  and  much  natural  refinement.  Possess- 
ing a  benevolent  and  catholic  spirit,  and  taking  an  interest  in  the 


CLAYTON    W.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  431 

questions  of  the  day,  she  is  the  center  of  their  well  ordered  Chris- 
tian home,  giving  it  the  inspiration  of  contentment  and  peace. 

Mrs.  Higley  received  a  comfortable  estate  by  legacy  from  her 
father,  Whiting  Shepard. 

Pomeroy  and  Minerva  (Shepard)  Higley  have  one  child,  viz. : 

CLAYTON  W.  HIGLEY,  born  August  10,  1850,  at  Bloomfield,  Hartford  County, 
Conn. 

He  studied  music  under  masters  who  imparted  to  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  science.  On  the  pianoforte  he  is  a  performer  of  no  small  ability,  and  has 
acquired  well-merited  success  as  an  instructor. 

Professor  Higley  possesses  refined  tastes,  is  cordial  and  agreeable  in  his  bearing, 
of  fine  physique,  and  esteemed  for  his  genuine  character. 

He  is  unmarried,  and  resides  with  his  parents  at  West  Simsbury,  Conn. 

Continued  from  page  429. 

WARREN  HIGLEY,  son  of  Pomeroy  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Eunice  D. 
(Humphrey)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  May  i,  1825. 

He  is  a  farmer  in  good  circumstances,  and  has  always  resided 
in  his  native  town.  December  13,  1854,  he  married  Caroline 
Mills,  who  was  born  May  24,  1831. 

Their  children:  Warren  Higley,  Jr.,  and  Carrie. 

WARREN  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  born  December  25,  1857,  married,  January  18,  1884, 
Anna  L.  Hayden.  He  died  October  7,  1886. 

CARRIE,  born  October  22,  1862,  married,  July  26,  1882,  Byron  G.  Fenn. 

CLARISSA  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Pomeroy,  Sr.,  and  Eunice 
D.  (Humphrey)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  August  21, 
1826.  She  married,  first,  John  Robertson,  and,  second,  Isaac 
Alcott  She  had  five  children,  viz. :  Frank,  Theodore,  Charles, 
George,  and^Otiver.  No  children  by  her  second  marriage. 

EUNICE  A.,  their  fourth  child,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn., 
September  n,  1828;  married  Sherman  A.  Wilcox.  She  died  Sep- 
tember 13,  1865.  They  had  one  daughter,  named  Emma,  who 
married  Frank  Case. 

MARY,  the  fifth  child,  born  April  25,  1830,  died  December  25, 
1840. 

MARTHA  ANN,  the  sixth  child,  born  May  3,  1833,  married 
Edwin  F.  Wilcox.  They  had  one  child,  named  Harriet,  who  died 
many  years  ago. 

CAROLINE,  the  seventh  child,  born  March  10,  1835,  married 
Giles  A.  Sisson.  Their  children  were  : 

Ella,  Addie,  Frank,  and  Arthur. 


43 2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Continued  front  page  429. 

HOWARD  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  and  eighth  child  of  Pome- 
roy  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Eunice  D.  Humphrey,  was  born  at  Canton, 
Conn.,  February  12,  1837.  He  married,  March  31,  1858,  Mary 
Etta  Case,  who  was  born  February  22,  1838.  They  reside  in 
Canton  in  the  old  family  homestead  of  his  father.  Mr.  Higley 
follows  agricultural  pursuits.  Their  children  are  : 

Mary  A.;  Loyal  H.,  born  March  13,  1868;  and  Ellen  M.,  born 
July  i,  1872. 

MARY  A.,  the  eldest  child,  born  February  I  1863,  married,  December  25,  1883, 
Frederick  M.  Mills.  He  died  October  23,  1886. 

SUSAN  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  and  youngest  child  of  Pomeroy 
Higley,  Sr.,  and  Eunice  D.  Humphrey,  was  born  April  3,  1839. 
She  married  Edmund  Hough.  They  had  one  son,  Eddie,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Continued  from  page  417. 

AMELIA  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Deacon  Obed,  Sr.,  and 
Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  October  7, 
1801.  She  married  Colonel  Austin  N.  Humphrey.  No  further 
data  has  been  furnished. 

ALMENA,  the  ninth  child  of  Deacon  Obed,  Sr.,  and  Rebecca 
(Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  April  i,  1805.  She 
married,  April  25,  1831,  Leonard  P.  Swett  of  Rockland,  Me.  He 
was  born  December  7,  1801.  They  resided  the  latter  part  of 
their  lives  in  West  Bay  City,  Mich.  Mr.  Swett  died  in  that  place 
October  7,  1879.  Almena  Higley  Swett  died  February  8,  1884. 
They  had  four  children,  viz.: 

HENRY  WARREX  SWETT,  born  August  31,  1834,  in  Collinsvllle,  Conn.,  married, 
November  30,  1858,  Antoinette  Burrows  of  Freedom,  Portage  County,  O.  She 
died  April  15,  1874.  He  resides  in  Oakdale,  Neb.  Their  children  were  :  Lena  A., 
Henry  B.,  Leonard  C.,  and  Jennie  L.,  who  died  in  infancy.  Henry  Warren  Swett 
married,  second,  Sarah  E.  Kidder.  By  her  he  has  a  daughter,  named  Antionette^ 
born  June  13,  1877,  and  a  son,  born  February  14,  1879,  wno  died. 

MARY  AMELIA  SWETT  and  a  twin  sister,  daughters  of  Almena  Higley  and 
Leonard  Swett,  were  born  April  20,  1842,  at  Collinsville,  Conn.  The  twin  child 
died  in  infancy.  Mary  Amelia  married,  September  6,  1860,  Seth  Bourn  of  Den- 
mark, Tuscola  County,  Mich.  He  was  born  February  6,  1833,  in  Savoy,  Mass. 
They  ha've  three  children,  viz.: 

Eliza  Maria,  born  September  25,  1861,  in  Vassar,  Mich.;  Henry  Dwight,  born 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLE  Y,  SR.  433 

May  29,  1863,  and  died  January  21,  1865;  Minnie  Almena,  born  July  27,  1877, 
died  in  West  Bay  City,  Mich.,  October  7,  1878. 

ELIZA  MARIA  BOURN,  the  eldest  child,  married,  December  23,  1879,  Henry  A. 
Hawgood,  who  was  born  January  20,  1848,  in  Wales.  They  have  two  children, 
a  son  named  Harry  Bourn,  born  April  5,  1887,  and  a  daughter,  deceased. 


Continued from  page  417. 

EMELINE  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  and  youngest  child  of  Deacon 
Obed,  Sr.,  and  Rebecca  (Mills)  Higley,  was  born  in  Canton, 
Conn.,  November  4,  1808.  She  married,  first,  Luke  Fuller,  who 
lived  but  seven  years  after.  She  married,  second,  Zachariah 
Kempton  of  Simsbury,  September  12,  1836.  Mr.  Kempton 
was  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  July  27,  1793.  Emeline  Higley 
Kempton  died  1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kempton  had  four  children, 
viz. : 

EMELINE,  born  in  Bloomfield,  Conn.,  June  25,  1837  ;  married  Captain  Mark  C. 
Turner,  December  20,  1869. 

REBECCA,  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  August  13,  1841  ;  married  Stacey  Daniels. 
They  have  one  son,  Albert  Daniels. 

EMILY  LOUISA,  born  in  Hartford,  October  30,  1846 ;  married  J.  B.  Sawyer  ;  died 
August  29,  1879.  They  had  three  sons  :  Burt,  Mark,  and  Earnest. 

JENNIE,  the  youngest  child  of  Zachariah  and  Emeline  Higley  Kempton,  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  November  4,  1848  ;  married  James  P.  Francis,  October 
25,  1870.  They  reside  in  South  Norwalk,  Conn.  They  have  one  child, 
viz.: 

MAUD  KEMPTON  FRANCIS,  born  in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  September  23,  1873, 
She  married  September  27,  1894,  Richard  Hadlock  Bulkley. 

The  South  Norwalk  (Conn.)  Sentinel,  the  day  after  the  marriage,  contained  the 
following  : 

"  The  ceremony  which  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony  Miss  Maude  Kemp- 
ton  Francis,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  P.  Francis,  and  Richard  Hadlock 
Bulkley  of  Southport,  took  place  yesterday  afternoon  at  4.30  o'clock.  The 
bridal  party  stood  in  front  of  an  altar  trimmed  with  smilax,  and  under  a  most 
artistically  arranged  wedding  bell  of  carnations  and  smilax,  while  in  the  back- 
ground were  banks  of  palms  and  other  potted  plants.  The  Episcopal  ceremony, 
with  ring,  was  performed  by  Rev.  Olin  Hallock,  rector  of  Trinity  Church.  The 
bride  was  given  away  by  her  father,  and  the  groom's  best  man  was  his  brother, 
William  M.  Bulkley  of  Southport.  The  bride  wore  a  costume  of  stone  blue 
broadcloth,  with  hat  to  match.  Following  the  ceremony  was  served  an  elaborate 
wedding  repast.  The  floral  decorations  were  very  beautiful.  The  groom's  present 
to  the  bride  was  a  diamond  marquise.  The  young  couple  are  well  known  and 
very  popular  in  local  society,  and  have  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  This  was  attested 
by  the  magnificent  wedding  gifts  received,  representing  in  value  several  thousand 
dollars." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bulkley  reside  in  Bridgeport,  Conn. 


434  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

EBER     HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  394. 
Eber,  John,  Sr.,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

EBER  HIGLEY — or  Heber,  according  to  his  baptismal  record — 
was  the  seventh  child  of  John  Higley,  Sr.,  and  was  baptized 
July  17,  1763. 

Whether  or  not  he  was  a  son  of  the  first  wife,  Apphia  Hum- 
phrey, who  died  nearly  a  year  previous  to  his  baptism,  is  not 
clearly  shown.  Eber  and  the  younger  children  of  John  Higley, 
Sr.'s,  family  were  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Veits,  at  St.  Andrews, 
the  old  parish  known  as  Scotland,  now  Bloomfield,  five  miles  from 
Canton.  It  would  appear  that  Mrs.  Clark,  John  Higley's  second 
wife,  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  it  may  have 
been  through  her  influence  that  her  husband  was  baptized  into 
the  same  communion,  his  name  appearing  on  the  record  of 
baptisms  in  1764.' 

Little  is  known  of  the  personal  history  of  Eber  Higley  except 
that  he  emigrated  to  Elba,  western  New  York,  after  having  Jived 
for  a  time  in  Burlington,  Conn.  No  record  or  date  of  his  mar- 
riage is  found.  Of  his  wife,  who  was  buried  in  western  New 
York,  few  facts  are  known. 

But  his  name  is  indelibly  engraved  in  our  country's  annals  in 
connection  with  the  stormy  period  of  the  Revolution  and  the  War 
of  1812.  He  could  not  have  been  more  than  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  Revolutionary  Army,  joining  in 
1778  the  regiment  of  the  Connecticut  Militia  commanded  by 
Colonel  Roger  Eno,  Captain  (afterward  Colonel)  Amasa  Mills' 
company.  They  arrived  in  camp  July  4,  1778.  Colonel  Mills, 
who  was  a  neighbor  of  the  Canton  Higleys,  was  in  command  in 
nearly  all  of  the  campaigns  of  the  Connecticut  soldiers  during  the 
War  of  the  Revolution. 

On  July  i,  1780,  Eber  Higley  re-inlisted  in  the  2d  Connecticut 
Regiment,  receiving,  with  the  troops,  an  honorable  discharge  five 
months  later,  December  19,  1780. 

When  the  second  war  with  England  was  declared,  he  was 
among  those  men  of  valor  and  determined  courage  who  gave  the 
loftiest  expression  of  patriotism  that  a  soldier  can  offer  his 
country — that  of  death  by  starvation;  "  and  this  in  face  of  alluring 

1  From  the  parish  records  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Bloomfield,  Conn. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLE  Y,  SR.  435 

promises  of  liberty  and  plenty  if  they  would  but  forswear  the  flag 
of  liberty."  In  company  with  his  nephews,  Isaac  and  Alson 
Higley,  he  went  from  the  town  of  Elba,  N.  Y.,  and  reported  at 
Buffalo  for  service.  He  was  then  forty-nine  years  of  age.  At 
the  unfortunate  battle  of  Queenstown  Heights,  October  13,  1812, 
he  was  captured  a  prisoner  of  war  by  the  British,  and  taken  to 
Halifax,  N.  S.,  where  he  met  his  sad  fate. 

In  the  language  of  General  Veazey  :  "  Through  weeks  and 
months  they  dragged  out  the  weary,  joyless,  and  hopeless  days  in 
hunger,  and  in  lingering  torture,  death  stalking  daily  among 
them;  martyrs  as  well  as  heroes,  yet  martyrdom  without  the 
accompaniment  of  the  glorious  thrill  and  the  inspiring  impulse 
of  the  fury  and  incense  of  battle." 

Thus  by  supremest  sacrifice  thousands  of  high-souled  men  laid 
down  their  lives  that  our  country  might  "assume  among  the 
powers  of  earth  the  separate  and  equal  station  to  which  the  laws 
of  nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  her." 

Eber  Higley  and  Miriam  Smith  had  one  child,  viz. : 

HOSEA  HIGLEY,  who  was  born  January  8,  1799,  in  Burlington,  Conn.  He 
married,  October  19,  1820,  Huldah  Heath  of  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  daughter  of 
Roswell  Heath,  an  American  Loyalist,  a  nephew  of  General  Heath  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  and  a  family  of  high  standing.  Huldah  Heath  was  born  June  I,  1801. 
They  resided  at  New  Marlboro,  Mass.,  where  all  of  their  children  were  born. 

Hosea  Higley  died  January  15,  1858.     Huldah,  his  wife  died  January  7,  1881. 

Children  of  Hosea  and  Huldah  (Heath)  Higley  : 

CYNTHIA  MARIA,  born  March  23,  1822,  married,  first,  William  Cowles,  Jan- 
uary I,  1839;  second,  J.  H.  Shields,  October  5,  1854.  They  reside  at  Moulton,  la. 

HARRIET,  born  January  27,  1825,  married  Lewis  G.  Sage  of  Sandisville,  Mass., 
November  19,  1854.  She  died  November  18,  1855. 

EDWIN  ROSWELL,  born  May  6,  1827,  married  Sarah  Lorilla  Cone  of  Sandis- 
ville, Mass.,  1854.  He  removed  to  Allerton,  Wayne  County,  la.,  in  1851,  where 
he  now  resides. 

ALBERT  J.,  born  October  18,  1829,  died  November  23,  1846. 

HORACE  WARREN,  born  December  12,  1831,  married,  first,  Alsenia  L.  Cook  of 
New  Marlboro,  Mass.,  July  24,  1853.  His  second  wife,  whom  he  married  August 
27,  1866,  was  Martha  Ann  Coburn  of  Lowell,  Mass.  He  married,  third,  Margaret 
Coffee,  July  6,  1887,  of  New  Britain,  Conn.  He  resides  at  Windsor  Locks,  Hart- 
ford Ccunty,  Conn.  The  children  are  as  follows  : 

By  first  wife,  John  A.,  born  May  5,  1854;  Warren  Hosea,  born  December  15, 
1855;  Ida  Alsenia,  born  January  6.  1858;  Frank  £.,  born  1860.  By  second 
wife.  Mary,  born  March  25,  1868;  George  Edwin,  born  October  14,  1871;  Annie, 
born  August  n,  1874;  Jennie,  born  November  26,  1876. 

ANDREW  NELSON,  the  youngest  child  of  Hosea  and  Huldah  (Heath)  Higley,  was 
bom  December  31,  1833  ;  married,  first,  Mary  S.  Harmon  of  New  Marlboro, 
Mass. ;  second,  Huldah  Heath  of  Sandisfield,  Mass.  He  resides  at  Allerton,  la. 
Children  : 

Mary  A.  and  Albert  R, 


436  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Continued  from  page  394. 

ROGER  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  son  of  John  Higley,  Sr.,  and  his  sec- 
ond wife, Clark,  was  baptized  January  13,  1765,'  by  the  Rev. 

Robert  Veits  at  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Scotland  (now  Bloomfield), 
Conn.  As  this  is  the  only  time  his  name  appears  on  record,  and 
nothing  is  known  of  him  by  the  descendants  of  John  Higley,  Sr., 
it  is  supposed  that  he  did  not  survive  infancy. 

MARTHA,  the  third  daughter  of  John  Higley,  Sr.,  and  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Clark,  was  baptized  at  St.  Andrew's  Church, 

June  29,  1766.  She  was  known  by  the  name  of  "  Patsey."  She 
married  Job  Mills,  a  brother  of  her  sister's  husband,  Elder  Jared 
Mills. 

JOB  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  John  Higley,  Sr.,  and  his 

second  wife,  Clark,  was  baptized  at  St.  Andrew's  Church, 

Bloomfield,  Conn.,  July  31,  1768.'  He  married,  about  1778,  a  wife 
whose  name  cannot  be  discovered,  by  whom  he  had  two  children. 
On  May  9,  1792,  he  married  Dorcas  Eggleston  of  Wintonbury, 
Conn.  He  became  a  cattle  drover,  selling  his  cattle  in  Balti- 
more. In  this  business  he  accumulated  property  and  became 
very  well  to  do.  Afterward  he  was  a  marine  shipper  from  the 
port  of  Baltimore,  and  was  killed  by  accident  on  board  ship  about 
the  year  1808. 

By  his  first  wife  Job  Higley  had  two  children,  viz. : 

Semira,  born  in  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  1789,  and  Carlo,  born  1791, 
of  whom  nothing  more  is  known. 

By  his  second  wife,  Dorcas  Eggleston,  he  had  six  children, 
viz. : 

Edwin,  born  1793,  died  unmarried.  Nelson,  born  1795,  who 
married  Wealthy  Myers,  of  whom  no  further  account  has  been 
furnished.  Clarissa,  born  1797,  never  married.  Olive,  born  1799, 
died  November,  1819,  unmarried.  Myron  Spencer,  born  Decem- 
ber 29,  1 80 1.  And  George,  born  1803. 

MYRON  SPENCER  HIGLEY,  the  son  of  Job  and  Dorcas  Eggleston 
Higley,  was  born  December  29,  1801,  and  married,  about  the  year 
1826,  Priscilla  Eberson.  They  resided  ten  years  in  Leeds, 
Canada,  then  removed  to  Iowa.  That  country  was  then  very 
new.  Here  they  remained  till  the  year  1852,  when  they  went  to 
Utah,  and  settled  in  Salt  Lake  valley,  living  in  Morgan  and  Davis 
Counties  till  the  year  1872,  when  they  removed  to  Hooper,  Weber 

1  From  the  Parish  Records. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLEY,  SR.  437 

County,  where  they  resided  till  their  deaths.  His  trade  for 
several  years  was  that  of  turning  bowls;  he  was  afterward  an 
agriculturist.  He  died  in  1887.  His  wife,  Priscilla,  lived  to 
a  great  age,  and  died  February,  1892.  They  had  eleven  children, 
viz. : 

Nelson,  born  April  i,  1827,  died  1828.  Clarissa,  born  in  Leeds 
County,  Canada,  October  21,  1829,  died  1873.  George  IV.,  born 
November  20,  1831.  Ediuin,  born  November  12,  1833,  died 
April  10,  1852.  Adelia,  born  June  23,  1836.  Abigail,  born  at 
Port  Leyden,  N.  Y.,  October  6,  1838.  James,  born  July,  1841, 
died  the  same  year.  Dorcas,  born  December  2,  1843,  died  Octo- 
ber, 1864.  Mary  Jane,  born  February  13,  1847,  at  Benton  Port, 
la.  Elizabeth  Ann,  born  April  i,  1850,  and  Myron,  Jr.,  born 
February  6,  1853,  at  Uintah,  Weber  County,  Utah. 

GEORGE  W.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  surviving  son  of  Myron  S.  and  Priscilla  Eber- 
son  Higley,  was  born  in  Leeds  County,  Canada,  November  20,  1831.  He  married 
Nancy  Ellen  Wadsworth,  July  24,  1855.  She  was  born  July  23,  1839. 

He  preceded  his  father  and  the  family  in  their  emigration  to  the  then  "  faraway 
wild  West,"  arriving  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley  with  a  merchant  train  from  the  Missouri 
River,  in  the  autumn  of  1851,  having  only  twenty-five  cents  in  his  pockets  when 
he  reached  Salt  Lake.  There  were  at  that  time  between  three  thousand  and  four 
thousand  white  people  in  Utah  Territory.  He  found  employment  in  Salt  Lake 
City  until  the  following  spring,  1852,  when  he  went  to  the  Green  River  ferry,  on  the 
overland  route  to  California,  and  bought  a  one-fifth  interest  in  the  ferry.  During 
that  autumn  he  met  his  parents  at  Laramie,  Wyo.  (five  hundred  miles  from  Salt  Lake 
City),  and  brought  them  to  the  Salt  Lake  valley.  He  made  this  journey  through  an 
Indian  country  on  horseback  and  alone.  In  the  following  spring  he  went  to  Marsh 
valley  in  Idaho,  125  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake  City.  Here  he  built  a  bridge  over 
the  then  called  Marsh  Creek,  and  owned  a  trading-post  on  the  "  Hedge  Pith  Cut- 
off," on  the  emigration  road  to  California.  He  returned  in  the  fall  and  spent  the 
winter  in  Utah.  While  at  Marsh  valley  bridge  he  bought  some  cattle  from  the 
emigrant  trains,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  thoroughbred  Durham  bull,  which 
was  one  of  the  finest  ever  brought  to  the  Territory.  He  built  and  kept  a  trading- 
post  on  the  old  emigration  road  at  Goose  Creek  Mountains  in  Idaho,  during  the 
summer  of  1854. 

After  his  marriage  to  Nancy  Wadsworth  in  the  year  1855,  they  removed  to  Weber 
valley,  Utah,  now  Morgan  County,  and  built  the  third  house  erected  in  the  valley. 
It  was  during  this  same  summer  that  Little  Soldier,  a  Snake  Indian  chief,  endeavored 
to  drive  the  settlers  from  the  valley.  One  morning  this  chief,  with  thirty  of  his 
warriors,  all  in  war  paint,  surprised  Higley  and  several  settlers,  by  coming  suddenly 
upon  them,  striking  them  over  their  heads  and  on  their  faces  with  their  whips,  and 
trying  to  trample  them  under  their  horses'  feet,  and  in  every  manner  sought  to  pro- 
voke them  to  some  action  whereby  they  would  have  a  pretext  for  massacring  them. 
An  agreement  was  reached,  however,  and  hostile  intentions  suspended  till  a  mes- 
senger could  be  sent  to  Salt  Lake  City  with  a  son  of  Little  Soldier  to  confer  with 
29 


438  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

Brigham  Young.  The  Indians  were  finally  pacified  by  a  contribution  of  beef  for 
the  braves  and  clothing  for  the  chief.  In  later  years,  after  the  Indians  became 
civilized,  Little  Soldier,  in  recounting  the  incident,  said  it  was  the  bravery  of  the 
settlers  that  saved  them;  that  had  they  shown  signs  of  fear  they  would  have  been 
slain,  for  he  and  his  warriors  had  in  council  determined  to  do  so. 

Higley  helped  to  build  the  first  saw-mill  in  Morgan  County,  and  to  survey  and 
dig  the  first  irrigation  ditch.  This  was  in  1856.  He  lived  in  Morgan  County  till 
1859,  when  he  removed  to  his  farm  in  Weber  County,  near  where  Ogden  City  is 
now  located,  but  the  high  water  in  the  spring  of  1860  completely  destroying  it  he 
was  left  almost  without  means.  He  returned  to  Morgan  County,  where  he  resided 
until  1871,  when  he  went  to  Hooper,  where  he  now  resides  on  a  farm.  Mr. 
Higley  belongs  to  the  Mormon  Church. 

The  twelve  children  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  (Wadsworth)  Higley  are  as 
follows  : 

George  Edwin,  born  September  28,  1857,  married  Adeline  Johnson.  Charles 
Washington,  born  June  22,  1859,  married  Deseret  Johnson.  Eliza  Ann,  born 
May  4,  1861,  married  Smith  Johnson.  William  Carlos,  born  March  21,  1864. 
Abiah  Alonzo,  born  November  I,  1867.  Lucinda  Ellen,  born  January  7,  1869, 
married  Frank  Naisbitt.  Joseph  Warren,  born  April  16,  1871.  Franklin  Spencer, 
born  November  19,  1873.  Olive  Deseret,  born  January  20,  1875.  Ida  Elenora, 
born  November  25,  1877.  Walter  Leonidas,  born  December  3,  1879,  died 
September  IO,  1890.  Mabel  Edner,  born  November  7,  1887. 

ADELIA,  the  eldest  surviving  daughter  of  Myron  Spencer  and  Priscilla  Eberson 
Higley,  born  June  23,  1836,  married  David  B.  Bybee,  August  27,  1854.  Mr. 
Bybee  died  February  22,  1893.  They  had  fourteen  children,  viz.: 

David  Byron,  born  October  12,  1855,  married  Emma  France.  Annis  Adelia, 
born  April  22,  1857,  married  Nathan  Robison,  who  was  killed  in  Arizona  by  the 
Indians.  William  Marion,  born  January  23,  1859,  married  Lucinda  Becksted. 
George  Myron,  born  September  I,  1860.  Mary  Olive,  born  October  13,  1862, 
married  Brigham  Stowell  (his  first  wife);  they  reside  in  Mexico.  Dora  Minerva, 
born  May  2,  1864,  married  Joseph  France.  Francis,  born  November  13,  1866, 
died  January,  1868.  Rhoda  Maria,  born  May  28,  1867,  married  Brigham  Stowell 
(second  wife).  Heber  James,  born  June  17,  1871,  died  June  17,  1871.  Joseph 
Mack,  born  June  28,  1872,  married  Alice  King.  Priscilla,  born  August  12,  1874, 
died  January  31,  1875.  Dorcas  Ophelia,  born  February  2,  1876.  Frank,  born 
May  10,  1878,  died  April  20,  1881.  Charles  Edwin,  born  September  4,  1881, 
died  April  20,  1887. 

ABIGAIL,  the  sixth  child  of  Myron  Spencer  and  Priscilla  Eberson  Higley,  born 
at  West  Leyden,  N.  Y.,  October  6,  1838,  became  the  first  wife  of  Joseph  Wads- 
worth  in  1853.  They  have  thirteen  children.  According  to  the  custom  of  the 
Mormon  Church  in  those  times,  Joseph  Wadsworth  afterward  married  a  second 
wife.  When  the  United  States  law  relating  to  polygamy  went  into  effect  in  1891, 
he  was  imprisoned  six  months  in  the  Utah  Penitentiary  for  adhering  to  his  religious 
tenets.  On  his  release  he  and  his  first  wife  took  up  their  residence  in  Hooper, 
Weber  County,  Utah,  where  they  now  reside  on  their  farm.  Their  children  : 

Joseph  W.,  born  December  27, 1855,  married  Sarah  Haynes,  and  lives  in  Hooper. 

Olive  Abigail,  born  August  6,  1857,  died .  William  M. ,  born  July  23, 

1858,  married  Martha  Hardy,  and  resides  in  Hooper.  Edwin  A.,  born  February 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOHN  HIGLE  Y,  SR.  439 

16,  1860,  married  Elizabeth  Hunt,  and  resides  at  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho.  Mary  R., 
born  February  2,  1863,  married  Ephraim  Garner,  and  resides  in  Hooper.  Hiram 

S.,  twin  brother  to  Mary,  died .  Annie  P.,  born  October  2,  1865,  married 

John  Simpson,  resides  in  Hooper.  Samuel,  born  February  3,  1867,  died.  Orson, 
born  September  2,  1868,  married  Carrie  Gwilliams  in  1892,  and  resides  in  Hooper. 
Or/in,  his  twin  brother,  married,  1892,  Violet  Parker,  and  resides  in  Hooper. 
Clara  E,,  born  July  I,  1871,  died  1886.  Alice,  born  February  28,  1874.  Nora, 
born  May  31,  1878. 

DORCAS,  the  eighth  child  of  Myron  Spencer  and  Priscilla  Eberson  Higley,  was 
born  December  2,  1843.  She  married,  in  1 860,  Leonidas  Clark,  and  died  October, 
1864,  leaving  two  children,  viz.: 

Frank  Clark,  born  August  14,  1861,  who  resides  in  Ogden  City,  Utah  ;  and 
Ida,  born  February  4,  1864,  who  married  William  Arave,  and  lives  at  Idaho  Falls, 
Idaho. 

MARY  JANE,  the  ninth  child  of  Myron  Spencer  and  Priscilla  Eberson  Higley, 
was  born  February  13,  1847,  at  Bento-Post,  la.  She  married  Nephi  Hardy,  and 
is  the  mother  of  thirteen  children.  They  reside  at  Hooper,  Utah. 

(The  names  of  this  family  have  not  been  furnished.) 

ELIZABETH  ANN,  the  tenth  child  of  Myron  Spencer  and  Priscilla  Eberson 
Higley,  was  born  April  I,  1850,  at  Pottowatomie,  la.;  married  her  brother-in-law, 
Leonidas  Clark,  in  the  year  1868.  They  reside  at  Hooper,  Utah.  Their  children  : 

Elizabeth  Flora,  born  1868.  Nellie,  born  October  9,  1869,  married  Lew 
Hampton,  and  resides  at  Ogden  City.  John  T.,  born  May  2,  1871.  Catherine, 
born  December  10,  1872,  married  Frank  Munsee.  Leonidas,  born  September  12, 
1874.  Ann,  born  January  19,  1876.  Adelia,  born  September  10,  1878.  Henry, 
born  November  3,  1880.  Nettie,  born  August  I,  1882.  Julia,  born  March  3, 
1890.  Eugene,  born  February  3,  1893,  and  died  a  few  days  after  his  birth. 


Continued  from  page  436. 

GEORGE  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  Job  and  Dorcas  (Eggleston) 
Higley  and  brother  to  Myron  Spencer  Higley,  was  born  in  the 
year  1803.  He  married  and  had  two  children,  viz. : 

Mahala,  who  married  Thomas  Moor.  The  name  of  the  other 
child  is  not  given. 

George  Higley  was  accidentally  killed  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  1834, 
by  falling  from  a  building  upon  which  he  was  at  work. 


CHAPTER   LVII. 

ELIZABETH     HIGLEY     MILLS. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  100. 
Elizabeth,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  Who  that  bears 

A  human  bosom,  has  not  often  felt 
How  dear  are  all  the  ties  that  bind  our  race 
In  gentleness  together,  and  how  sweet 
Their  force,  let  Fortune's  wayward  hand  the  while 
Be  kind  or  cruel." 

THE  birth  of  Elizabeth,  the  seventh  child  of  Brewster  Higley, 
ist,  took  place  in  the  year  1723,  at  Simsbury,  Conn. 

Of  her  life  very  little  is  discoverable.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  the  reader  to  investigate  the  prominent  elements  in  her 
character  as  well  as  her  personality,  virtues,  and  imperfections, 
could  they  be  brought  to  light,  since  she  was  the  ancestress  of 
many  descendants  who  have  shown  characteristics  and  tempera- 
ments directly  traceable  to  the  motherly  loving  fragrance  of  her 
good  life.  It  is  fair  to  conjecture  that  she  possessed  excellent 
faculties  and  a  strong  individuality. 

Wordly  wealth,  as  estimated  in  those  times,  always  surrounded 
her;  she  inherited,  as  did  her  brothers  and  sisters,  a  comfortable 
property  from  her  father's  estate. 

Her  marriage  is  placed  upon  record  thus  : 

"The  Revd.  Mr.  Gideon  Mills  and  Elizabeth  Higley  were  joined  in  Marriage  the 
asth  of  November,  A.  D.  1748.'" 

Her  husband,  the  Rev.  Gideon  Mills,  born  in  1716,  was  of 
Dutch  descent,  and  of  a  family  of  high  standing.  He  was 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1737,  and  settled  in  Simsbury. 
It  was  near  the  close  of  the  year  1743,  five  years  previous  to  his 
marriage  to  Elizabeth  Higley,  that  he  began  preaching.  He  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  September,  1744,  and  entered  the 
Simsbury  pulpit. 

But  during  the  years  of  his  ministry  the  parish  was  in  a  painful 

1  "  Simsbury  Records,"  book  iii.  p.  160. 
44° 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HIGLEY,\ST.  441 

state  of  bitter  controversy  and  feud.  The  warring  factions  in 
the  Church  had  not  abated  their  contentions.  Whether  the 
common  aim  of  religious  teaching  and  its  dissemination  was 
eventually  furthered  by  this  divergence  of  spirit,  and  the  con- 
sequent planting  of  other  parishes,  we  cannot  say. 

Finally,  in  March,  1754,  Mr.  Mills  was  dismissed,  though  he 
continued  to  preach  for  some  months  later. 

One  of  the  results  was  the  forming  at  "Scotland,"  a  few  miles 
distant,  of  an  Episcopalian  parish, — St.  Andrews, — which  was  the 
first  founded  in  the  Colony  of  Connecticut.  The  Rev.  William 
Gibbs,  a  clergyman  much  loved  and  revered,  who  came  repre- 
senting the  London  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel, 
officiated  as  rector. 

A  domineering,  Puritanic  spirit  ruled  in  the  old  church  at 
Simsbury.  As  to  a  "  unity  of  spirit  and  the  bond  of  peace," 
between  the  two  parishes  there  was  a  great  gulf. 

The  Simsbury  Society,  while  Mr.  Mills  was  yet  its  pastor, 
appointed  its  usual  committee  to  collect  its  church  "rates," 
or  tax.  John  Higley,  Sr.,  the  brother  of  Elizabeth  Higley  Mills, 
was  chosen  "  to  gather  the  amount  of  ;£6oo  for  the  necessary 
expenses  of  the  Society  to  pay  for  preaching."  "  On  the  refusal 
of  the  Rev.  William  Gibbs,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Heald,  "to  pay 
the  tax  laid  upon  him  for  the  support  of  the  Simsbury  minister, — 
Gideon  Mills, — Gibbs  was  seized  by  persons  representing  Mr. 
Mills'  party,  thrown  over  a  horse,  and  with  hands  and  feet  bound 
together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  his  limbs  supply  the  place 
of  a  girth,  he  was  conveyed  to  jail.  The  result  of  such  harsh 
treatment  was  far  more  serious,  no  doubt,  than  his  persecutors 
intended. 

His  mind  received  a  shock  which  threw  him  into  a  state  of 
insanity,  from  which  he  never  recovered."  ' 

Elizabeth  Higley  Mills  shared  the  humiliations  of  her  hus- 
band's unhappy  ministerial  career  at  the  Simsbury  Church. 
\Vhether  the  animosities  ever  led  to  an  estrangement  among 
the  Higley  families  is  not  known.  There  is  no  indication  that 
they  did. 

From  old  Simsbury,  the  Rev.  Gideon  Mills  and  his  wife,  with 
their  family,  removed  to  West  Simsbury,  where  Mr.  Mills  was 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  1759,  and  where  they  resided 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Mills  died  of  cancer  in  1772. 

1  From  Historical  Address  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Heald. 


442  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Elizabeth  Higley,  his  wife,  died  1774.     They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  viz.  : 

Gideon,  Jr.,  Samuel,  Elizabeth,  Jedediah,  Anna,  Faith. 

GIDEON,  Jr.,  born  1749  ;  a  lieutenant  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  married  Ruth, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Humphrey,  the  first  magistrate  of  West  Simsbury,  and  till  1800 
resided  on  the  farm  in  Canton  (or  West  Simsbury)  left  him  by  his  parents.  They 
became  the  grandparents  of  John  Brown,'  their  daughter  Ruth  marrying  her  second 
cousin,  Owen  Brown^  the  son  of  Captain  John  and  Hannah  Brown,  and  grandson 
of  Hannah  (Higley)  Mills. 

Of  Ruth,  her  husband  wrote  in  after  years:  "Never  had  any  person  such  an 
influence  over  my  conduct  as  my  wife,  and  this  was  without  the  least  appearance  of 
usurpation  or  dictation.  If  I  have  been  respected  in  the  world,  I  ascribe  it  to  her." 

SAMUEL,  the  second  son  of  the  Rev.  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  (Higley)  Mills, 
born  1751,  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  and  entered  the  American  Army  of  the 
Revolution  as  lieutenant  of  cavalry.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to 
Philadelphia,  having  received,  from  a  horseman's  sword,  a  deep  and  dangerous 
wound  in  his  forehead,  the  scar  of  which  he  carried  through  his  life. 

While  a  prisoner  and  an  invalid  in  a  hospital,  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss 
Sarah  Gilpin,  "a  lady  of  culture  and  high  refinement,"  who  became  his  first  wife. 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children.  Lieutenant  Mills  afterward  entered  the 
ministry,  and  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Chester,  Conn. 

ELIZABETH,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  (Higley)  Mills, 
born  1753,  married  Gideon  Curtis. 

JEDEDIAH,  their  fourth  child,  born  1755,  was  named  for  his  uncle,  the  Rev. 
Jedediah  Mills,  a  minister  of  much  note,  who  published  a  number  of  works.  He 
married Wells. 

ANNA,  born ,  married  the  Rev.  William  Robinson.     She  died  1789. 

FAITH,  born  1765,  married,  first,  Roswell  Spencer;  second,  Eber  Alford.  She 
died  1850. 

NAOMI    HIGLEY    HUMPHREY. 

Continued  from  chapter  xviii.  p.  TOO. 

Naomi,  Brewster,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

NAOMI,  the  eighth  and  youngest  child  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist, 
was  born  in  the  old  homestead  of  her  grandfather,  Captain  John 
Higley,  at  Higley-town,  after  her  father  had  taken  possession  of 
that  farm.'  Her  birth  took  place  in  1726.  She  lived  to  the  great 
age  of  ninety-one,  her  death  occurring  in  1817. 

Her  marriage  to  Solomon  Humphrey,  when  she  was  about  the 
age  of  twenty,  brought  about  a  second  marriage  alliance  in  her 
family  with  the  Humphreys,  her  husband  being  a  brother  of 
Apphia,  the  wife  of  her  brother  John. 

1  See  Sketch  of  John  Brown,  chapter  1,  p.  380.  a  Page  100. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  BREWSTER  HICLE  Y,  1ST.  443 

In  1742  Solomon  and  Naomi  Humphrey  left  the  old  parish  of 
Simsbury,  where  they  first  resided,  removing  to  Wes£  Simsbury 
(Canton).  Their  home  farm  lay  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountain, 
bordering  on  the  town  of  Simsbury.  Solomon  Humphrey,  St., 
was  born  in  1722  and  died  in  1798.  They  had  six  children,  viz. :  , 

Solomon,  who  died  in  childhood.  Naomi,  born  1749,  who 
married  Andrew  Mills.  Ruggles,  born  1751,  who  married 
Lucy  Case  (daughter  of  Amos).  Solomon,  Jr.,  born  1752.  Esther, 
born  1758,  married  John  Owen.  And  Augustus,  born  1771,  who 
married Barber. 

SOLOMON,  Jr.,  the  second  son  of  Solomon  Humphrey,  Sr.,  and  Naomi  Higley, 
married,  first,  Lucy  (daughter  of  Ezekiel)  Case,  and,  second,  in  1778,  his  cousin 
Hannah  Brown,  a  granddaughter  of  Hannah  Higley,  his  mother's  sister.  He  and 
his  second  wife,  Hannah,  became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom  was  the  Rev.  Heman  Humphrey,  who  was  born  March  26,  1779,  and 
married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Dr.  Noah  Porter. 

HEMAN  HUMPHREY,  D.  D.,  was  thus  the  grandson  on  his  paternal  side  of 
Naomi  Higley,  and  the  great-grandson  on  his  maternal  side  of  Hannah  Higley, 
daughters  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist. 

He  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1805,  and  ordained  to  the  ministry. 
While  settled  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1823,  he  accepted  the 
presidency  of  Amherst  College  (founded  in  1821),  which  had  not  yet  secured  a 
charter.  Principally  through  his  exertions  and  influence  an  act  of  incorporation 
was  granted  by  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  February  21,  1825. 

He  continued  in  the  presidency  of  the  college  till  1845,  when  he  resigned  and 
devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  literary  pursuits.  "  He  was  one  of  the  earliest 
advocates  of  the  temperance  cause,  and  in  1819  drew  up  a  report  to  the  Fairfield 
Association  which,  as  far  as  is  known,  was  the  first  tract  published  on  the 
subject." ' 

He  bore  characteristics  which  made  him  greatly  beloved.  Someone  remarked  : 
"  Everybody  knows,  whoever  enjoyed  the  high  privilege  of  spending  even  an  hour 
in  President  Humphrey's  company,  that  he  was  the  embodiment  of  every  quality 
which  constitutes  a  perfect  gentleman."  And  Deacon  Terry  of  Hartford  said  that 
"he  never  closed  an  interview  with  Dr.  Humphrey  without  feeling  that  he  was  a 
better  man  than  before." 

He  died  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  April  3,  1861. 

1  "  American  Encyclopedia." 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

DESCENDANTS   OF    HANNAH    HIGLEY    TRUMBULL. 

Continued  from  chapter  xix.  p.  108. 

Hannah,  Captain  John  Higley. 

A  long  and  well  spent  life,  in  the  service  of  his  country,  places  Governor  Trumbull  among  the 
first  of  patriots. — GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

THE  children  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull  were  as 
follows  : 

JOSEPH,  born  at  Lebanon,  Conn.,  March  27,  1705;  married 
Sarah  Bulkley,  November  20,  1727.  They  resided  in  his  native 
town.  He  was  lost  at  sea,  June,  1733.  Children:  Sarah  and 
Kate. 

JONATHAN,  born  October  12,  1710;  married  Faith  Robinson. 

MARY,  born  August  21,  1713;  married  Joshua  Fitch.  Children: 
Jonathan,  Mary,  and  Joseph. 

HANNAH,  born  1715;  died  the  same  year. 

HANNAH,  2d,  born  September  18,  1717;  married  Joseph  Sher- 
man, February  25,  1735;  died  November  7,  1736. 

ABIGAIL,  born  March  6,  1719;    married Backus. 

JOHN,  born  1722;  died  in  infancy. 

DAVID,  born  September  8,  1723;  was  accidentally  drowned 
July  9,  1740. 

GOVERNOR   JONATHAN    TRUMBULL,    SR. 
Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,  Hannah  Higley,  Captain  John  Higley. 

JONATHAN  TRUMBULL,  Sr.,  the  second  child  and  second  son 
of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull,  was  born  at  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  October  12,  1710. 

It  is  impossible  to  chronicle,  in  the  limited  space  that  can  be 
allotted  in  these  pages,  the  life  of  a  man  who  lived  a  long  career 
of  exceptional  public  prominence  and  distinguished  usefulness 
— a  life  which  Stuart,  his  biographer,  says  "was  profoundly 
and  most  honorably  interwoven  with  the  American  Revolution." 
It  was  a  life  left  as  a  legacy  to  the  living,  and  one  which  our 


PAINTED  BY  JOHN  TRUMBULL. 

By  courtesy  of  BELKNAP  &  WARFIELD,  Publishers,  Hartford,  Conn. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY    TRUMBULL.      445 

nation  in  its  annals  of  distinguished  men  will  never  suffer  to  be 
eclipsed. 

This  future  "Revolutionary  War  Governor"  was  four  years 
old  at  the  date  of  Captain  John  Higley's  decease,  and  too  young 
to  retain  any  clear  recollection  of  his  maternal  grandfather. 

The  instruction  in  the  schools  for  young  men  was  in  his  youth 
thorough,  for  the  ministers  and  tutors  were  men  of  learning, 
and  laid  in  their  pupils  an  excellent  foundation  for  a  higher 
education. 

At  a  very  early  age  Jonathan  found  himself  prepared  for  col- 
lege, being  but  thirteen  years  old. 

He  evinced  a  remarkable  aptitude  for  acquiring  the  languages, 
which  were  a  favorite  study,  and  he  became  conversant  with 
Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew.  It  is  said  that  "he  became  an 
expert"  in  the  latter,  and  that  "he  was  able  to  compile,  chiefly 
for  his  own  use,  a  grammar  of  the  language  and  to  use  its  phrases 
freely  in  after  years  in  his  correspondence  with  learned  men." 
In  all  his  studies  he  was  noted  for  his  very  marked  intellectual 
progress.  He  took  his  degree  in  1727,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
and  returned  from  college  to  the  home  of  his  parents  in  Lebanon. 
He  came  back  under  profound  religious  feeling,  and  very  soon 
united  with  the  church,  which  was  then  under  the  ministration  of 
Rev.  Solomon  Williams.  His  example  ever  after,  during  the 
course  of  a  long  life,  carried  the  lesson  that  amid  the  busy  scenes 
of  both  a  public  and  private  career,  a  man  might  live  and  act 
from  the  elevated  standpoint  of  a  Christian  life,  characterized 
not  by  mere  form,  but  by  the  essence  of  its  true  spirit. 

He  gave  himself  to  earnest  research  of  the  Bible,  which  to  his 
latest  day  was  the  chief  of  his  favorite  studies,  and  so  intent  he 
was  upon  giving  himself  wholly  to  a  religious  life,  that  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  theology,  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  invited 
to  occupy  the  pulpit  at  Colchester. 

But  the  utter  short-sightedness  of  all  human  calculations 
marked  his  destiny.  He  was  called  to  abandon  his  purpose. 
The  loss  of  his  eldest  brother  at  sea,  in  June,  1732,  turned  the 
whole  tide  of  his  life.  The  failure  of  his  father's  health  under 
the  bereavement  brought  about  the  necessity  for  him  to  leave 
the  field  of  the  ministry  and  enter  an  active  business  life.  He 
was  now  twenty-two  years  of  age.  His  contact  with  men  soon 
introduced  him  into  the  broader  field  of  politics  and  legislation, 
for  which  his  natural  gifts  eminently  fitted  him.  During  every 


446  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

interval  of  his  busy  days,  he  made  civil  jurisprudence  and  history 
his  special  studies,  and  from  this  time  onward,  until  he  came  to 
the  summit  of  his  life  of  energy  and  action,  he  steadfastly  pursued 
these  studies.  Added  to  these,  and  his  daily  research  of  the 
Scriptures,  "  he  made  himself  specially  familiar  with  chronology, 
became  acquainted  with  astronomy,  and  knew  much  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  philosophy."  "  Yet  he  did  not,"  says  Stuart, 
"avoid  the  lighter  paths  of  literature."  He  was,  in  after  life, 
honored  by  both  Yale  College  and  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  conferring  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D. 

He  counted  time  valuable  to  the  highest  degree — was  jealous 
and  scanty  of  his  leisure,  and  did  not  omit  a  spare  moment  which 
could  be  appropriated  to  gaining  freshness  and  knowledge  in  the 
cultivation  of  his  mind,  or  the  promotion  of  some  valuable  end. 

Traits  of  character,  which  may  easily  be  traced  to  an  inherit- 
ance, developed  themselves  more  and  more  as  he  grew  in  age  and 
experience.  His  remarkable  amiability  of  disposition  and  compre- 
hensive mind,  his  indefatigable  industry  and  vigorous  activities, 
his  indomitable  energy,  his  splendid  constitution  and  power  of 
endurance,  were  a  part  and  portion  of  the  blood  which  circulated 
through  his  veins,  and  achieved  for  him  repeated  successes. 

There  is  no  question  but  he  was  familiar  with  public  and  politi- 
cal affairs  from  early  childhood,  through  the  traditional  stories  of 
his  maternal  sire  and  grandsires,  which  would  naturally  leave  in- 
delible traces  upon  his  character  and  give  his  mind  a  public  bent. 
His  father,  too,  had  been  at  one  time  "one  of  ye  Fathers  of  ye 
towne,"  and  his  uncle,  John  Higley,  Jr.,  a  man  of  wealth  and 
dignified  position,  had  left  his  seat  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Colony  scarcely  two  years  before  he  was  elected  by  his 
fellow-citizens  to  that  body. 

His  first  representation  in  the  General  Assembly  was  in  the 
year  1733,  when  he  was  but  twenty-three  years  of  age.  "And 
from  this  onward  to  May,  1754,  the  town  repeated  that  choice  for 
fourteen  sessions." 

As  has  already  been  stated,  he  married,  December  9,  1735, 
Faith,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Robinson  of  Duxbury,  Mass. 

"At  the  May  session,  1739,  when  under  twenty-nine  years  of 
age,  he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
again  filled  the  same  office  in  1752  and  1754.  In  1740  he  was 
chosen  by  the  freemen  of  the  Colony  to  the  post  of  Assistant  and 
Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Colony,  and  re-elected  to  the  same 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      447 

important  office  until  he  was  chosen  Lieutenant-Governor  in  1766 
(except  four  years  while  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court);  serving  as 
Assistant  twenty-two  years."  * 

In  1744  war  was  declared  between  the  English  and  the  French, 
and  hostilities  were  begun  in  the  American  Colonies. 

"It  was  indeed,"  says  Stuart,  "a  stirring  and  an  anxious 
time,  this  whole  period  of  the  war,  to  all  of  New  England, — to  no 
part  of  it  more,  except  a  portion  of  the  east  bordering  more 
nearly  on  the  seat  of  contest,  than  to  Connecticut, — and  among 
the  citizens  of  this  Colony,  save  to  its  Governor  and  the  general 
officers  in  immediate  command  of  its  forces  in  service,  to  no  one 
hardly  so  much  as  to  Assistant  Jonathan  Trumbull.  .  ."  Into  all 
the  war  measures,  consequently,  taken  by  Connecticut,  he  en- 
tered with  alacrity — for  at  the  outbreak,  in  1739,  when  the 
militia  of  the  Colony  was  organized  into  thirteen  regiments, 
Trumbull  had  been  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twelfth. 

"It  became  his  duty,  therefore,  as  forces  were  ordered  from 
time  to  time  by  the  General  Assembly,  to  aid  in  raising  the 
quotas  required  from  his  own  regiment,  sometimes  to  beat  up  for 
volunteers,  and,  as  requested  specially  by  the  Colonial  Authori- 
ties, to  '  urge  upon  the  people  motives  for  enlistment ' — to  furnish 
those  who  did  enlist  with  supplies— to  see  to  the  distribution  of 
their  bounty  and  wages — sometimes  to  impress  men,  arms, 
accoutrements,  and  clothing — to  appoint  places  for  the  rendezvous 
of  the  soldiers,  and  see  them  ultimately  marched,  under  proper 
officers,  to  their  destination  for  actual  service." 

"He  was  frequently  charged  by  the  Colony  with  important 
general  services  in  regard  to  the  war,  and  sometimes  with  vital 
negotiations.  He  was  called  upon  to  supply  arms  and  military 
stores  for  expeditions  at  large,  and  settle  military  accounts — but 
more  than  all,  and  conspicuously,  with  Commissioners  from  other 
Colonies,  and  British  Commanders  of  highest  rank,  he  was 
designated  to  act  as  a  principal  counselor  in  the  chief  enterprises 
of  the  war — to  decide  when  and  how  they  should  be  undertaken, 
and  with  what  outlay  and  disposition  of  men  and  means."* 

"In  1745  he  was  chosen  Assistant  Judge  of  Windham  County 
Court — Lebanon  then  belonging  to  Windham  County;  and  in 
1746,  Chief  Judge  of  that  Court,  which  office  he  held,  by  annual 
elections,  for  seventeen  years.  In  1749  he  was  chosen  Judge  of 

*"  Early  Lebanon,"  p.  88. 

a  '•  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  37,  38. 


448 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


Probate  for  Windham  district,  and  continued  in  that  office  nine- 
teen years."  ' 

"  Besides  his  ordinary  duties  as  legislator  and  member  of  the 
Governor's  Council,  which  he  fulfilled  with  regularity,  he  was 
often  called  upon  to  deal  with  the  finances  of  the  Colony  and 
other  matters  of  public  concern.  In  1751  he  was  appointed  to 
deal  with  the  Pequot  Indians,  in  relation  to  intrusions  upon  their 
lands,  and  in  1760  with  the  Mohegans,  within  whose  lands  he  was 
directed  to  lay  out  highways.  He  was  appointed  at  one  time  to 
allay  difficulties  in  the  Church  at  Middletown,  and  fix  the  site  of 
a  meeting-house  there;  and  at  another  time  in  Windsor,  whither, 
with  Hezekiah  Huntington,  he  repaired,  and  heard  the  parties  at 
variance,  and  there  also  staked  out  the  site  for  a  new  meeting- 
house. Besides  all  this  he  occasionally  had  to  look  after  Houses 
of  Correction — to  see  to  their  construction,  and  to  appoint 
masters  for  the  same,  and  superintend  their  discharge  of  duty. 
The  public  expenses  of  this  period,  because  of  the  renewal  of  the 
French  war,  were  extraordinary,  and  Trumbull's  services  in 
auditing  accounts,  in  adjusting  them  with  subordinate  collectors 
and  commissaries,  and  in  paying  over  to  the  Colony  its  loans  and 
debts  due,  were  more  than  ever  called  into  requisition." 

"Trumbull's  chief  activity,  during  the  period  from  1755-63, 
was  again  in  the  sphere  of  war — of  that  second  long,  perilous, 
and  wasting  French  war,  which,  renewed  again  by  formal  decla- 
ration in  1755,  was  crowned  finally  by  a  triumphant  and  lasting 
peace  on  February  10,  1763.* 

"  In  1765  he  was  chosen  Assistant  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  the  Colony,  and  in  1766,  was  elected  Deputy  Governor,  and 
re-elected  annually  until  1770  ;  and  during  this  period  of  four 
years  he  held  also  the  office  of  Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior 
and  Supreme  Courts,  and  as  such  discharged  with  ability  the 
high  functions  of  that  office."  * 

It  was  in  the  year  1756,  and  again  in  1758,  as  before  stated,4 
that  "he  was  earnestly  requested  by  the  General  Assembly,  in  a 
formal  note,  'with  all  convenient  speed  to  repair  to  the  Court  of 
Great  Britain,'  and  there  solicit  an  adjustment  of  some  expenses 
incurred  on  the  part  of  Connecticut  in  the  late  expedition  against 
Crown  Point,"  also  to  consult  upon  other  important  matters.3 

1  "  Early  Lebanon,"  p.  89. 

a  He  had  now  been  advanced  to  colonel-in-chief  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  p.  47,  "  Life  of  Jona- 
than Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart. 

s  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  53,  116. 
4  See  chapter  xix.  p.  106,  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      449 

During  all  these  years  Trumbull  had  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  career  as  the  head,  since  1733,  of  three  different  partner- 
ships. "His  commercial  transactions  extended  to  the  West 
Indies,  England,  Ireland,  and  Holland,  exporting  home  produce, 
and  importing  foreign  commodities  in  exchange;  chiefly  in  ships 
and  vessels  owned  wholly  or  in  part  by  his  firm."1  "And  so 
God  send  the  good  sloop  to  her  destined  port  in  safety — Amen," 
concluded  many  a  bill  of  lading  signed  by  Nathaniel  Shaw  of 
New  London  in  behalf  of  the  firm — VTrumble,  Fitch  &  Trum- 
ble."a  About  1764  he  fitted  and  sent  out  four  or  five  whaling 
vessels. 

But  in  1766  Lieutenant-Governor  Trumbull  met  with  sad  busi- 
ness reverses.  His  youngest  son  says  in  his  autobiography : 
"When  I  was  nine  or  ten  years  old  my  father's  mercantile  failure 
took  place.  .  .  In  one  season  almost  every  vessel,  and  all  the 
property  which  he  had  upon  the  ocean,  was  swept  away,  and  he 
was  a  poor  man  at  so  late  a  period  of  his  life  as  left  no  hope  of 
retrieving  his  affairs.  My  eldest  brother  was  involved  in  the 
wreck  as  a  partner,  which  rendered  the  condition  of  the  family 
utterly  hopeless.  My  mother  and  sisters  were  deeply  afflicted, 
and  although  I  was  too  young  clearly  to  comprehend  the  cause, 
yet  sympathy  led  me  to  droop." ' 

"Trumbull  never  recovered  his  fortune.  However,  he  continued 
his  mercantile  persuits  in  a  home  and  country  trade  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Revolutionary  war,  when  he  virtually  gave  it  up." 

"In  1770  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Connecticut,  which  office 
he  afterward  continued  to  hold  by  annual  re-elections,  until  he 
declined,  in  1783,  two  years  previous  to  his  death,  any  further 
elections." 

It  was  "a  period  of  novel  and  startling  experiences  to  the 
American  world — when  the  Colonies  and  the  Mother  Country  .  .  . 
fell  into  those  collisions  between  themselves,  which  sharpened 
by  time, 

"  '  With  wrath,  and  hate,  and  sacred  vengeance. 
Soon  indissolubly  linked,' 

produced  at  last  the  American  Revolution.'" 

The  State  of  Connecticut  secured  a  charter  specially  favor- 
able to  her  interests  through  the  younger  Winthrop,  then  her 

1  "  Early  Lebanan,"  p.  89. 

*  "Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  ja,  116. 

•  "  Reminiscences  of  His  Own  Times,"  by  Colonel  John  Trumbull. 
4  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  74,  108. 


45°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Governor,  in  the  year  1662  from  King  Charles  II.,  granting 
privilege  of  choosing  her  own  Executive,  and  this  charter  had 
been  preserved  by  quick-witted  citizens  at  the  time  of  the 
Andros  invasion,  claiming  their  territory  in  1687. '  Governor 
Trumbull  therefore  held  his  position  by  the  choice  of  the  people, 
not  by  the  king's  appointment,  and  was  the  only  governor  in  the 
thirteen  colonies  thus  elected;  and  the  only  one  who  espoused 
the  American  cause.  The  natural  consequence  was  that  few  of 
the  distinguished  patriots  who  were  conspicuous  during  the 
Revolutionary  period  held  a  position  of  higher  responsibility, 
nor  one  in  which  greater  service  to  the  country  was  rendered, 
nor  one  in  whose  service  was  reposed  more  confidence  and  appre- 
ciation by  General  Washington. 

During  the  entire  war  of  seven  years  he  stood  steadily  "at 
the  helm  of  Connecticut,  guiding  her  ship  of  state." 

"In  addition  to  the  vast  and  incessant  duties  which  the  war 
heaped  upon  him  as  chief  commander  of  all  the  military  forces 
of  the  State,  he  was  also,  by  special  Act  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  Connecticut,  in  1775,  made  chief  officer  of  all  the  naval  forces 
of  the  State;  and  the  whole  power  of  raising  volunteers,  grant- 
ing letters  of  marque  and  reprisal  to  privateers,  and  commissions 
to  regular  officers;  of  furnishing  supplies  and  equipments,  and 
of  establishing  prize  courts,  and  settling  prize  claims,  devolved 
on  him;  and  was  most  ably  and  efficiently  exercised  during  the 
whole  war. 

"  Among  the  very  large  number  of  war  vessels  fitted  out  by 
this  State,  two  notedly  successful  ones  bore  his  own  honored 
name,  viz. :  the  frigate  Trumbull,  and  the  audacious  privateer 
Governor  Trumbull,  the  latter  bearing  aloft  on  her  pennant 
the  Trumbull  motto,  '  Fortuna  Favet  Audaci.'  *  Two  frigates 
were  also  built  and  equipped  under  his  special  direction,  at  the 
request  of  Congress,  for  the  national  service;  one  of  them,  of 
thirty-six  guns,  was  built  on  the  Thames,  and  the  other,  of  twenty- 
eight  guns,  at  Chatham  on  the  Connecticut."  * 

"  The  public  confidence  in  his  prudence  and  ability  extended," 
says  Stuart,  his  biographer,  "  over  the  Union.  It  was  specially 
manifested  by  Congress,  whose  consultations  with  him,  in  one 
form  and  another — either  as  a  body,  or  through  correspondence 
by  members — was  almost  habitual.  It  was  manifested  by  exec- 
utive magistrates,  and  councils,  and  committees  of  surrounding 

1  See  chapter  xi.  pp.  56,  57.       *  "  Fortune  favors  the  daring."      *  "  Early  Lebanon,"  pp.  89,  90. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY  TRUMBULL.      45 l 

States,  that  sought  steadily  his  advice.  But  more  than  all,  it  was 
shown  by  the  Father  of  our  Country, — the  illustrious  Washing- 
ton,— who  never  failed — it  may  almost  with  exactness  be  said, 
upon  every  occasion  of  emergency  during  the  entire  War  of 
the  Revolution — to  lean  for  counsel  upon  Trumbull's  gracious 
mind,  as  strongly  as  he  leaned  for  material  co-operation  upon 
Trumbull's  stalwart  arm. 

"  So  frequently  did  the  Commander-in-Chief  appeal  to  the  latter 
for  his  deliberation  and  judgment,  that — not  only  when  any  con- 
jecture of  difficulty  or  peril  arose,  but  often  when  simply  facts  and 
circumstances  hard  of  solution  were  under  his  consideration — 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  remarking  :  '  We  must  consult  Brother 
Jonathan  ' — a  phrase  which  his  intimate  relations  of  friendship 
with  the  Governor  of  Connecticut  fully  warranted.  .  .  From  the 
marque  and  council-rooms  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  the  phrase, 
lWe  must  consult  Brother  Jonathan,  passed  out  to  the  soldiery. 

"  From  the  camp  the  expression  passed  to  the  adjacent  neigh- 
borhoods,— from  neighborhoods  to  the  States,  and  through  the 
medium  of  returning  soldiery  became  propagated  through  the 
country  at  large, — until  finally  it  was  universally  appropriated, 
through  its  two  closing  words,  '  BROTHER  JONATHAN,'  as  a  sobri- 
quet, current  to  the  present  day."  ' 

That  there  was  sometimes  a  difference  of  opinion  between  his 
colleagues  and  himself  about  national  policy  is  no  surprise,  though 
it  never  amounted  to  serious  import.  That  he  excited  animosities, 
especially  with  the  British,  would  naturally  be  expected.  "  The 
press  in  England  heaped  upon  him  savage  denunciations,  titled 
him  'the  Rebel  Governor,'  seized  and  imprisoned  one  of  his  sons 
who  was  studying  art  in  London,  busied  itself  in  sneering  at  his 
'  fanaticism  '  and  intolerance  in  religion,  gossiped  about  his 
business  affairs,  and  accused  htm  of  'an  abundant  share  of 
cunning.'  "  But  his  noble  character  lay  too  deep  to  be  moved  by 
maligning  pens  or  tongues,  and  his  courage  was  not  of  the  stamp 
to  be  deterred  from  his  lofty  and  patriotic  motives. 

The  Tory  prisoners  were  forwarded  to  the  custody  of  his  State 
by  thousands.  In  Governor  Trumbull's  treatment  of  them  he 
subjected  them  to  the  prison's  gloom  with  the  unbending 
severity  the  circumstances  in  each  case,  in  his  view,  required;  or 
gave  them  mild  and  lenient  treatment,  or  sanctioned  their  release, 
according  as  the  qualities  of  his  manly  nature  dictated.  At  one 

1  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  696,  697. 


45 2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

time,  in  his  mercantile  career,  a  correspondent  residing  in  Halifax, 
N.  S.,  whom  he  had  never  seen,  sought  business  relations  with 
him  because  he  had  heard  of  him  as  "a  lover  of  mankind."  He 
had  this  fame,  and  justly  so.  There  was  a  firm,  unflinching  side 
to  his  nature;  yet  notwithstanding  the  apparent  inhumanity  in 
permitting  many  of  these  forlorn  subjects  of  King  George  to  be 
placed  in  the  noted  subterranean  caverns, — the  Newgate  Prison 
mines  at  Copper  Hill,1  Simsbury, — it  was  a  necessity  from  which 
no  doubt  he  frequently  recoiled.  In  dealing  -with  the  captive 
Tories  at  this  critical  juncture,  "when  the  scales  were  trembling 
in  the  balance,"  the  leading  officials  were  brought  into  great 
straits  because  of  the  limited  and  insecure  prison  accommodations 
the  country  afforded.  The  reader  will  remember  that  this  was  a 
period  previous  to  the  new  era  of  prison  reform,  and  that  Trum- 
bull  was  simply  acting  according  to  the  spirit  and  usages  of  the 
age  toward  prisoners,  and  under  an  absolute  necessity  toward  the 
foes  of  the  Federal  cause  who  were  bound  to  the  British  yoke. 
In  Governor  Trumbull's  immediate  jurisdiction  there  were  other 
war-prisoners  who,  though  strictly  guarded,  were  under  fore- 
bearing  and  generous  treatment,  and  received  attentions  more 
like  guests  than  prisoners. 

The  feeling  of  brotherhood  between  General  Washington  and 
Governor  Trumbull  was  marked  by  many  interesting  incidents, 
and  expressions  of  personal  esteem.  Washington  was  more  than 
once  the  guest  of  his  stanch  Connecticut  ally.  From  that 
morning  in  the  month  of  May,  1774,  when  in  view  of  the  threaten- 
ing aspect  of  affairs,  and  the  general  convulsion  and  agitation  of 

1  The  caverns  were  first  occupied  as  a  place  for  the  confinement  of  Tories  about  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution.  The  Colony  of  Connecticut  first  used  them  as  a  prison  in  1773.  A  committee 
had  been  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  to  explore  the  place,  who  reported  that  by  expending 
about  thirty-seven  pounds,  the  caverns  could  be  so  perfectly  secured  that  "  it  would  be  next  to  im- 
possible for  any  person  to  escape."  The  excavations  to  the  prison-mines  were  upon  the  summit  of 
Copper-Hill.  There  were  two  perpendicular  shafts,  dug  principally  through  solid  rock.  One  of 
these  is  nearly  eighty  feet  deep,  and  the  other  thirty-five.  At  the  bottom  of  these  shafts  we  find 
the  caverns,  extending  in  various  directions,  several  hundred  feet.  These  caverns  were  used  as  a 
prison  for  fifty-four  years. 

In  December,  1775,  Washington,  on  sending  a  lot  of  prisoners  to  be  confined  in  this  dungeon, 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  "  Council  of  Safety." 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  The  prisoners  which  will  be  delivered  you  with  this,  having  been  tried  by  a 
court-martial  and  deemed  to  be  such  flagrant  and  atrocious  villains,  that  they  cannot  by  any 
means  be  set  at  large,  or  confined  in  any  place  near  the  camp,  were  sentenced  to  Simsbury  in  Con- 
necticut. You  will  therefore  be  pleased  to  have  them  secured  in  your  prison,  or  in  such  other 
manner  as  you  shall  deem  necessary,  so  that  they  cannot  possibly  make  their  escape.  The  charges 
of  their  imprisonment  will  be  at  the  Continental  expense. 

"  I  am,  etc., 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON.'' 
— Phelps1  "  Newgate  of  Connecticut." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      453 

the  people,  Governor  Trumbull  issued  a  proclamation  appoint- 
ing a  day  of  public  fasting  and  prayer,  soon  after  followed,  with 
significant  forecast,  "by  an  order  to  all  towns  to  double  the 
quantity  of  their  powder,  balls,  and  flints";  and  further  followed 
by  a  set  of  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Connecticut  General 
Assembly  boldly  denouncing  British  usurpation,  of  which,  says 
his  biographer,  "there  is  some  reaso-  to  believe  Trumbull  him- 
self was  the  author,"  until  the  final  close  of  that  memorable  war, 
which  founded  the  grandest  republic  in  the  circle  of  nations,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  well  knew  that  in  the  Connecticut  Governor 
he  had  a  steadfast  and  unflinching  patriot  supporting  him  with 
strictest  fidelity,  "invariably  pursuing  the  grand  end  in  view,  and 
trusting  God  Almighty  to  carry  it  into  effect." 

On  the  i8th  of  June,  1776,  sixteen  days  before  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence  was  adopted  in  Philadelphia,  Governor 
Trumbull,  deciding  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  such  a  measure, 
issued  in  the  form  of  a  proclamation  a  remarkable  document — 
the  Connecticut  Declaration  of  Independence  : 

"  Proclamation  by  the  Hon.  Jonathan   Trumbull,  Esq.,  Governor  and  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  English  Colony  of  Connecticut  in  New  England* 

"  The  Race  of  Mankind  was  made  in  a  State  of  Innocence  and  Freedom  subjected 
only  to  the  Laws  of  God  the  Creator,  and  through  his  rich  Goodness,  designed  for 
virtuous  liberty  and  Happiness,  here  and  for  ever  ;  and  when  moral  Evil  was  intro- 
duced into  the  World,  and  Man  had  corrupted  his  Ways  before  God,  Vice  and  Iniq- 
uity came  in  like  a  Flood  and  Mankind  became  exposed,  and  a  prey  to  the  Violence, 
Injustice,  and  Oppression  of  one  another.  God  in  great  Mercy  inclined  his  People 
to  form  themselves  into  Society,  and  to  set  up  and  establish  civil  Government  for 
the  Protection  and  security  of  their  Lives  and  Properties  from  the  Invasion  of 
wicked  men.  But  through  Pride  and  ambition  the  Kings  and  Princes  of  the  World 
appointed  by  the  People  the  Guardians  of  their  Lives  and  Liberties,  early  and 
almost  universally  degenerate  into  Tyrants,  and  by  Fraud  or  Force  betrayed  and 
wrested  out  of  their  hands  the  very  Rights  and  Properties  they  were  appointed  to 
protect  and  defend.  But  a  small  part  of  the  Human  Race  maintained  and  enjoyed 
any  tolerable  Degree  of  Freedom.  Among  those  happy  few,  the  nation  of  Great 
Britain  was  distinguished  by  a  Constitution  of  Government  wisely  framed  and 
modelled  to  support  the  Dignity  and  Power  of  the  Prince,  for  the  protection  of  the 
Rights  of  the  People,  and  under  which  that  Country  in  long  succession  enjoyed 
great  Tranquility  and  Peace,  though  not  unattended  with  repeated  and  powerful 
efforts,  by  many  of  its  haughty  Kings,  to  destroy  the  Constitutional  Rights  of  the 
People,  and  establish  arbitrary  Power  and  Dominion.  In  one  of  those  convulsive 
struggles  our  Forefathers,  having  suffered  in  that  their  native  Country  great  and 
variety  of  Injustice  and  Oppression,  left  their  dear  Connections  and  Enjoyments, 

1  "  Colonial  Records  of  Connecticut,"  Hon.  Chas.  J.  Hoadly,  D.  D. 
30 


454  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

and  fled  to  this  then  inhospitable  land  to  secure  a  lasting  retreat  from  civil  and 
religious  Tyranny. 

"  The  God  of  Heaven  favored  and  prospered  this  Undertaking — made  room  for 
their  settlement — increased  and  multiplied  them  to  a  very  numerous  People,  and 
inclined  succeeding  Kings  to  indulge  them  and  their  children  for  many  years  the 
unmolested  Enjoyments  of  the  Freedom  and  Liberty  they  fled  to  inherit.  But  an 
unnatural  King  has  risen  up — violated  his  sacred  Obligations  and  by  the  Advice  of 
Evil  Counsellors  attempted  to  wrest  from  us,  their  children,  the  Sacred  Rights  we 
justly  claim  and  which  have  been  ratified  and  established  by  solemn  Compact  with, 
and  recognized  by  his  Predecessors  and  Fathers,  Kings  of  Great  Britain — laid  upon 
us  Burdens  too  heavy  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  issued  many  cruel  and  oppres- 
sive Edicts,  depriving  us  of  our  natural,  lawful  and  most  important  Rights,  and 
subjecting  us  to  the  absolute  Power  and  Control  of  himself  and  the  British  Legisla- 
ture ;  against  which  we  have  sought  Relief,  by  humble,  earnest  and  dutiful  Com- 
plaints and  Petitions.  But,  instead  of  obtaining  Redress,  our  Petitions  have  been 
treated  with  Scorn  and  Contempt,  and  fresh  Injuries  heaped  upon  us,  while  hostile 
armies  and  ships  are  sent  to  lay  waste  our  Country.  In  this  distressing  Dilemma, 
having  no  Alternative  but  absolute  Slavery  or  successful  Resistance,  this,  and  the 
United  American  Colonies  have  been  constrained  by  the  overruling  laws  of  Self 
Preservation  to  take  up  Arms  for  the  Defense  of  all  that  is  sacred  and  dear  to  Free- 
men, and  make  this  solemn  Appeal  to  Heaven  for  the  Justice  of  their  Cause,  and 
resist  Force  by  Force. 

"  God  Almighty  has  been  pleased  of  his  infinite  Mercy  to  succeed  our  Attempts,  and 
give  us  many  Instances  of  signal  Success  and  Deliverance.  But  the  wrath  of  the 
King  is  still  increasing,  and  not  content  with  before  employing  all  the  Force  which 
can  be  sent  from  his  own  Kingdom  to  execute  his  cruel  Purposes,  has  procured,  and 
is  sending  all  the  Mercenaries  he  can  obtain  from  foreign  countries  to  assist  in 
extirpating  the  Rights  of  America,  and  with  theirs  almost  all  the  liberty  remaining 
among  Mankind. 

"  In  this  most  critical  and  alarming  situation,  this  and  all  the  Colonies  are  called 
upon  and  earnestly  pressed  by  the  honorable  Congress  of  the  American  Colonies 
united  for  mutual  defense,  to  raise  a  large  additional  number  of  their  militia  and 
able  men  to  be  furnished  and  equipped  with  all  possible  Expedition  for  defense 
against  the  soon  expected  attack  and  invasion  of  those  who  are  our  Enemies  without 
a  Cause.  In  cheerful  compliance  with  which  request,  and  urged  by  Motives  the 
most  cogent  and  important  that  can  affect  the  human  Mind,  the  General  Assembly 
of  this  Colony  have  freely  and  unanimously  agreed  and  resolved,  that  upward  of 
Seven  Thousand  able  and  effective  Men  be  immediately  raised,  funiished  and 
equipped  for  the  great  and  interesting  Purposes  aforesaid.  And  not  desirous  that 
any  should  go  to  a  warfare  at  their  own  charge  (though  equally  interested  with 
others)  for  defense  of  the  great  and  all-important  Cause  in  which  we  are  engaged, 
have  granted  large  and  liberal  Pay  and  Encouragements  to  all  who  shall  voluntarily 
undertake  for  the  Defense  of  themselves  and  their  country  as  by  their  acts  may 
appear,  I  do  therefore  by  and  with  the  advice  of  the  Counsel,  and  at  the  desire  of 
the  Representatives  in  General  Court  assembled,  issue  this  Proclamation,  and  make 
the  solemn  appeal  to  the  virtue  and  public  Spirit  of  the  good  People  of  this  Colony. 
Affairs  are  hastening  fast  to  a  Crisis,  and  the  approaching  Campaign  will  in  all 
Probability  determine  forever  the  fate  of  America.  If  this  should  be  successful  on 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      455 

our  side,  there  is  little  to  fear  on  account  of  any  other.  Be  exhorted  to  rise  there- 
fore to  superior  exertions  on  this  great  Occasion,  and  let  all  that  are  able  and  neces- 
sary show  themselves  ready  in  Behalf  of  their  injured  and  oppressed  Country,  and 
come  forth  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  Mighty,  and  convince  the  unrelent- 
ing Tyrant  of  Britain  that  they  are  resolved  to  be  Free.  Let  them  step  forth  to 
defend  their  Wives,  their  little  Ones,  their  Liberty,  and  everything  they  hold  sacred 
and  dear,  to  defend  the  Cause  of  their  Country,  their  Religion,  and  their  God. 
Let  every  one  to  the  utmost  of  their  Power  lend  a  helping  Hand,  to  promote  and 
forward  a  design  on  which  the  salvation  of  America  now  evidently  depends.  Nor 
need  any  be  dismayed  :  the  Cause  is  certainly  a  just  and  a.  glorious  one  ;  God  is 
able  to  save  us  in  such  manner  as  he  pleases  and  to  humble  our  proud  Oppressors. 
The  Cause  is  that  of  Truth  and  Justice ;  he  has  already  shown  his  Power  in  our 
Behalf,  and  for  the  Destruction  of  many  of  our  Enemies.  Our  Fathers  trusted  in 
him  and  were  delivered.  Let  us  all  repent  and  thoroughly  amend  our  Ways  and 
turn  to  him,  put  all  our  Trust  and  Confidence  in  him — in  his  Name  go  forth,  and 
in  his  Name  set  up  our  Banners,  and  he  will  save  us  with  temporal  and  eternal 
salvation.  And  while  our  Armies  are  abroad  jeoparding  their  lives  in  the  high 
Places  of  the  Field,1  let  all  who  remain  at  Home  cry  mightily  to  God  for  the  Pro- 
tection of  his  Providence  to  shield  and  defend  their  lives  from  Death,  and  to  crown 
them  with  victory  and  success.  And  in  the  Name  of  the  said  General  Assembly  I 
do  hereby  earnestly  recommend  it  to  all,  both  Ministers  and  People,  frequently  to 
meet  together  for  social  prayer  to  Almighty  God  for  the  outpouring  of  his  blessed 
Spirit  upon  this  guilty  land — That  he  would  awaken  his  People  to  Righteousness 
and  Repentance,  bless  our  Councils,  prosper  our  Arms,  and  succeed  the  Measures 
using  for  our  necessary  self  defense — disappoint  the  evil  and  cruel  Devices  of  our 
Enemies — preserve  our  precious  Rights  and  Liberties,  lengthen  out  our  Tranquility, 
and  make  us  a  People  of  his  Praise,  and  the  blessed  of  the  Lord,  as  long  as  the  Sun 
and  Moon  shall  endure. 

"  And  all  the  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  this  Colony,  are  directed  and  desired,  to 
publish  this  Proclamation  in  their  several  churches  and  congregations,  and  to 
enforce  the  Exhortations  thereof,  by  their  own  pious  Example  and  public 
instructions. 

"Given  under  my  Hand  at  the  Council  Chamber  in  Hartford,  the  i8th  day  of 
June  Anno  Domini  1776.  "JONATHAN  TRUMBULL." 

In  this  act  he  was  fully  indorsed  by  the  War  Council  and  "the 
Representatives  in  General  Court  assembled."  A  few  years 
later,  in  acknowledging  a  copy  of  Governor  TrumbuH's  last 
address  to  the  Connecticut  General  Assembly,  which  had  been 
forwarded  to  him,  George  Washington  wrote  from  Mount  Vernon 
the  following  : 

"  The  sentiments  contained  in  it  are  such  as  would  do  honor  to  a  patriot  of  any 
age  or  nation ;  at  least  they  are  too  coincident  with  my  own,  not  to  meet  with 

1  The  use  of  these  words  is  very  striking,  seeing  that  in  Governor  TrumbuH's  own  State  the 
monument  now  standing,  opposite  New  London,  in  honor  of  the  victims  of  the  massacre  of  Groton 
Heights,  bears  most  appropriately  the  entire  verse  (Judges  v,  18)  :  "  Zebulun  and  Naphtali  were  a 
people  that  jeoparded  their  lives  unto  the  death  in  the  high  places  of  the  field." 


456  THE  HIGLEYS  AND  THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

my  warmest  approbation.  Be  so  good  as  to  present  my  most  cordial  respects  to  the 
Governor,  and  let  him  know  that  it  is  my  wish,  that  the  mutual  friendship  and 
esteem,  which  have  been  planted  and  fostered  in  the  tumult  of  public  life,  may  not 
wither  and  die  in  the  serenity  of  retirement.  Tell  him,  that  we  should  rather 
amuse  the  evening  hours  of  our  life  in  cultivating  the  tender  plants,  and  bringing 
them  to  perfection,  before  they  are  transplanted  to  a  happier  clime." ' 

The  amount  of  indefatigable  labor  accomplished  by  Governor 
Trumbull  during  the  struggle  with  Great  Britain  can  scarcely  be 
touched  upon  in  these  pages.  The  venerable  War  Office  still 
stands  in  the  town  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  as  a  relic  of  his  indomita- 
ble zeal  and  devotion  to  his  country. 

"At  the  May  session,  1775,  the  General  Assembly  established  a 
Council  of  Safety,  to  assist  the  Governor  in  the  general  conduct 
of  the  war."2  This  Council  held  its  first  meeting  June  7,  1775, 
at  the  War  Office,  Governor  Trumbull  and  every  member  of  the 
Council  being  present.  Stuart  says  that  it  appears  from  a 
memorandum  in  Governor  Trumbull's  handwriting,  that  he  was 
personally  present  at  913  sessions  of  this  Council  during  the 
war,  but  Hinman,  late  Secretary  of  State,  after  searching  the 
State  records  and  archives  in  his  official  custody,  states  that 
"  this  Council  held  over  1200  sessions;  .  .  .  and  it  is  more  than 
probable  there  were  about  1145  sessions  of  this  great,  impor- 
tant, and  illustrious  Council,  held  under  the  humble  roof  of  that 
old  War  Office;  every  rafter,  and  every  shingle  which  covers  it, 
on  all  sides,  from  roof-tree  to  sill,  radiant  in  memory  with  the 
glorious  light  of  our  morning  of  liberty."  * 

"The  threshold  of  this  notable  building  has  been  crossed  by 
Washington,  Lafayette,  Count  Rochambeau,  Baron  de  Montes- 
quieu, the  Duke  de  Lauzun,  Admiral  Tiernay,  Generals  Sul- 
livan, Putnam,  Samuel  and  John  Adams,  John  Jay,  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, and  by  Benjamin  Franklin;  and  a  host  of  other  patriots 
and  high  worthies  taking  council  together  in  '  the  days  that  tried 
men's  souls.'  There  it  stands,"  says  Lebanon's  historian,  "pre- 
served with  sacred  care  at  public  charge — forever  set  apart  from 
all  ignoble  or  common  uses,  a  consecrated  Memorial !  "  * 

At  last  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  brought  final 
triumph  to  the  gallant  and  persevering  American  army,  and 
"  caused  the  liveliest  sensations  of  joy  and  gratitude  throughout 
the  country." 

"  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  614.        *  "  Early  Lebanon,"  pp.  69, 70. 
»  "  War  of  the  Revolution,"  p.  321. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      457 

Negotiations  for  peace  occupied  the  ministry  during  1782,  and 
early  in  1783  official  information  of  the  general  peace  was 
announced  by  General  Washington. 

Soon  after  his  second  election  as  Chief  Executive  of  his  State, 
Governor  Trumbull  was  requested  by  the  General  Assembly  to 
examine  into  the  rights  of  the  State  to  certain  lands  lying  west  of 
the  western  boundary  of  Pennsylvania,  whose  boundaries  were 
now  questioned,  and  about  which  there  was  disturbing  territorial 
dispute. 

This  special  act  of  statesmanship,  aside  from  his  ordinary 
duties,  may  here  be  noted,  inasmuch  as  his  support  of  the  claim 
of  Connecticut  to  that  valuable  section  afterward  known  as  the 
"  Western  Reserve  of  Ohio,"  and  the  establishment  of  her  rights, 
brought  hither  and  founded,  a  few  years  afterward,  an  entire 
branch  of  Captain  John  Higley's — his  grandfather — lineal  descen- 
dants, who  for  three  generations  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
homes  in  this  favored  district. 

This  claim  of  Connecticut  required  long  and  patient  investiga- 
tion on  the  part  of  Governor  Trumbull,  accompanied  by  able  and 
persistent  effort,  which  covered  a  period  of  several  years,  to 
which  he/^r.sw?d!//yapplied'himself.  "It  resulted  at  last — save  in 
regard  to  a  small  strip  of  territory  at  present  included  in  Penn- 
sylvania— in  an  acknowledgment  by  Congress,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, of  that  title  which  rescued  for  old  Connecticut  that  fine  tract  of 
country  known  as  New  Connecticut — known  also,  in  honorable  bap- 
tism, as  Trumbull  County ','  Ohio.  And  it  secured  the  means,  in  con- 
sequence, for  the  establishment  of  her  magnificent  School  Fund." 

Says  a  descriptive  writer  of  that  county:5  "No  better  name 
than  Trumbull  could  have  been  selected  for  this  Western  Con- 
necticut. The  name  is  imperishably  stamped  on  almost  every 
phase  of  history  of  the  present  State,  and  represents  distinguished 
achievement  in  Statesmanship." 

Governor  Trumbull  was  now  coming  on  to  venerable  years,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  conflict  was  ended  and  the  sword  of  the 
country  had  been  laid  down,  that  this  old  partisan  thought  of  re- 
laxing his  stiff  energies,  or  gave  a  moment's  consideration  toward 
closing  his  able  and  remarkable  executive  and  military  career. 

The   October  following  the   official   proclamation   of    Peace, 

1  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr,  "  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  135. 

*  "  New  Connecticut,"  or  Trumbull  County,  was  afterward  divided  into  Ashtabula,  Trumbull, 
and  other  counties. 


458  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

he  gave  a  parting  address  to  the  Connecticut  General  Assem- 
bly.1 

"  To  the  Honorable  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General  Court  con- 
vened, October,  1783. 
"  GENTLEMEN  : 

"A  few  days  will  bring  me  to  the  anniversary  of  my  birth  ;  seventy-three  years 
of  my  life  will  then  be  completed  ;  and  next  May,  fifty-one  years  will  have  passed 
since  I  was  first  honored  with  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  a  public  character. 
During  this  period,  in  different  capacities,  it  has  been  my  lot  to  be  called  to  public 
service,  almost  without  interruption.  Fourteen  years  I  have  had  the  honor  to  fill 
the  chief  seat  of  government.  With  what  carefulness,  with  what  zeal  and  attention 
to  your  welfare,  I  have  discharged  the  duties  of  my  several  stations,  some  few  of 
you,  of  equal  age  with  myself,  can  witness  for  me  from  the  beginning.  During  the 
latter  period,  none  of  you  are  ignorant  of  the  manner  in  which  my  public  life  has 
been  occupied.  The  watchful  cares  and  solicitudes  of  an  eight  years'  distressing 
and  unusual  war,  have  also  fallen  to  my  share,  and  have  employed  many  anxious 
moments  of  my  latest  time,  which  have  been  cheerfully  devoted  to  the  service  of 
my  country.  Happy  am  I  to  find  that  all  these  cares,  anxieties  and  solicitudes  are 
compensated  by  the  noblest  prospect  which  now  opens  to  my  fellow-citizens,  of  a 
happy  establishment  (if  we  are  but  wise  to  improve  the  precious  opportunity),  in 
peace,  tranquillity,  and  national  independence.  With  sincere  and  lively  gratitude 
to  Almighty  God,  our  Great  Protector  and  Deliverer,  and  with  most  hearty  con- 
gratulations to  all  our  citizens,  I  felicitate  you,  gentlemen,  the  other  freemen,  and 
all  the  good  people  of  the  State,  in  this  glorious  prospect. 

"  Impressed  with  these  sentiments  of  gratitude  and  felicitation  ;  reviewing  the 
long  course  of  years  in  which,  through  various  events,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  to 
serve  the  State  ;  contemplating,  with  pleasing  wonder  and  satisfaction,  at  the 
close  of  an  arduous  contest,  the  noble  and  enlarged  scenes  which  now  present 
themselves  to  my  country's  view  ;  and  reflecting  at  the  same  time  on  my  advanced 
stage  of  life, — a  life  worn  out  almost  in  the  constant  cares  of  office, — I  think  it  my 
duty  to  retire  from  the  busy  concerns  of  public  affairs  ;  that  at  the  evening  of  my 
days  I  may  sweeten  their  decline,  by  devoting  myself  with  less  avocation,  and 
more  attention  to  the  duties  of  religion,  the  service  of  my  God,  and  preparation  for 
a  future  happier  state  of  existence  ;  in  which  pleasing  employment  I  shall  not 
cease  to  remember  my  country,  and  to  make  it  my  ardent  prayer  that  Heaven  will 
not  fail  to  bless  her  with  its  choicest  favors. 

"At  this  auspicious  moment,  therefore,  of  my  country's  happiness — when  she 
has  just  reached  the  goal  of  her  wishes,  and  obtained  the  object  for  which  she  has 
so  long  contended,  and  so  nobly  struggled,  I  have  to  request  the  favor  from  you, 
gentlemen,  and  through  you,  from  all  the  freemen  of  the  State,  that,  after  May 
next,  I  may  be  excused  from  any  further  service  in  public  life  ;  and  that  from  this 
time  I  may  no  longer  be  considered  as  an  object  of  your  suffrages  for  any  public 
employment  in  the  State.  The  reasonableness  of  my  request,  I  am  persuaded, 

1  We  can  here  give  but  mere  extracts  from  such  portions  of  the  Address  as  relates  to  himself,  the 
document  being  too  lengthy  to  introduce  into  these  pages.  It  contains  Governor  Trumbull's  part- 
ing advice  and  counsel  to  his  constituency,  and,  says  one  :  "  It  is  a  patriarchal  document  worthy  of 
the  admiration  of  the  lovers  of  their  country."— Eo. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.       459 

will  be  questioned  by  no  one.  The  length  of  time  I  have  devoted  to  their  service,  with 
my  declining  state  of  vigor  and  activity,  will,  I  please  myself,  form  for  me  a  suffi- 
cient and  unfailing  excuse  with  my  fellow-citizens. 

"At  this  parting  address  you  will  suffer  me,  gentlemen,  to  thank  you,  and  all 
the  worthy  members  of  preceding  Assemblies,  with  whom  I  have  had  the  honor  to 
act,  for  all  that  assistance,  counsel,  aid  and  support,  which  I  have  ever  experienced 
during  my  administration  of  government  ;  and  in  the  warmth  of  gratitude  to  assure 
you,  that  till  my  latest  moments,  all  your  kindness  to  me  shall  be  remembered  ; 
and  that  my  constant  prayer  shall  be  employed  with  Heaven  to  invoke  the  Divine 
Guidance  and  protection  in  your  future  councils  and  government. 

"Age  and  experience  dictate  to  me — and  the  zeal  with  which  I  have  been 
known  to  serve  the  public  through  a  long  course  of  years,  will,  I  trust,  recommend 
to  the  attention  of  the  people  some  few  thoughts  which  I  shall  offer  to  their  con- 
sideration on  this  occasion,  as  my  last  advisory  legacy. 

"  I  commend  you,  gentlemen,  and  the  good  people  of  the  State,  with  earnestness 
and  ardour,  to  the  blessing,  the  protection,  the  counsel,  and  direction  of  the  great 
Counsellor  and  Director ;  whose  wisdom  and  power  is  sufficient  to  establish  you 
as  a  great  and  happy  people  ;  and  wishing  you  the  favor  of  this  divine  benediction, 
in  my  public  character — I  bid  you  a  long — a  happy  adieu. 

"  I  am,  Gentlemen,  your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"JON™  TRUMBULL." ' 

This  resignation  received  the  careful  consideration  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and  a  set  of  appropriate  resolutions,  express- 
ing, "in  terms  of  the  most  sincere  gratitude,  the  highest  respect 
for  his  Excellency,  for  the  great  and  eminent  services  he  had 
rendered  the  State  during  his  long  and  prosperous  administra- 
tion; more  especially  for  that  display  of  wisdom,  justice-,  forti- 
tude, and  magnanimity,  joined  with  the  most  unremitting 
attention  and  perseverance,  which  he  manifested  during  the 
late  successful  though  distressing  war,  which  must  place  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  State  in  the  rank  of  those  great  and 
worthy  patriots  who  have  eminently  distinguished  themselves 
as  the  defenders  of  the  rights  of  mankind." 

The  Assembly  went  on  "to  consider  it  a  most  gracious  dis- 
pensation of  Divine  Providence,  that  a  life  of  so  much  usefulness 
has  been  prolonged  to  such  an  advanced  age,  with  an  unimpaired 
vigor  and  activity  of  mind. " 

These  resolutions  were  placed  upon  public  record,  and 
unstinted  congratulations  flowed  in  upon  him  from  all  the 
inhabited  sections  of  this  land  and  lands  across  the  seas. 

It  was  fitting  that  this  great  patriot  should  thus  close  his 
public  life. 

1  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trurabull,  ST.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  604. 


460  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Neither  receding  time  nor  distance  have  either  magnified  or 
dimmed  the  luster  of  our  "Brother  Jonathan's"  life  service. 
He  remains  a  fixed  star  of  glittering  brightness  among  the  group 
of  sages  who  guided  the  councils  of  the  times.  As  a  result  of 
their  defiant  confidence  in  the  triumph  of  their  belief  that  "all 
men  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable 
rights,"  the  earnest  labor  they  accomplished  was  but  a  faint 
prophecy  of  the  outgrowth  of  a  century — the  little  republic  of 
thirteen  States  has,  in  process  of  time,  developed  and  expanded 
into  a  circle  of  forty-five  great  commonwealths;  its  peoples 
then  numbering  three  millions  have  now  become  a  nation  of 
seventy-five  millions. 

It  is  a  superior  eulogy  upon  Governor  Trumbull  that  he  served 
his  country  during  these  years  for  no  selfish  advantage  or  private 
gain.  "That  he  should  have  gone  through  the  entire  Revolu- 
tionary War — loaded  down  almost  each  hour  with  labor — labor 
that  snatched  him  often  from  repast,  often  snatched  him  from 
sleep — without  compensation,  the  while,  to  meet  either  his 
ordinary  or  his  extraordinary  expenses — with  nothing  to  depend 
upon  for  support  except  a  little  produce  from  lands,  which, 
weighed  down  with  mortgages,  were  the  property  of  his  cred- 
itors, and  a  little  income  perhaps  at  first,  from  a  country  trade, 
which  the  war,  taxes,  and  the  general  poverty  of  the  people 
rendered  soon  comparatively  insignificant,  and  which  he  soon 
abandoned  altogether — is  truly  surprising."1 

"  I  have  received  but  two  half-years'  salaries  since  the  beginning  of  our  contest 
with  Great  Britain," 

he  wrote,  April  29,  1785,  to  his  son  John  in  England,"8  which 
speaks  well  for  the  patriotism  of  the  old  hero. 

On  the  zpth  of  May,  1780,  Mrs.  Faith  Trumbull,  his  wife,  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-one.  She  had  been  in  delicate  health  for 
several  years.  She  became  the  wife  of  Governor  Trumbull 
when  full  of  juvenile  life,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  developed 
into  an  interesting  woman  of  elevated  character,  who  maintained 
social  dignity  and  earnest  Christian  purpose. 

1  "Life  of  Jonathan  Tnimbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  659. 

3  Governor  Trumbull  collected  in  1 784  the  back  payments  due  for  his  annual  salary — three  hundred 
pounds  a  year.  He  died  insolvent.  He  never  recovered  the  heavy  losses  by  his  ships  in  1766. 
The  deterioration  of  his  landed  estates,  the  disturbance  of  business  caused  by  the  troubles  preced- 
ing the  Revoluion,  and  total  interruption  of  trade  which  followed,  cut  him  off  forever  from  the 
chance  of  repairing  his  fortunes."—  Stuart's  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  pp.  659,  660. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY    TRUMBULL.      461 

The  original  portraits  of  Mrs.  Trumbull  (painted  by  her  son 
John)  represent  her  to  have  been  a  woman  of  much  personal 
beauty,  and  she  is  said  to  have  possessed  a  gentle  and  affec- 
tionate disposition,  having  the  faculty  of  making  many  friends; 
and,  says  the  obituary  notice  in  the  Connecticut  Courant, 
June  9,  1780:  "She  was  eminently  qualified  for  and  adorned 
the  honorable  station  in  which  Providence  placed  her."  She 
did  not  lose  the  large  opportunity  which  her  life  by  the 
side  of  her  husband  gave  her  during  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, for  manifesting  great  generosity  in  her  deeds,  and  she  was 
constant  in  practical  sympathy  and  aid  in  the  cause  they  held 
dear. 

Her  remains  are  in  the  Trumbull  tomb  at  Lebanon,  Conn. 

The  dawn  of  1785  brought  Governor  Trumbull  to  the  last  year 
of  his  noble  life.  For  two  years  after  his  retirement  from  public 
duties,  he  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  a  serene  and  undisturbed 
resting-time,  engaging  himself  in  his  favorite  pursuits  and  studies, 
chiefly  of  a  religious  nature.  He  was  hale  and  hearty.  But  the 
day  came  when  he  was  to  leave  "the  infinite  beauty  of  earth," 
and  a  life  crowned  by  distinction.  It  was  on  the  i7th  of 
August,  1785. 

Early  in  that  month  he  was  utterly  prostrated  by  a  violent 
fever,  which  assumed  a  bilious  form,  and  destroyed  his  vitality, 
making  him  its  victim  in  less  than  a  fortnight. 

He  scarcely  ever  had  had,  from  a  natural  cause,  a  day's  illness 
in  his  life. 

He  was  tranquil  and  content  amid  all  of  the  raging  of  fever. 
"  Not  a  murmur  from  his  lips,"  says  his  biographer,  "  disclosed 
the  least  resistance  to  the  dispensation  of  Providence."  His  last 
hour  of  human  infirmity  was  one  of  peace — a  holy  quiet  reigned. 
His  spirit  passed  away  almost  imperceptibly.  Heaven's  gate 
opened  and  he  glided  softly  into 

"  The  sweet  fields  of  Eden," 

"as  one  would  fall  into  a  deep  slumber";  leaving  behind  him 
a  name  fragrant  with  truth  and  honor,  and  "the  inheritance  of 
a  great  example." 

His  mortal  remains  were  followed  to  the  church,  where  inter- 
esting sacred  services  were  held  on  the  igth,  by  a  large  and 
representative  gathering  of  people,  and  consigned  to  a  resting- 


462  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

place  beside  his  beloved  wife  in  the  ancient  Lebanon  burial- 
ground.1 

"The  sister  States  of  America,"  as  the  worthy  divine  truth- 
fully predicted  at  his  funeral,  "joined  in  a  'mournful  concert'  of 
sorrow  with  the  near  relatives  and  friends  of  the  deceased. 
Thousands  among  'European  friendly  powers,'  who  had  heard 
of  his  good  name  and  fame,  now  sighed  on  hearing  the  tidings 
of  his  death.  Obituary  notices,  letters  of  condolence,  Sabbath- 
day  discourses,  election  sermons,  and  other  addresses  made 
touching  references  to  the  public  loss  and  vied  in  expressing  the 
public  sorrow."1 

The  expression  of  condolence  penned,  on  the  receipt  of  the  sad 
news  at  Mount  Vernon,  by  his  honored  friend  "  the  immortal 
Washington,"  and  addressed  to  his  son  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Jr., 
is  a  fitting  message  with  which  to  close  this  sketch,  which  illus- 
trates but  in  part  the  impressive  life  of  this  great  historic  figure. 

"  Mr.  VERNON,  October  i,  1785. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIR  : 

"  It  has  so  happened  that  your  letter  of  the  first  of  last  month  did  not  reach  me 
until  Saturday's  post. 

"  You  know  too  well  the  sincere  respect  and  regard  I  entertained  for  your 
venerable  father's  public  and  private  character,  to  require  assurance  of  the  concern 
I  felt  for  his  death ;  or  of  that  sympathy  in  your  feelings,  for  the  loss  of  him, 
which  is  prompted  by  friendship.  Under  this  loss,  however,  great  as  your  feelings 
must  have  been  at  the  first  shock,  you  have  everything  to  console  you. 

"  A  long  and  well-spent  life  in  the  service  of  his  country  places  Governor  Trum- 
bull among  the  first  of  patriots.  In  the  social  duties  he  yielded  to  no  one  ;  and 
his  lamp,  from  the  common  course  of  nature,  being  nearly  extinguished,  worn 
down  with  age  and  cares,  yet  retaining  his  mental  faculties  in  perfection,  are 
blessings  which  rarely  attend  advanced  life.  All  these  combined  have  secured  to 
his  memory  unusual  respect  and  love  here,  and,  no  doubt,  unmeasurable  happiness 
hereafter. 

"  I  am  sensible  that  none  of  these  observations  can  have  escaped  you,  that  I  can 
offer  nothing  which  your  own  reason  has  not  already  suggested  upon  the  occasion  ; 
and  being  of  Sterne's  opinion,  that  '  before  an  affliction  is  digested,  consolation 
comes  too  soon,  and  after  it  is  digested  it  comes  too  late,  there  is  but  a  mark 
between  these  two,  almost  as  fine  as  a  hair,  for  a  comforter  to  take  aim  at,'  I 
rarely  attempt  it,  nor  should  I  add  more  on  this  subject  to  you,  as  it  will  be  a 
renewal  of  sorrow,  by  calling  afresh  to  your  remembrance  things  that  had  better  be 
forgotten. 

"  My  principal  pursuits  are  of  a  rural  nature,  in  which  I  have  great  delight, 
especially  as  I  am  blessed  with  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  Mrs.  Washington, 

1  A  fine  portrait  of  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,  is  to  be  seen  in  the  State  House,  Hart- 
ford, Conn. 


DESCENDANTS   OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY    TRUMBULL.       463 

on  the  contrary,  is  hardly  ever  well  ;  but,  thankful  for  your  kind  remembrance 
of  her,  joins  me  in  every  good  wish  for  you,  Mrs.  Trumbull,  and  your  family. 
"  Be  assured  that  with  sentiments  of  the  purest  esteem,  I  am,  Dear  Sir, 
"  Your  affectionate  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

"  CEO.   WASHINGTON."1 

Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  ist,  and  his  wife,  Faith  Robinson, 
had  children  as  follows: 

Joseph,  born  March  n,  1737;  Jonathan,  ad,  born  March  26, 
1740;  Faith,  born  January  25,  1743;  Mary,  born  July  16,  1745; 
David,  born  February  5,  1751;  John,  born  June  6,  1756. 

*  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,'   by  I.  W.  Stuart,  pp.  676,  678. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

DESCENDANTS   OF   GOVERNOR   JONATHAN    TRUMBULL,    SR. 

Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,  Hannah  Higley,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Each  man  is  a  bundle  of  his  ancestors. — EMERSON. 

THE  grandchildren  of  Hannah  Higley  Trumbull  (chapter 
xix.  p.  108), — the  group  of  six  children  belonging  to  her  son, 
Governor  Jonathan,  Sr.,  and  Faith  Trumbull's  household, — "were 
distinguished  for  remarkable  ability  and  were  all  destined  to 
notable  careers." 

Governor  Trumbull,  Sr.,  was  a  painstaking  and  affectionate 
father,  who  looked  after  the  training  of  his  children,  and  to  their 
environments,  with  unremitting  attention.  He  bestowed  upon 
them  a  liberal  education,  and  interested  himself  in  the  develop- 
ment of  their  whole  nature.  To  this  end  he  made  it  one  feature 
of  his  busy  life  to  provide  for  an  advancement  in  the  standard  of 
education,  as  a  preliminary  to  a  college  and  boarding-school 
course,  and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  celebrated  Tisdale 
School  at  Lebanon,  Conn. 

JOSEPH  TRUMBULL,  the  eldest,  born  March  n,  1737,  was  gradu- 
ated at  Hartford  in  1756,  and  became  a  business  partner  in  his 
father's  mercantile  house.  He  spent  the  year  1763  in  London, 
"promoting  the  business  of  the  firm,"  and  again,  later  on,  after 
the  failure  of  their  business  house,  he  resided  abroad  for  some 
time. 

Colonel  Joseph  Trumbull  was  Representative  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  Connecticut,  for  his  own  town  and  for  Norwich,  for 
a  number  of  sessions,  beginning  with  October,  1769;  and  in  April, 
1775,  the  Assembly  appointed  him  State  Commissary-General. 
Early  in  the  Revolution  he  was  elected  by  the  National  American 
Congress  one  of  the  members  of  its  board  of  war.  Soon  after 
his  appointment  by  his  State  as  commissary,  the  same  year, 
he  received  "the  appointment  by  Congress  as  the  first  Commis- 
sary-General of  the  American  Army,  an  office  then  of  the  highest 
importance  in  the  struggle  for  independence,  and  bringing 
with  it  a  crushing  weight  of  perplexing  labor  and  responsibility. 

464 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.       465 

He  continued  in  this  office  until  July,  1778,  when,  broken  down 
with  unremitted  ardor  in  these  duties,  he  returned  home  for  a 
short  rest,  but  his  vital  powers  had  been  fatally  overstrained — on 
the  23d  of  July,  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years,  he  sank  into  his 
final  rest;  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  his  country."  J 

He  left  a  young  wife,  Amelia,  to  whom  he  had  been  married 
but  four  months.  His  body  was  placed  in  the  family  mausoleum 
at  Lebanon. 

JONATHAN  TRUMBULL,  JR.,  LL.  D.,  the  second  son,  and  the 
second  Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut,  was  born  March  26, 
1740.  He  passed  from  the  Tisdale  School  to  Harvard  College, 
and  was  graduated,  "with  unusual  reputation,"  in  1759. 

He  served  for  a  number  of  sessions  as  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature,  his  first  election  taking  place  in  1774,  and  twice  was 
speaker  of  the  House.  "At  the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  in  1775,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Continental  Congress  pay- 
master-general of  the  northern  department  of  the  army  under 
General  Washington." 

In  April,  1781,  Colonel  Trumbull  succeeded  Colonel  Alexander 
Hamilton  as  private  secretary  and  first  aid  to  Washington,  from 
whose  distinguished  hand  he  received  the  following  letter: 

"  The  circle  of  my  acquaintance  does  not  furnish  a  character  that  would  be 
more  pleasing  to  me  as  a  successor  to  him  than  yourself.  I  make  you  the  first  offer, 
therefore,  of  the  vacant  office,  and  should  be  happy  in  your  acceptance  of  it.  The 
pay  is  one  hundred  dollars  a  month  ;  the  rations  those  of  a  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the 
army,  which  in  fact  are  additional,  as  the  value  thereof  is  received  in  money.  No 
perquisites  appertain  to  the  office.  The  secretary  lives  as  I  do,  is  at  little  expense 
while  he  is  in  my  family,  or  when  absent  on  my  business,  and  is  in  the  highest  con- 
fidence and  estimation  from  the  nature  of  his  office."  * 

Colonel  Trumbull  served  in  this  important  position  until  near 
the  close  of  the  war.  In  1790,  he  was  chosen  a  representative  in 
Congress  from  his  State,  and  in  1791,  was  speaker  of  the  United 
States  House  of  Representatives,  and  continued  in  that  office 
until  1794,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
From  1796  to  1809,  fourteen  years,  he  was  annually  elected  one 
of  the  twelve  of  the  Council  of  Assistants  of  the  State  under  the 
charter,  and  as  such,  a  member  of  the  Senate,  or  "  Upper  House." 
In  1796  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Connecticut,  and 
in  1798  Governor  of  the  State;  and  w^s  annually  re-elected  to 

1  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  554. 


466  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

this  office  for  eleven  years,  and  until  his  death  in  1^09.  While 
holding  this  office  he  was  also  Chief  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Errors  of  his  State. 

Governor  Trumbull,  Jr.,  "  was  a  man  cultivated  and  intellec- 
tual, of  amiable  temperament,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  social 
virtues.  He  long  enjoyed  the  high  confidence  of  the  public  in  a 
very  eminent  degree."  He  married  Eunice  Backus  of  Norwich 
in  1767,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  children.  Of  these 
their  only  son  and  one  daughter,  Mary,  died  young,  leaving  three 
daughters,  Faith,  Harriet,  and  Maria,  who  lived  to  womanhood.1 
He  died  August  7,  1809,  at  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  His  remains 
are  preserved  in  the  Trumbull  tomb  at  Lebanon. 

Their  children  : 

FAITH,  the  eldest  daughter,  born  February,  1769,  married  Daniel  Wadsworth,  the 
only  son  of  Colonel  Jeremiah  Wadsworth,  "  the  foremost  and  wealthiest  citizen  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  during  the  Revolutionary  period  and  years  following."  Daniel 
Wadsworth  ' '  did  much  for  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  that  city.  The  Wads- 
worth  Atheneum  is  a  lasting  memorial  of  his  desire  to  promote  literary  and  artistic 
objects.  They  lived  for  many  years  in  the  mansion  on  Prospect  Street  now 
occupied  by  the  Hartford  Club."  *  They  left  no  children. 

HARRIET,  born  September  2,  1783,  married  Professor  Benjamin  Silliman,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1809.  Professor  Silliman  held  the  position  of  first  Professor  of  Chemistry 
and  Geology  in  Yale  College,  revered  and  beloved,  for  fifty  consecutive  years. 

MARIA,  the  youngest,  born  February  14,  1785,  married  Henry  Hudson,  Esq.,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.  • 

FAITH  TRUMBULL,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Trumbull  house- 
hold, was  born  1743,  and  married,  May,  1766,  Jedediah  Hunt- 
ington  of  Norwich,  who  was  afterward  a  distinguished  general  of 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  at  one  time  was  one  of  General 
Washington's  aids-de-camp,  and  a  member  of  his  household. 
His  intelligence,  bravery,  and  fidelity  as  an  officer  secured  to  him 
the  attachment  and  lasting  friendship  of  his  illustrious  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. 

Faith  Trumbull  Huntington  was  a  person  of  marked  refinement 
and  culture.  "She  too — like  her  brothers,"  says  Stuart,  "had  a 
Revolutionary  destiny  to  fulfill — one  of  singular  and  startling 
import."  '  She  arrived  at  Boston,  where  her  husband  and  brother 
John  were  in  camp,  "just  as  the  thunders  of  Bunker  Hill  broke 
over  a  scene  of  horrible  carnage — a  majestic  and  tremendous 

1  "Early  Lebanon,"  p.  94. 

8  Trumbull's  "  History  of  Hartford  County." 

1  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  194. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.       467 

scene,  with  its  blaze  of  more  than  five  hundred  houses  in  Charles- 
town,  added  to  the  continual  blaze  and  roar  of  artillery — a  scene 
whose  havoc,  in  full  view  from  the  heights  of  Boston  and  its 
neighborhood,  was  witnessed  by  thousands  of  intensely  agitated 
spectators,  and  among  the  rest  by  the  eldest  daughter  of  Governor 
Trumbull."  Her  brother,  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  in  his  autobi- 
ography, tells  the  sad  story: 

"  About  noon  that  day  [the  day  of  the  battle]  I  had  a  momentary  interview 
with  my  favorite  sister,  the  wife  of  Colonel,  afterwards  General  Huntington,  whose 
regiment  was  on  its  march  to  join  the  army.  The  novelty  of  military  scenes  ex- 
cited great  curiosity  throughout  the  country,  and  my  sister  was  one  of  a  party  of 
young  friends  who  were  attracted  to  visit  the  Army  before  Boston.  She  was  a 
woman  of  deep  and  affectionate  sensibility,  and  the  moment  of  her  visit  was  most 
unfortunate.  She  found  herself  surrounded,  not  by  '  the  pomp  and  circumstances 
of  glorious  war,'  but  in  the  midst  of  all  its  horrible  realities.  She  saw  too  clearly 
the  life  of  danger  and  hardship  upon  which  her  husband  and  her  favorite  brother 
had  entered,  and  it  overcame  her  strong  but  too  sensitive  mind.  She  became 
insane."  l 

It  was  on  the  24th  of  November,  1775,  five  months  after  the 
terrific  battle  scene  which  filled  her  with  unaccustomed  terror, 
and  suddenly  dethroned  her  reason,  that  her  beautiful  life  closed, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years  and  ten  months. 

Governor  Trumbull,  when  speaking  of  their  daughter,  used  to 
say:*  "The  tenderness  and  affection  of  my  daughter  Faith,  I 
am  apt  to  think,  are  without  parallel."  And  her  husband,  in  a 
letter  addressed  to  her  brother  Joseph,  who  was  absent  at  the 
time,  remarked  : 

"  You  have  seen  the  thousand  agreeable  and  tender  scenes  in  which  I  have  passed 
with  the  dear  partner  of  my  soul,  your  lovely  sister.  The  law  of  kindness  was  ever 
on  her  tongue  and  heart — She  was  one  whose  benevolence,  obligingness,  and  affec- 
tion had  no  comparison — my  tears  must  flow." 

Her  husband,  General  Huntington,  survived  every  general 
officer  of  the  Revolutionary  War  with  but  one  exception.  He 
died  September  25,  1818. 

They  had  but  one  child — a  son,  Jabez  Huntington,  born  Septem- 
ber, 1767. 

MARY  TRUMBULL,  the  second  daughter  of  the  senior  Governor 
Trumbull,  was  born  July  16,  1745.  Like  her  sister,  Faith,  she  was 

*  "  Reminiscences  of  His  Own  Times,"  by  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  p.  aa. 

*  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart. 


468  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

an  educated  woman.  Her  earlier  school  years  were  spent  in.  the 
Tisdale  Academy,  and  her  education  was  afterward  finished  at  a 
Boston  school. 

On  February  14,  1771,  she  married  the  Hon.  William  Williams 
of  Lebanon.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Solomon 
Williams,  who  for  fifty-four  years  was  the  pastor  of  the  Lebanon 
Church,  and  a  "long-endeared  neighbor,  friend,  and  supporter" 
of  Governor  Trumbull.  William  Williams  held  the  office  of  town 
clerk  for  a  period  of  forty-four  years.  "He  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent the  town  in  1757  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  with  few  rare 
exceptions  was  continued  in  this  office  until  1784 — twenty-seven 
years.  He  was  nine  times  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  1776  he 
was  chosen  by  the  electors  of  the  State  at  large  one  of  the 
Assistants  and  transferred  to  the  Upper  House,  to  which  office  he 
was  twenty-four  times  elected.  It  is  recorded  of  him,  that  for 
more  than  ninety  sessions  he  was  scarcely  absent  from  his  seat  in 
the  General  Assembly.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
Safety  which  regularly  met  at  Lebanon  during  the  war." 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  in  1776  and  1777, 
and  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence  ;  and  lived  to  be  the  last 
survivor  of  the  four  signers  from  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

He  was  ardent  and  full  of  patriotic  fervor.  "With  tongue 
and  pen  and  estate  he  gave  himself  to  the  cause  of  the  Colonies. 
He  was  a  sincere  Christian,  exercising  the  spirit  of  benevolence, 
and  full  of  private  virtues." 

His  widow,  Mary  Trumbull,  survived  him  twenty  years,  and 
died  at  Lebanon,  February  9,  1831,  aged  eighty-five. 

They  had  three  children  :  Solomon,  Faith,  and  William  Trumbull 
Williams.  The  latter  married  his  cousin,  Sarah  Trumbull,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  distinguished  attorney  in  Lebanon,  Conn. 
He  died  December  16,  1839. 

DAVID  TRUMBULL,  the  third  son  of  the  senior  Governor 
Jonathan  Trumbull,  was  born  February  5,  1751.  He  was  the 
only  son  who  failed  to  pass  through  a  collegiate  course,  and  this 
was  "because,  at  the  period  when  otherwise  he  would  have  taken 
this  course,  the  sea  had  wrecked  his  father's  fortune." 

Two  marriages  took  place  between  the  families  of  the  Trum- 
bulls  and  the  Backuses  of  Norwich,  David  Trumbull  marrying 
Sarah  Backus,  sister  to  his  brother  Jonathan's  wife,  on  the  6th  of 
December,  1778.  Like  the  other  members  of  the  family,  he 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HICLEY   TRUMBULL.      469 

served  with  distinction  in  the  American  cause.  He  was  always 
active  in  all  the  local  affairs  of  the  town,  and  was  twice  its  Repre- 
tative  in  the  General  Assembly. 

"  The  services  which  he  rendered  to  his  country  in  her  trying 
struggle  for  liberty,  though  less  conspicuous,  were  as  devoted 
and  patriotic,  and  even  more  constant,  than  those  of  either  of  his 
brothers.  He  was  the  only  son  reserved  by  his  father  to  aid  and 
counsel  with  him  in  the  discharge  of  the  herculean  task  which 
the  war  devolved  upon  him,  in  raising  and  equipping  troops,  and 
furnishing  and  forwarding  supplies,  etc.,  not  only  to  the  land  and 
naval  forces  of  the  State,  but  to  the  whole  northern  army.  The 
minutes  of  the  '  War  Council '  show  him  to  have  been  not  only 
'  the  right  hand '  of  his  father,  but  of  the  council  also,  as  the 
able,  ready,  and  trusted  executive  of  their  important  measures. 

"  For  these  constant  services,  rendered  often  by  night  as  well 
as  by  day,  he  seems  to  have  received  no  regular  compensation — 
only  his  expenses  were  paid,  except  on  a  few  special  cases."  l 

He  served  also,  for  some  time,  as  Assistant  Commissary-General 
of  the  United  States,  under  his  brother  Joseph. 

He  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  upon  a  farm  at  Lebanon,  and 
at  his  death  was  laid  in  the  tomb  where  the  family  are  gathered. 
He  died  January  17,  1822,  aged  seventy-one.  His  wife  died  June 
2,  1846. 

Their  children  were  Sarah  (who  married  her  cousin,  William 
Trumbull  Williams),  Abigail,  Joseph,  John,  and  Jonathan  G.  W. 
The  sons  all  received  a  college  education. 

Of  the  above  family: 

JOSEPH  TRUMBULL,  the  third  Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut,  and  eldest  son 
of  David  and  Sarah  Trumbull,  was  born  December  7,  1782.  He  was  graduated 
from  Yale  College  in  1801,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1803.  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession first  in  Ohio.  On  his  return  to  Connecticut  he  was  conspicuous  in  public  use- 
fulness for  many  years.  He  served  eleven  years — from  June  1828 — as  President  of 
the  Hartford  Bank,  and  was  Representative  in  the  United  States  Congress,  1839-43. 
He  was  elected  to  the  chief  executive  office  of  the  State,  serving  the  years  1849  and 
1850.  He  married  Eliza,  the  daughter  of  Lemuel  Storrs,  December  i,  1824.  He 
died  in  1861. 

Their  only  child,  Eliza,  born  October  10,  1826,  married  Lucius  F.  Robinson,  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Hartford  County  bar,  and  a  high  literary  character. 

JOHN  TRUMBULL,  the  youngest  son  of  the  senior  Governor 
Jonathan  Trumbull's  family,  born  June  6,  1756,  was  probably  more 

»j  '  "  Early  Lebanon,"  p.  100. 


470  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

nearly  the  reproduction  of  his  father  than  any  of  the  children. 
He  was  eminent  for  the  diversity  of  his  talents.  Against  his 
own  wish  he  attended  college — not  that  he  desired  to  evade  a 
higher  education,  but  his  longing  was  to  study  art.  However,  his 
father  did  not  for  some  time  enter  into  this  natural  ambition  of 
the  son  :  seeing  that  he  had  a  mind  richly  equipped  with  noble 
gifts,  he  chose  for  him  first  a  college  training.  John  entered  the 
junior  year  at  Harvard  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  was  graduated 
the  following  year,  1773. 

But  the  will  of  neither  parent  nor  tutor  could  stifle  the  natural 
genius  of  the  youth,  "he  never  surrendered  his  purpose."  Be- 
fore he  was  nineteen  the  sable  cloud  of  revolution  was  rising,  and 
his  blood  tingled  with  loyality  to  the  Colonial  cause.  "  My 
father,"  says  he,  "was  now  Governor  of  the  Colony,  and  a 
patriot — of  course  surrounded  by  patriots,  to  whose  ardent  con- 
versation I  listened  daily;  it  would  have  been  strange  if  all  this 
had  failed  to  produce  its  natural  effect  upon  me. " 1 

John  set  about  collecting  the  young  men  of  the  village,  and 
they  began  to  practice  military  exercises  and  get  into  training. 
Very  soon  he  joined  the  ist  Connecticut  Regiment  and  was 
adjutant,  stationed  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  April,  1775.  He  soon 
attracted  the  attention  of  General  Washington,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  him  in  sketching  the  enemies'  position,  and  was  ap- 
pointed his  aid-de-camp.  In  August,  1775,  he  was  appointed  major 
of  brigade,  and  in  1776  adjutant-general  on  Washington's  staff. 

"These  instances  of  kindness,"  his  father  wrote  to  General 
Washington  in  July — referring  both  to  his  son  Joseph's  appoint- 
ment, and  to  that  also  of  his  son  John  as  a  member  of  Washing- 
ton's military  family — "justly  claim  my  most  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments." * 

"The  same  year,  1776,  Colonel  Trumbull  was  sent  to  the 
northern  army  for  the  invasion  of  Canada,  and  joined  General 
Gates  at  Crown  Point,  to  whom  he  had  been  appointed  adjutant- 
general."  After  some  important  service,  in  which  he  evinced 
marked  military  ability,  "he  returned  in  1777  to  Boston,  and 
with  the  approbation  of  his  father  and  Gen.  Washington,  resumed 
there  the  study  of  that  art  which  had  ever  been  the  passion,  and 
was  destined  to  be  the  glory,  of  his  life;  but  still  holding  himself 
in  readiness  for  any  pressing  emergency  in  the  service  of  his 

1  "  Reminiscences  of  His  Own  Times,"  by  Colonel  John  Trumbull. 
*  "  Life  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Sr.,"  by  I.  W.  Stuart,  p.  422. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.      47 1 

country.  The  emergency  came — when  in  1778  he  acted  as  aid- 
de-camp  to  General  Sullivan  in  the  attempt  to  dislodge  the 
British  army  and  navy  from  Newport,  R.  I.  His  bravery  on 
this  occasion;  the  cool  valor  and  daring  with  which  he  led  his 
troops  into  the  most  deadly  of  the  fierce  encounters  of  that 
unequal  contest,  commanded  not  only  the  admiration,  but  the 
astonishment,  of  Gen.  Sullivan  and  all  who  witnessed  it."  ' 

"He  was  the  natural  and  pre-eminent  military  genius  of  the 
family;  and,  had  fate  led  him  to  follow  the  profession  of  arms, 
would  doubtless  have  been  renowned  as  a  military  chieftain."  x 

In  1780  he  went  to  London  to  become  a  pupil  under  the  cele- 
brated artist,  Benjamin  West;  but  soon  after  his  arrival  "great 
excitement  prevailing,  on  account  of  the  execution  of  Major 
Andre  as  a  spy,  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  high  treason,  as 
a  pendant  for  him,"  and  imprisoned  eight  months  in  the  famous 
Bridewell  prison,  where  he  "was  very  civilly  treated  but  care- 
fully guarded."  Upon  his  release  through  the  efforts  of  distin- 
guished gentlemen,  he  left  England  for  Holland,  where  he  assisted 
in  negotiations  for  a  loan  for  the  American  Congress.  When  the 
war  was  over  he  returned  to  London,  and  pursued  his  studies 
under  West. 

His  first  great  historical  picture,  "The  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill," 
was  produced  in  1786.  He  returned  to  America  in  1789.  In 
George  Washington's  diary,  dated  "Tuesday,  July  8,  1790,"  is 
found  the  following  entry  : 

"Sat  from  nine  o'clock  till  after  ten,  for  Mr.  Jn°-  Trumbull, 
who  was  drawing  a  portrait  of  me  at  full  length  which  he  intended 
to  present  to  Mrs.  Washington,"  and  again  under  the  dates 
"Monday  i2th,"  and  "Tuesday  i3th,"  "again  sat  for  Mr. 
Trumbull  from  nine  until  half- past  ten  o'clock." 

Many  years  after  this  date,  Colonel  Trumbull  wrote  to  a  friend, 
of  this  picture,  which  is  "whole  length  standing,  three-quarters 
left,  the  right  arm  resting  on  a  white  horse — 20X30  inches,"  the 
following  : 

"  In  the  year  1775  I  had  had  the  honor  to  be  one  of  the  General's  aids-de- 
camp ;  and  afterward  had  received  from  him  many  civilities,  which  added  the 
endearment  and  affection  of  personal  feelings  to  the  reverential  respect  which  his 
public  character  always  commanded  from  all  men. 

"  I  had  also  been  honored  by  much  civility  from  Mrs.  Washington  ;  and  this 
picture,  painted  '  con  amore '  in  my  best  days,  was  intended  as  an  offering  of  grate- 

1  "  Early  Lebanon.*' 


4?2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ful  respect  :  and  was  accordingly  presented  by  me  to  Mrs.  Washington.  The 
portrait,  tho'  of  small  size,  preserves  accurately  the  resemblance  of  the  face — the 
proportions  and  manners  of  his  Figure,  and  the  style  and  minutiae  of  his  military 
dress.  It  is  painted  on  fine  cloth."  * 

Within  the  next  few  years  Colonel  Trumbull  produced  other 
portraits  of  Washington;  also  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  General 
Philip  Schuyler,  and  many  other  historical  characters. 

He  again  went  to  England  in  1794,  as  secretary  to  John  Jay, 
envoy  extraordinary  to  the  Court  of  Great  Britain,  and  "  in  1796 
was  appointed  a  commissioner  in  the  execution  of  the  seventh 
article  of  Jay's  treaty." 

He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1804,  and  again  pursued 
his  art.  From  1817  to  1824  he  engaged  himself  in  painting,  by 
contract  with  the  United  States  Congress,  his  four  great  histori- 
cal pictures  that  fill  compartments  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol 
at  Washington,  representing  respectively  :  "  Signing  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,"  the  "  Surrender  of  Burgoyne,"  the  "  Sur- 
render of  Cornwallis,"  and  the  "  Resignation  of  Washington  at 
Annapolis,"  for  which  Congress  paid  him  thirty-two  thousand 
dollars. 

When  eighty-six  years  of  age,  speaking  of  the  past,  he  wrote  : 

"  At  three  score  years  and  ten  my  hand  was  steady,  and  my  sight  good,  and  I  felt 
the  vis  vita  strong  within  me — why  then  sink  down  into  premature  imbecility  ?  " 

"  Many  of  his  national  pictures,  together  with  interesting  por- 
traits of  distinguished  characters,  and  several  copies  from  old 
masters, — fifty-four  pictures  in  all, — he  finally  gave  to  Yale  Col- 
lege, where  they  were  deposited  in  the  'Trumbull  Gallery,' 
specially  erected  for  their  reception.  The  Wadsworth  Gallery  at 
Hartford  contains,  also,  fourteen  of  his  paintings;  all  of  heroic 
size, — nine  by  six  feet, — besides  other  of  his  valuable  pictures, 
'which  have  always  formed  the  central  feature  of  interest  in  the 
Gallery.'" 

Colonel  John  Trumbull  was  President  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts  from  its  foundation,  and  spent  his  latter  years  in 
New  York  City. 

He  married  in  London,  in  1800,  Sarah  ,  an  English 

lady,  who  is  said  to  have  been  possessed  of  much  refinement  and 
marked  personal  beauty.  Of  his  wife  he  records  in  his  auto- 
biography a  tender  and  beautiful  tribute. 

1  A  full  length  picture  of  George  Washington,  painted  after  the  above  (1790)  size,  72  X  108,  is 
owned  by  the  City  of  New  York,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  City  Hall. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  HANNAH  HIGLEY   TRUMBULL.       473 

They  had  no  children. 

At  his  decease  he  was  interred  beneath  the  gallery  which  bears 
his  name  in  New  Haven,  Conn.     The  epitaph  reads  : 

Colonel  3obn  Grumbull 

patriot  ano  artist, 

Jfrieno  anD  BID 

of  TimasbfnQton. 

2>ieo  in  Tftew  12or&,  Uov>,  10,  1843 

BE.  88. 

•fee  reposes  in  a  Sepulcbre 
JBuilt  bB  bimself,  beneatb 
Gbts  Monumental  Oallerg; 

"Cdbere  be  deposited  tbe  remains  of  Sarab  bis  wife, 
wbo  oieo  in  flew  J^orfc,  Bpril  12,  1824,  BE.  5t. 
Co  bis  Country  be  gave- bis  Sworo  anD  bis  pencil. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxi.  p.  134. 

JONATHAN    HIGLEY. 
Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

A  whisper  from  his  dawn  of  life  ?  a  breath 
From  some  fair  dawn  beyond  the  doors  of  death 
Far — far — away  ? 

— TENNYSON. 

JONATHAN,  the  eldest  child  and  only  son  of  Dr.  Samuel  and 
Abigail  Higley,  was  born  June  21,  1721,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
fac-simile  production  of  his  birth  record  on  the  opposite  page, 
taken  from  the  Simsbury,  Conn.,  town  records.1 

Jonathan  was  a  boy  of  sixteen  when  his  father  met  his  death 
at  sea,  and  his  mother  died  when  he  was  a  young  man  of 
twenty-six.  Little  is  known  of  his  earlier  years.  Early  in  the 
year  1747  he  married  the  only  daughter  of  a  family  of  high  stand- 
ing— Mary,  the  third  child  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson,2  a  young 
woman  of  unusually  bright  capacities.  She  was  born  1721. 

1  Book  iii.  p.  261.     See  also  chap.  xxi.  p.  122. 

a  The  Rev.  Edward  Thompson  was  one  of  the  able  and  distinguished  clergyman  who  embraced 
Puritanic  views  and  came  from  England.  He  settled  at  Cape  Ann,  Mass.,  where  he  resided  till 
about  1687.  In  June  of  that  year  he  "  was  employed  "  to  preach  in  Simsbury,  Conn.  He  preached 
till  1691.  The  following  was  the  agreement  between  "  the  inhabitants  "  and  himself  : 

"  We  doe  promise  and  engage  that  we  will  by  the  assistance  of  Divine  Grace  render  that  honor, 
love,  and  obedience,  to  him  [the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson]  that  is  due  from  us,  as  he  is  our  Shep- 
herd and  watchman  according  to  gospel  rules.  And  we  doe  hereby  promise  and  engage  that  dur- 
ing the  time  he  shall  continue  the  work  of  the  ministry  we  will  pay  to  him,  his  heyrs  and  assigns, 
the  sum  of  .£50  per  annum,  in  good  and  currant  pay,  viz;  One  third  in  good  and  merchantable 
wheat  at  4  shillings  per  Bushel,  J^  in  pease  or  Ry  at  31!  per  Bu.,  and  %  in  Indian  corn,  or  pork,  the 
Indian  corn  at  28  6d  per  Bu.  and  the  pork  at  £3,  ios  per  barrell,  full  gaged  and  well  repacked  :  and 
alsoe  a  sufficiency  of  wood  shall  be  by  us  provided  and  laid  by  his  house  for  his  necessary  uses  at 
all  times  during  his  continuance  amongst  us  in  ye  work  of  ye  ministry."  He  was  also  "  allowed 
the  use  and  improvement  "  of  the  parsonage  lands  that  are  in  the  Township.  One  home  lot  was 
given  him  "  containing  four  acres  with  the  dwelling  house  at  present  standing,  which  we  do  prom- 
ise to  finish  at  our  own  cost  and  charges  and  to  add  a  new  room  to  it  of  about  18  feet  square  and  13 
feet  between  joints,  completely  built  and  finished,  the  said  Thompson  finding  nails,  ironwork  and 
glass  for  the  said  new  end.  Also  18  acres  of  meadow  land  lying  in  Hopp  Meadow  [now  Simsbury], 
alsoe  20  acres  at  Salmon  Brooke  added  to  a  first  piece  of  8  acres  or  more  "  ;  all  of  which  was  to 
belong  to  him  and  his  heirs  forever. 

In  April,  1688,  a  large  tract  of  land  was  "  set  off  "  to  the  Rev.  Edward  Thompson  lying  in  Turkey 
Hills  (now  East  Granby)  a  part  of  which  is  owned  to  this  day  by  his  lineal  descendant,  the  Hon. 
Isaac  W.  Thompson,  who  resides  upon  it.  At  the  close  of  his  ministry  in  Simsbury,  Mr.  Thomp- 
son returned  to  Cape  Ann,  Mass.,  where  he  died  December  8,  1724.  His  wife,  Hannah  Thompson, 
was  probably  his  second  wife.  She  died  at  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury,  June  13,  1769,  aged  seventy- 
five  years. 

474 


FROM   THE    PUBLIC   RECORDS  OF   SIMSBURY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  M.  D.  475 

She  returned,  in  1739,  after  the  decease  of  her  father,  from 
Cape  Ann,  Mass.,  to  Simsbury,  Conn.,  with  her  widowed  mother, 
Hannah  Thompson,  and  her  two  brothers  Edward  and  Samuel. 
They  made  the  journey,  which  was  then  a  long  and  tedious  one 
through  the  wilderness,  on  two  horses,  the  mother  and  Edward 
upon  the  back  of  one  animal,  and  Samuel  and  Mary,  or  Mollie, 
as  she  was  familiarly  called,  riding  the  other. 

On  their  arrival  in  Simsbury  they  settled  upon  the  land  "set 
off,"  full  fifty  years  before,  to  the  husband  and  father,  the  Rev. 
Edward  Thompson,  on  which  they  built  a  log  house  and  dug  a 
well.  This  well,  from  which  the  waters  have  been  drunk  to  this 
day  (1896),  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  years — still  remains  a 
fountain  of  refreshment  to  the  visitor  to  the  hospitable  home  of 
a  descendant,  the  Hon.  Isaac  W.  Thompson.  A  comfortable 
frame  house  afterward  took  the  place  of  the  first  built  cabin,  made 
of  logs. 

Mary  Thompson  was  a  quick-witted,  active  girl,  and  developed 
into  a  forcible  woman.  She  was  a  great  favorite  with  her  father. 
He  had  brought  from  England  a  violin — a  fine  instrument,  which 
he  offered  to  present  to  any  one  of  his  three  children  who  would 
first  learn  to  play  it  well.  Mary  being  left-handed,  he  slyly 
favored  her  by  stringing  the  instrument  left-handed;  and  by  her 
patience  and  diligence  she  was  the  successful  competitor.  Her 
jolly  temperament  made  her  popular  at  "  house-warmings  "  and 
the  social  gatherings  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  aged  aunts,  in 
after  years,  told  of  many  an  evening  dance  in  days  past  at  which 
Mary  Thompson  was  the  "  fiddler."  She  was  known  far  and  near 
as  ''the  left-handed  fiddler." 

She  appears  from  the  records  to  have  been  much  engaged  in 
trading  in  land,  and  to  have  added  materially  to  her  already  com- 
fortable estate. 

Besides  several  exchanges  in  land,  little  mention  is  made  upon 
the  public  records  concerning  Jonathan  Higley.  On  coming  of 
age  he  became  the  owner  of  property  from  his  father's  estate,  and 
was  the  purchaser,  in  1744  and  1747,  of  adjoining  lands  which  are 
described  as  "lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  mountain,  near  a  place  called  Salisbury  plain,  on  the 
road  that  leads  to  Turkey  Hills." »  The  home  they  occupied  was 
"in  Turkey  Hills,  near  Spoonville  bridge."  January  18,  1765,116 
gave  deeds  of  lands  in  Simsbury  to  his  two  minor  children, 

1  "  Simsbury  Book  of  Deeds  and  Conveyances,"  p.  683. 


476  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Jonathan,  Jr.,  and  Mary.  Having  received  by  inheritance  a 
liberal  property,  and  his  wife  being  a  woman  of  landed  estate,  it 
is  probable  that  he  spent  his  days  in  easy  circumstances,  living  a 
quiet,  unassuming  life.  However,  some  time  before  his  decease 
he  appears,  through  reverses,  to  have  lost  his  share  of  the 
property. 

His  sudden  death  by  drowning  in  the  Farmington  River,  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  the  present  site  of  Tariffville, 
Conn.,  was  a  shock  to  the  community."  The  distressing  event 
occurred  Monday,  July  8,  1771,  when  he  was  fifty  years  of  age. 

For  more  than  a  mile  above  the  fatal  spot  (Alderman's  canoe 
place)  the  river  dashes  angrily  over  great  rocks,  forming  rapids 
which  terminate  in  a  ledge  known  as  "Eel  Rock";  here  the 
waters  are  very  swift  and  deep.  It  is  a  wild,  romantic  spot.  An 
old  mill  still  stands  close  by,  with  the  rough,  thickly  wooded 
mountainous  banks  in  the  background  forming  a  scene  of  rare 
picturesque  beauty. 

The  following  was  preserved  in  the  private  memoranda  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Edward  Thompson,  Jr. : 

"Brother  Jonathan  Higley  was  drowned  in  attempting  to  Swim  across  Ye  river 
with  his  frock  on,  Att  Alderman's  canoe  place  on  Ye  8th  of  July,  and  was  taken  up 
about  6  Dayes  after  on  a  Small  island  neigh  Ye  Saw-Mill  ;  Ye  island  about  3  or  4 
mile  Down  Ye  river." 

The  verdict  of  the  "Jury  of  Inquest"  was:  "Drowned  by 
accident."  ' 

The  "funeral  charges"  for  the  simple  obsequies,  as  exhibited 
by  his  son  Jonathan,  who  was  appointed  his  administrator  by  the 
Court  of  Probate  held  in  Simsbury,  August  6,  1771,  amounted  to 
but  eighteen  shillings. 

Jonathan  Higley  died  insolvent.  The  report  to  the  Court  of 
Probate  of  the  distribution  of  the  estate  to  his  creditors  says: 
"  It  appears  as  an  average  there  is  four  shillings  on  the  pound  to 
distribute  to  the  Creditors."* 

The  inventory  of  personal  effects  amounted  to  ^28  75.  gd. 
The  debts  ^45  75.  6^d. 

His  wife,  Mary,  however,  managed  to  retain  a  comfortable 
home  and  property,  the  inventory  showing  a  long  list  of  house- 
hold goods  and  farm  belongings  which  the  Court  of  Probate 
ordered  "set  out  to  Widw  Mary  Higley,  Relict  of  the  Deceased." 

1  "  Simsbury  Town  Records,"  book  iv.  p.  214.  -      a  "  Simsbury  Probate  Records." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLEY,  M.  D.  477 

Among  the  list  of  articles  named  are:  "2  Hives  of  Bees, 
various  tools,  Spectacles,  saddle  Bags,  2  Jack  Knives,  Pigeon  Net, 
Great  Wheel  and  Spindle,  2  feather  beds,  bedsteads,  etc.,  and 
one  'Truckle  Bed,'  'Curtains  and  Vallains,'  3  Swine  and  Neces- 
saries to  Support,  'and  3  old  Snow  Shoes.'" 

These  snowshoes  were  in  the  possession  of  her  descendants  as 
relics  for  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years.  They  were  two  feet  in 
length  and  twelve  inches  broad,  covered  with  leather. 

Mary  (Thompson)  Higley  survived  her  husband  twenty-four 
years.  She  died  October  26,  1795,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 
Her  will  was  as  follows: 

"  I  give,  and  devise,  and  bequeath  to  my  three  grandsons,  Samuel  Higley, 
Jonathan  Higley  Jun.  and  Thompson  Higley,  the  sum  of  sixty  pounds  lawful 
worth  of  my  land,  or  Twenty  pounds  of  money  worth  a  piece  to  be  set  out  to  them 
as  each  of  them  shall  arrive  to  the  age  of  Twenty-one  years  at  the  apportionment, 
and  if  either  of  them  die  before  he  arrive  to  the  aforesaid  age,  then  the  other  two 
are  to  have  his  part  between  them. 

"  And  further,  my  Will  is,  that  if  my  son  Jonathan  doeth  well  and  truly  pay  said 
Twenty  pounds  apiece  to  said  grandsons  at  their  several  arrivals  to  the  above  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  and  get  their  legal  receipts  therefore,  that  then  my  said  son 
shall  have  the  whole  of  my  said  lands  to  him  and  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever 
after  my  Decease,  and  after  the  aforesaid  grandsons  arrive  to  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  other  ways  to  be  out  as  aforesaid  and  at  such  a  part  of  my  said  lands  as  my 
said  grandsons  shall  choose  so  as  not  to  interfere  on  each  other.  Item:  I  give  and 
devise  to  my  son  Jonathan  Higley,  all  the  remainder  of  my  whole  estate  both  real 
and  personal  after  my  decease — And  I  do  make,  ordain,  constitute,  and  appoint 
my  son  Jonathan  Higley  of  Granby,  to  be  my  executor  of  this  my  last  Will  and 
Testament,  ratifying  and  confirming  this  and  no  other  to  be  my  last  Will  and 
Testament  in  Witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal "  etc.,  etc. 

"  MARY  HIGLEY. 

"  Witnesses  : 

"  ABNER  PHELPS,  "  Received,  proved,  and  approved, 

"  EDWARD  THOMPSON,  Jr.,  Nov.  27th,  1795." 

"  MARY  COOK,  2d. 

Jonathan  and  Mary  Thompson  Higley  were  the  parents  of 
two  children,  viz. : 

Jonathan,  Jr.,  born  December  6,    1747;  Mary,  2d,  born  June 

9,  !75o. 

MARY  HIGLEY  (2d),  the  only  daughter,  married  her  second 
cousin,  David  Higley,  Jr.,  about  the  year  1772.  He  was  the  son  of 
David  Higley,  ist,  and  grandson  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist.  (See 
sketch  of  David  Higley,  2d,  pages  282,  283.)  The  young  cousins 
had  lived  in  the  same  neighborhood  from  their  childhood,  both 


478  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY. 

having  been  born  and  brought  up  in  Turkey  Hills  parish.  It  was 
not  long  after  the  sad  affliction  came  to  the  family — of  the  acci- 
dental death  of  her  father — that  her  marriage  took  place.  From 
the  time  she  was  a  girl  of  fifteen  she  held  bonds  in  her  own  right. 
It  is  supposed  that  her  decease  took  place  previous  to  the  year 
1795,  as  she  is  not  mentioned  in  her  mother's  will.  She  had  two 
children  who  survived  her,  David  Higley,  3d,  and  Huldah. 


JONATHAN    HIGLEY,    JR. 

Son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Thompson)  Higley. 

Jonathan,  zd,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Jonathan,  Jr.  (or  2d),  the  only  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary 
(Thompson)  Higley,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury,  Conn., 
December  6,  1747. 

The  first  glimpse  that  we  have  of  him  upon  record,  after  his 
birth,  is  a  conveyance  of  land  given  him  by  his  father,  January 
18,  1765,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 

Four  years  later,  1769,  at  twenty-two,  he  married  Rachel  Negus. 
They  settled  in  Turkey  Hills. 

The  accidental  death  of  his  father,  the  summer  of  1771,  left 
his  mother  and  sister  Mary  to  his  care.  He  was  appointed  by 
the  Court  of  Probate  administrator  on  the  estate,  which  he 
proceeded  to  settle,  taking  bond  with  James  Alderman  of  Sims- 
bury  of  fifty  pounds. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1780,  he  was  admitted  to  commun- 
ion "w't  ye  Church"  in  Turkey  Hills,  and  on  the  27th  of 
June,  the  following  year,  1781,  they  had  three  children  publicly 
baptized — Samuel,  Jonathan,  Jr.  (or  3d),  and  Rachel.  There 
being  no  record  of  his  wife  having  united  with  this  church,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  she  was  then  a  communicant  of  the 
Church  of  England,  as  she  was  a  true  Episcopalian  in  after 
years.  Soon  after  Mr.  Higley's  admission  into  the  Turkey  Hills 
church,  he  became  useful  in  its  work,  and  a  man  of  influence  in 
the  community. 

The  principal  business  of  the  church  meetings  in  those  days 
was  making  appointments  for  the  collection  of  church  rates, 
arranging  the  minister's  salary,  and  the  consideration  and  super- 
vision of  school  matters.1 

1  When  the  town  of  Simbury  was  divided  into  ecclesiastical  societies,  the  business  relating  to 
schools  was  done  at  these  meetings,  till  the  Connecticut  State  Legislature,  about  the  year  1795  or 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  M.  D.  479 

From  the  year  1785,  for  the  succeeding  ten  years,  he  was 
appointed  annually  on  the  school  committee.  The  same  year  he 
was  appointed  to  make  out  the  lists  for  the  parish  of  Turkey 
Hills,  his  oHvn  rates  amounting  that  year  to  ^30  25.  On  the 
7th  of  November,  1785,  he  served  as  moderator  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  society.  At  a  freeman's  meeting  held  September 
18,  1787,  he  was  made  freeman,  which  entitled  him  to  a  franchise; 
and  on  the  4th  of  January,  1792,  he  was  appointed,  with  Bothers 
named,  "to  frame  a  model  Church  Discipline,"  and  also  "to 
form  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  Gospel." 

Mr.  Higley  acquired  a  fair  legal  education  by  the  study  of  law 
books  which  he  owned,  though  he  did  not,  strictly  speaking,  fit 
himself  for  a  regular  legal  career  by  pursuing  a  systematic 
course  in  law.  He  however  gained  a  local  reputation,  and  did  a 
fair  business  in  giving  legal  advice  to  his  neighbors,  making  out 
writs  in  civil  cases,  etc.  The  aged  people  relate  that  it  was  his 
custom,  when  he  was  studying  a  case,  to  lie  at  full  length  upon 
the  floor  with  his  papers  about  him. 

One  day  a  woman  client  came  to  his  house  and  made  statement 
of  a  claim  that  she  thought  was  hers  against  certain  parties  in 
Boston.  Mr.  Higley,  after  hearing  her  through,  deciding  that 
she  had  an  undoubted  right,  took  the  case  into  hand,  agree- 
ing that  his  fee,  if  he  was  successful,  should  be  one-half  of  the 
amount  he  should  collect.  Not  deeming  himself  presentable  in 
Boston  with  the  clothes  he  then  had,  he  borrowed  a  suit,  and  set 
off  on  the  journey  afoot,  to  save  stage  fare.  On  reaching  Boston, 
and  prosecuting  the  parties  with  much  argument  and  many 
threats,  he  succeeded  in  collecting  about  thirteen  hundred  dollars, 
which  he  brought  to  his  client  and  received  his  fee,  having  made 
the  journey  at  little  or  no  expense  to  himself. 

While  he  laid  no  claim  to  poetic  genius,  he  had  a  poetic  nature 
and  was  animated  by  a  sentiment  of  rhyming.  Some  of  his 
verses,  possessing  considerable  merit,  have  been  preserved. 
These  supply  glimpses  relating  to  the  family  history,  and  through 
them  some  of  his  personal  characteristics  are  made  clear. 

He  not  only  possessed  excellent  abilities,  but  was  a  man  of 
deep  sympathetic  feeling;  his  elegies  and  memorial  poems  upon 
the  death  of  his  daughter  and  some  of  his  near  kindred  are  full 

1706,  enacted  that  "  all  business  relating  to  District  or  Common  Schools  should  be  transacted  in 
School  Society  meetings,  the  location  of  these  Societies  being  the  same  as  the  Ecclesiastical 
Societies."—"  Simsbury  School  Society,"  book  i. 


480  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  fervor,  overflowing  with  tender  emotions;  others  again  inspire 
feeling,  and  evidence  that  he  often  dwelt  in  the  higher  atmos- 
phere of  human  thought.  It  was  known  that  he  spent  much 
time  in  contemplation,  and  that  he  took  unqualified  happiness  in 
the  study  of  his  Bible  and  in  the  wonders  of  nature  and  her 
loveliness.  Possessed  of  an  amorous  disposition,  he  had  an 
admiration  for  the  fair  sex  which  is  a  marked  characteristic  of 
his  lineal  race.  This  sometimes  swayed  his  heart.  From  his 
own  confession,  we  may  be  led  to  believe  that  he  was  jovial,  and 
sometimes  indulged  in  convivial  occasions,  but  in  the  broader 
and  wider  steps  of  his  life  and  action  it  is  very  clear  that  his 
inner  thought  lifted  itself  high  above  the  ordinary  instincts  of 
his  appetites. 

By  the  year  1795  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.,  was  the  father  of  a 
family  of  eight  Children — three  sons  and  five  daughters.  This 
year  his  aged  mother,  Mary  Thompson  Higley,  whose  home  had 
been  with  him,  died. 

The  attention  of  the  farmers  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecti- 
cut was  about  this  time  directed  with  considerable  of  excited 
interest  to  the  desirable  lands  in  the  Connecticut  Western 
Reserve  in  Ohio,  which  lay  just  west  of  Pennsylvania  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie.  Simeon  Griswold,  a  resident  of  Simsbury, 
had  been  interested  in  the  Connecticut  Land  movement1  from  its 
inception,  and  had  drawn  a  large  share  in  the  Western  Reserve. 
He  belonged  to  the  old  and  distinguished  family  of  Griswolds 
of  Windsor  and  Simsbury,  Conn.,  which  had  then  been  well- 
known  to  the  Higleys  for  more  than  one  generation. 

Through  this  channel,  no  doubt,  and  the  influence  of  Judge 
Solomon  Griswold,  brother  of  Simeon,  who  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Land  Company,  and  who  determined  about  this 


under  the  name  of  the  "  Connecticut  Land  Company."  This  company  organized  September  5, 
1795,  and  made  a  deed  in  trust  of  the  entire  tract  to  three  trustees  for  the  purpose  of  convey- 
ing it  in  severally.  The  tract  contained  3,000,000  acres.  In  May,  1796,  the  company  sent 
surveyors  to  divide  the  lands  into  townships.  This  survey  was  completed  in  1797.  On  the 
first  Tuesday  in  April,  1796,  the  members  of  the  land  company  met  and  drew  by  lot  their  shares. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  M.  D.  481 

time  to  emigrate  to  the  new  country  now  open  for  settlement, 
Jonathan  Higley  saw  a  favorable  opportunity  for  the  exchange  of 
his  farms  in  Turkey  Hills  for  lands  in  the  Reserve,  together  with 
that  which  his  sons  received  by  bequest  from  their  grandmother, 
Mary  Thompson  Higley,  as  well  as  better  prospects  conducive 
to  the  future  interest  of  his  children. 

Emigration  began  now  bending  its  course  toward  the  center  of 
the  country.  His  friend  Solomon  Griswold  removed  to  "  New 
Connecticut  "  (afterward  Trumbull  County,  Ohio)  in  the  year  1800, 
and  George  Phelps,  also  of  Simsbury,  a  son  of  Noah  Phelps,  had 
gone  in  June,  1799.  By  this  time  a  few  scattering  members  of 
the  Higley-town  community  had  left  the  old  scenes  of  their  fore- 
fathers and  their  childhood,  emigrating  mostly  to  Vermont  and 
Central  New  York.  With  the  exception  of  Brewster  Higley,  4th, 
who  had  migrated  from  Vermont  to  the  southern  border  of  Ohio 
in  1797,  none  had  gone  to  the  then  "far  West,"  which  yet  lay 
behind  a  thick  veil  of  forests,  and  was  an  undisturbed  and  seem- 
ingly limitless  Indian  hunting-ground. 

By  the  spring  of  1804  the  spirit  of  Western  enterprise  had 
taken  strong  hold  in  the  breast  of  Jonathan  Higley.  That  year 
proved  an  eventful  period  in  the  family  life.  On  the  26th  of 
July  he,  together  with  his  son  Samuel,  purchased  254  acres  of 
land  of  Simeon  Griswold,  in  Windsor  Township,  Ohio,  for  which 
they  paid  $580.'  A  strong  additional  incentive  to  removal  was 

1  The  following  deed  is  on  the  Records,  at  Jefferson,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  vol.  i.  p.  299  : 
"  SIMEON  GRISWOLD  TO  JONA.  AND  SAMUEL  HIGLEY. 

"  WARRANTY  DEED. 
"  To  all  people  to  -whom  these  presents  shall  come  : 

"  GREETING  :  Know  ye  that  We  Simeon  Griswold  and  Lucretia  Griswold  both  of  Simsbury  in  the 
county  of  Hartford,  for  the  consideration  of  five  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  received  to  my  full 
satisfaction  from  Jonathan  Higley  and  Samuel  Higley  both  of  Granby  in  said  County  do  give, 
grant,  bargain,  sell  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Jonathan  Higley  and  Samuel  Higley  and  their  heirs 
and  assigns  forever  one  certain  Lot  of  Land  lying  in  Connecticut  Western  Reserve  so  called  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  in  the  county  of  Trumbull  and  Town  called  on  the  general  map  of  said  Reserve  by 
the  name  of  Windsor,  said  lot  being  the  seventh  Lot  in  the  first  tier  of  Lots  and  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two  acres  of  Land.  Also  one  other  piece  of  land  containing  ninety-two  acres  of 
Land  lying  and  being  the  eastwardly  part  of  Lot  number  seven  in  the  sixth  tier  of  Lots  in  said 
Township  and  bounds  east  on  the  first  mentioned  lot  and  makes  one  entire  piece  and  said  piece 
extends  so  far  west  as  to  make  said  ninety-two  acres  and  both  of  said  pieces  of  Land  contains  two 
hundred  and  fifty-four  Acres  of  Land.  And  I  Reserve  the  Crops  now  growing  on  the  cleared 
land  and  liberty  to  gather  the  same  when  it  shall  come  to  maturity.  To  have  and  to  hold  the 
above  granted  and  bargained  premises  with  the  appurtenances  thereof  unto  them  the  said 
Jonathan  Higley  and  Samuel  Higley  &  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever  to  them  and  their  own  proper 
use  and  behoof  in  such  proportion  that  the  said  Jonathan  is  to  have  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  said  entire  pieces  and  the  said  Samuel  is  to  have  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  of 
said  entire  pieces  to  have  and  to  hold  as  tenants  Jointly  and  undivided  between  them. 

"  And  also,  We,  the  said  Simeon  and  Lucretia  do  for  ourselves  and  our  heirs,  Executors,  and 


482  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

no  doubt  found  in  the  fact  that  his  daughter  Abigail,  with  her 
husband,  Samuel  Forward,  Jr.,  had  emigrated  from  Granby  to 
New  Connecticut  with  their  father,  Samuel  Forward,  Sr.,  the 
year  preceding — 1803. 

Early  in  the  month  of  September,  1804,  he  set  out  with  his 
wife  and  six  of  his  children,  his  daughter  Mary  remaining  with 
her  aunt,  on  a  six  weeks'  journey  to  the  Western  Reserve. 
•  Samuel,  the  eldest  son,  was  now  a  young  man  of  twenty-six, 
and  Jonathan,  3d,  was  twenty-three  ;  Thompson,  the  third  son, 
was  a  youth  of  eighteen;  Lydia  was  a  girl  of  fifteen,  and  Laura 
and  Fanny  were  children  of  twelve  and  nine  years.  The  mother, 
Rachel  (Negus)  Higley,  a  woman  of  fifty,  was  of  fine  physique 
and  of  robust  health. 

Their  mode  of  conveyance  was  an  ox  wagon  drawn  by  two 
yoke  of  oxen,  to  which  a  cow  was  tied  behind,  the  faithful  family 
dog  following.  Into  the  wagon  was  loaded  the  articles  required 
for  the  bare  necessities  of  the  long  journey  before  them,  such  as 
bedding,  utensils  for  camping  out,  some  provisions,  etc.,  the 
members  of  the  family  finding  seats  on  the  boxes  and  bundles 
as  best  they  could. 

Taking  the  route  direct  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  they  moved  from 
thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction  toward  Pittsburgh,  crossing 
the  Allegheny  Mountains,  and  finally  entering  the  Western 
Reserve  on  its  southern  border.  This  was  a  route  frequently 
taken  in  those  times,  though  there  was  yet  no  highroad  for 
tourists'  travel.  On  reaching  the  Reserve  they  found  "no  roads 

Administrators  covenant  with  the  said  Jonathan  and  Samuel  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  that  at 
and  until  the  unsealing  of  these  presents,  we  are  well  seized  of  the  premises  as  a  good  indefeasible 
estate  in  fee  simple,  and  have  good  right  to  bargain  and  sell  the  same  in  manner  and  form  as  is 
above  written  and  that  the  same  is  free  of  all  incumbrances  whatsoever. 

"  And  furthermore,  we  the  said  Simeon  and  Lucretia  do  by  these  presents  bind  ourselves  and  our 
heirs  forever  to  Warrant  &  defend  the  above  granted  and  bargained  premises  to  them  the  said 
Jonathan  and  Samuel  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  against  all  claims  and  demands  whatsoever. 

In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals  the  26th  day  of  July,  Anno 
Domini  1804. 

"  SIMEON  GRISWOLD.    (L.  S.) 

"  Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of  "  LUCRETIA  GRISWOLD.    (L.  S.) 

"  DANIHL  HUMPHREY. 
"DUDLEY  HUMPHREY. 

"Hartford  County,  (L.  S.),  Simsbury,  July  26th  1804.  Personally  appeared  Simeon  Griswold 
and  Lucretia  Griswold  signers  and  sealers  of  the  foregoing  instrument  and  acknowledged  the  same 
to  be  their  free  act  and  deed  before  me. 

"  DANIEL  HUMPHREY,  Justice  of  the  Peace." 

The  above  deed  is  entered  by  John  L.  Edwards,  Recorder,  at  the  City  of  Hartford,  State  of 
Connecticut,  the  soth  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1804.— ED. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLE  Y,  M.  D,  483 

of  any  description,  nor  even  'blazed'  trees  to  mark  the  way."1 
When  crossing  the  mountains  they  made  a  brake  for  the  wheels 
by  cutting  down  a  tree  when  necessity  required,  stripping  it  of 
its  limbs,  and  securing  the  log  firmly  to  the  wagon  behind.  Their 
progress  was  slow  and  tedious  on  account  of  deep  mud,  jolting 
over  roots  of  trees  and  great  fallen  limbs,  and  passing  through 
extensive  swamps;  so  that  when  night  came  they  had  made  but 
short  distances.  One  of  the  oxen  died  on  the  way,  and  the  milk- 
cow  was  doomed  to  do  double  duty,  being  hitched  beside  the 
other  ox  to  help  pull  the  wagon. 

On  the  2oth  of  October,  1804,  after  a  journey  of  forty-two 
days,  they  reached  the  spot  in  Windsor,  O.,  where  they  expected 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  A  rough,  bare  log  house 
with  a  split  timber  roof,  which  had  been  put  up  for  temporary 
protection  from  the  weather  and  wild  beasts  by  one  Ira  Forest, 
a  young  man  who  had  now  left  the  county,  stood  ready  for  a 
shelter.  This  they  entered,  and  dignified  it  by  the  name  of  home. 

There  were  but  two  white  families  for  miles  and  miles  away — 
nothing  but  the  dark  dense  forests.  These  families  were  their 
old  Simsbury  friends  and  neighbors,  Solomon  Griswold's  and  the 
Phelpses.  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.  's,  family  was  the  third  to  enter  the 
township.  But  they  found,  within  thirty  rods  of  their  log  shel- 
ter, a  large  wigwam  occupied  by  Indians.  These  Indians  a  with 
others,  numbering  about  three  hundred,  who  were  living  on  the 
banks  of  Grand  River  and  Phelps  Creek  in  the  vicinity,  proved 
friendly  and  rendered  them  valuable  aid  during  their  first  winter, 
by  liberally  sharing  with  them  the  game  taken  in  their  hunting 
excursions,  bringing  them  plenty  of  elk,  deer,  and  bear  meat,  for 
which  they  wished  no  compensation.  In  after  time,  when  Mr. 
Higley  had  raised  grains,  he  took  pleasure  in  making  presents  to 
the  Indians  of  food,  grains,  and  other  articles  that  they  liked  to 
obtain. 

But  the  savages  did  not  prove  in  most  respects  agreeable 
neighbors.  They  were  accustomed  to  practice  all  sorts  of 
unceremonious  liberties.  They  pulled  the  latch-string  and 
walked  in  at  the  door  either  in  the  day  or  night  whenever  they 

1  From  the  Journal  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Badger,  December,  1803. 

NOTE. — "  At  the  August  term  in  Warren,  held  1801,  a  committee,  consisting  of  Solomon  Griswold 
and  Henry  Lane,  which  had  been  appointed  to  lay  out  a  road  from  Harpersfield  to  Warren,  passing 
through  Windsor  and  Messopotamia,  reported,  it  '  had  caused  the  same  to  be  surveyed.'  " — 
"  Records  Trumbull  County"  book  i.  This  road  had  not  yet  been  opened. — ED. 

*  These  Indians  were  of  the  Seneca,  Cayuga,  and  Chippeway  tribes. 


484  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

chose,  stretched  themselves  at  full  length  upon  the  floor  before 
the  fire,  or  helped  themselves  to  food  as  they  might  incline.  It 
was  no  unusual  thing  for  three  or  four  at  a  time  to  lodge  unin- 
vited, lying  upon  the  floor  before  the  big  fire-place. 

The  family,  however,  managed  to  live  in  peaceful  and  friendly 
relations  with  them.  When  they  were  under  the  influence  of 
whisky  they  were  hostile  and  treacherous.  To  obtain  liquors 
they  were  forced  to  go  to  Warren,  twenty-five  miles  away,  the 
nearest  trading  point  where  drink  could  be  obtained. 

One  day,  when  Mr.  Higley  and  his  sons  had  been  absent  from 
home,  on  returning  they  found  the  house  filled  with  drunken 
Indians,  who  had  destroyed  many  articles.  Mrs.  Higley  and  the 
girls  had  fled  in  great  terror,  secreting  themselves  in  a  cave  not 
far  away.  Higley  managed  to  get  them  dispersed,  without  excit- 
ing their  violence. 

Besides  the  trading-post  at  Warren,  the  one  at  Painesville  on 
Lake  Erie  was  equally  distant.  From  these  two  points  all  of  the 
salt,  for  which  they  paid  $25  a  barrel,  was  carried  on  horseback, 
as  well  as  all  other  household  supplies  procured  from  stores  of 
merchandise.  For  white  flannel  they  paid  76  cents  per  yard,  and 
black  sewing-silk  was  37^  cents  a  spool  ;  yard  wide  cotton  cloth 
cost  75  cents  a  yard,  and  wheat  flour  cost  $28  a  barrel.1 

During  their  first  winter  of  pioneer  life  the  family  once  found 
itself  out  of  breadstuff.  Each  member  was  called  into  grave 
council  as  to  the  choice  of  purchase,  whether  it  should  be  flour  or 
Indian  meal.  Finally  the  decision  fell  upon  the  meal,  because  a 
larger  quantity  could  be  purchased  with  the  amount  of  money  to 
be  e'xpended.  Samuel,  the  eldest  son,  was  at  once  dispatched 
upon  horseback,  riding  through  the  tangled  thickets  of  the  wilder- 
ness to  Warren  for  a  fresh  supply. 

"  How  we  watched  the  growing  wheat  in  those  days,"  said  an 
aged  pioneer  to  the  writer  ;  "  wheaten  bread  was  such  a  luxury  and 
so  scarce.  When  the  grain  was  barely  yet  ripened,  we  carefully 
gathered  the  earliest  ripe  and  driest  stalks,  and  flailed  them  on 
the  ground,  for  we  had  no  barn  floors  or  threshing  machines, 
then  we  hurried  off  to  the  nearest  grist  mill  to  get  it  ground. 
Oh,  how  good  that  bread  tasted  !  " 

The  winter  following  their  arrival  the  cow  and  oxen  subsisted 
by  browsing  on  the  buds  and  tender  twigs  of  the  trees  that  were 

1  Taken  from  bills  of  that  date  found  in  1889  among  Judge  Solomon  Griswold's  old  papers.— 
ED. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLE  K,  M.  D.  485 

felled  to  the  ground,  but  before  the  spring  time,  it  became  an 
absolute  necessity  to  sacrifice  the  straw  beds  in  order  to  provide 
sufficient  provender  for  the  cow.  During  this  winter  Jonathan 
Higley  and  his  sons  began  a  task  which  must  have  seemed  well- 
nigh  hopeless,  setting  to  work  at  cutting  the  forest  trees,  burning 
the  logs  and  tangled  brush,  and  making  clearings  ready  for  the 
spring  seed  sowing.  By  the  first  mild  days  of  1805  tneY  had  addi- 
tional ground  '  ready,  in  which  corn  was  planted  between  the 
stumps  and  logs.  This  was  done  by  chopping  a  hole  into  the  earth 
with  an  ax,  dropping  in  the  seed,  and  pressing  it  down  with  the 
foot.  It  being  impossible  to  cultivate  these  fields  with  a  plough 
on  account  of  the  numberless  stumps  and  their  roots,  the  use  of 
the  hoe  was  essential.  But  the  ground  being  exceedingly  rich  a 
fair  crop  was  gathered  in  the  early  autumn. 

Like  all  wooded  new  countries,  the  wilderness  was  infested 
with  wild  beasts,  carnivorous,  as  well  as  a  great  variety  of  other, 
birds,  and  swarms  of  reptiles.  During  the  first  few  years  the 
settlers  at  Windsor  could  keep  no  sheep  on  account  of  the  depre- 
dations of  packs  of  wolves  which  made  destructive  raids  on  their 
sheep-folds,  as  well  as  attacking  their  cattle  and  hogs.  The  loss 
was  frequently  alarming.  When  the  time  came  that  effort  was 
made  at  sheep-raising,  to  protect  his  sheep  the  farmer  constructed 
a  strongly  built  pen  by  cutting  saplings  into  lengths  of  twelve 
to  fourteen  feet  and  planting  them  close  together  endwise,  thus 
making  a  secure  inclosure  into  which  he  put  his  flocks  of  nights. 

One  venerable  pioneer  relates  that  when  it  snowed  early  after 
dark,  there  was  usually  found  the  next  morning  a  hard  trodden 
path  encircling  the  sheep-pen,  made  by  these  ferocious  wolves 
whose  hideous  howls  had  made  the  forests  ring  all  through  the 
night. 

Within  a  year  from  the  time  the  Higleys  arrived  at  Windsor, 
O.,  there  came  other  families,  the  Aldermans,  Skinners,  and 
Loomises,  from  Simsbury,  Conn.,  and,  in  1805,  Jonathan  Higley's 
daughter  Mary,  who  had  in  the  meanwhile  married  John  White 
of  Granby,  Conn.,  emigrated  with  her  husband  and  joined  the 
home  circle  in  the  new  settlement.  It  was  but  a  few  years  till 
there  was  a  marked  growth  in  the  population  of  the  colony,  as 
many  as  eighteen  families  alone  coming  from  Hartford  County, 
Connecticut. 

The  breadstuffs  upon  which   the  early  families  subsisted,  for 

»  A  small  clearing  was  there  already  when  the  land  was  purchased. 
32 


486  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

more  than  four  years  was  ground  at  the  home  of  Jonathan  Higley, 
Jr.,  in  a  hand-mill  which  he  purchased  soon  after  coming  to 
Ohio,  the  use  of  which  he  freely  granted  to  his  neighbors.  By 
this  primitive  method  they  sometimes  ground  two  bushels  of 
meal  during  one  evening.  These  gatherings  were  enlivened  by 
jokes  and  stories  recalling  the  old  by-gone  days  of  Connecticut, 
and  proved  occasions  of  hilarity  and  enjoyment.  For  many 
years  this  hand-mill  was  preserved  among  the  pioneer  relics  at 
Jefferson,  the  county  seat,1  but  it  was  finally  destroyed  by  fire  in 
the  burning  of  the  court-house.  . 

The  pioneers  were  governed  in  their  isolated  forest -life  by 
principles  of  honor,  and  "were  a  law  unto  themselves."  They 
enjoyed  social  simplicity  and  were  in  thorough  good  fellowship, 
assimilating  in  all  of  their  interests  and  efforts  in  the  problem  of 
their  lives.  As  time  advanced  they  had  plenty  to  eat  ;  it  was 
coarse  food,  but  there  was  no  lack  of  quantity.  Their  Indian 
neighbors  continued  to  furnish  their  supply  of  wild  game,  wild 
turkeys,  and  fish,  as  well  as  sugar  from  the  sugar-maple  trees,  in 
payment  for  which  they  accepted  almost  any  agricultural  product, 
or  trinkets,  which  was  offered  to  them.  These  Indians  continued 
to  live  near  the  settlement  till  the  War  of  1812,  when  they  sud- 
denly disappeared  without  any  previous  intimation,  the  inhabi- 
tants awakening  one  morning  to  find  they  had  all  stealthily  cleared 
out,  and  they  were  never  heard  of  afterward. 

In  the  year  1803,  a  few  months  before  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.,  and 
his  family  arrived  in  the  Reserve,  a  United  States  mail-route  was 
established  northward  between  the  two  trading-posts,  Warren  and 
Painesville,  passing  through  Windsor.  Judge  Solomon  Griswold 
was  postmaster.  The  mail-carrier  came  once  a  week  afoot. 
"The  through  mail  was  contained  in  a  small  bag,  while  the  way- 
mail  was  tied  up  in  a  pocket-handkerchief."  The  deep  streams 
were  crossed  by  cutting  down  a  tree,  causing  it  to  fall  across  from 
bank  to  bank.  When  a  freshet  came  and  the  high  waters  had 
swept  away  this  foot-log,  the  postman  fastened  the  mail-bag  on 
his  head  and  swam  across.  After  a  time,  in  the  march  of  prog- 
ress, the  United  States  mail  was  brought  on  horseback.  But 
letters  were  generally  sent  by  private  individuals  whenever 
opportunity  offered,  as  the  postage  was  twenty-five  cents,  and 
quarter-dollars  were  scarce  in  those  times.  The  Land  Records 

1  Jefferson  is  the  county  seat  of  that  division  now  known  as  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio.  A  grist- 
mill was  built  in  a  few  years,  at  Mesopotamia,  six  miles  distant,  by  Captain  Crawford. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  H1GLE  Y,  M.  D.  487 

show  that  Jonathan  Higley  made  additional  small  purchases  of 
land  in  the  spring  of  1805.  The  very  first  deed  found  upon  the 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  Records  is  one  given  by  Solomon  Gris- 
wold  to  Jonathan  Higley,  Sr.,  for  twenty-two  acres  of  land,  range 
5,  lot  7,  "  for  the  consideration  of  $45,  money  received."  ' 

As  early  as  June,  1803,  Solomon  Griswold,  who  was  a  rigid 
Episcopalian,  had  a  church  service  conducted  in  his  dwelling  by 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Badger,  a  faithful  missionary  sent  out  by  the 
Connecticut  Missionary  Society.  There  were  no  white  people 
present  but  Judge  Griswold's  own  family  and  the  family  of 
George  Phelps;  a  number  of  Indian  squaws,  arrayed  in  wampum, 
silver-bands,  and  brooches,  and  leaden  ornaments  hanging  from 
their  noses  and  ears,  attended,  who  were  quiet  and  well-behaved, 
and  showed  much  delight  with  the  singing. 

After  the  accession  to  the  settlement  of  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr., 
and  his  family,  church  services  were  held  pretty  regularly  on 
Sabbath  at  Mr.  Higley's  house,  his  Episcopalian  wife  probably 
mollifying,  to  some  degree,  his  rigid  sectarian  Presbyterian  prefer- 
ences. If  the  little  room  of  the  log  dwelling  was  overcrowded, 
which  was  sometimes  the  case,  the  service  was  held  in  the  woods 
outside,  the  people  seating  themselves  on  the  fallen  trees,  and  on 
the  ground.  Judge  Griswold  read  the  beautiful  church-service, 
in  which  both  Churchmen  and  Presbyterians  joined.  But  Jona- 
than Higley  was  a  true  Calvinist  at  heart.  A  few  years  later  on, 
he  had  a  public  theological  discussion  with  Judge  Griswold,  the 
judge  taking  strong  ground  for  the  organic  structure  and  tenets 
of  the  episcopal  body,  while  Higley  was  equally  zealous  for  Puritan 
dogmas.  The  old  MS.  of  this  discussion  is  still  preserved. 

In  1811,  after  John  Norris,  a  local  Methodist  exhorter,  had 
joined  the  colony,  Mr.  Higley  wrote  a  religious  address,  which  he 
brought  to  Mr.  Norris  to  examine.  At  a  single  glance  Norris 
saw  that  it  was  a  "rank  Calvinistic  sermon,"  as  he  afterward  pro- 
nounced it,  so  he  proposed  that  they  should  begin  the  interview 
concerning  it  with  prayer.  Both  men  reverently  went  to  their 
knees,  when  Norris  prayed  loudly  and  with  great  fervency  that 
"this  sermon  may  never  be  published,"  whereupon  Higley  flew 
to  his  feet  and  left,  in  a  tempest  of  anger,  taking  his  sermon  with 
him. 

In  process  of  time  a  well  built  log  house  took  the  place  of 
the  rude  shelter  Mr.  Higley  and  his  family  first  entered.  This 

>  Book  H,  p.  82. 


488  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

stood  near  a  small  stream  of  running  water  on  the  original  pur- 
chase— lot  8,  range  7.  In  this  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.,  fully  sustained  the  military  instincts  of 
his  ancestry,  and,  quite  alive  to  military  services,  was  ready  to 
give  it  impulse.  It  was  on  "the  green"  which  was  about  his 
dwelling  that  the  first  military  company  of  the  Ohio  National 
Guard  which  was  organized  in  the  town  practiced  on  training 
days. 

The  declaration  of  war  in  1812  found  him  beyond  the  age  for 
soldiering;  but  two  of  his  sons  represented  him  in  the  ranks. 

At  the  general  term  of  court  held  March  16,  1806,  in  Warren, 
then  the  county-seat  of  the  entire  Western  Reserve  or  Trumbull 
County,  it  was  enacted  "  that  a  number  of  justices  of  the  peace 
be  allowed"  for  the  new  townships  "set  off  at  this  term,"  one 
of  those  named  being  "Troy."  The  electoral  district  of  which 
Windsor  was  then  a  part  was  at  that  time  called  Troy.1  But 
there  appears  to  have  been  no  justice  elected  till  after  the  follow- 
ing order  of  the  court  held,  "  June  13,  1807,"  more  than  one  year 
later.  "  Be  it  remembered  that  at  this  Term,  the  Court  ordered 
that  there  be  one  Justice  of  the  Peace  allowed  to  the  Township 
of  Troy  in  Trumbull  Co.  and  State  of  Ohio."  Jonathan  Higley, 
Sr.,  was  the  first  to  hold  his  office.  After  this  he  was  known  as 
long  as  he  lived  as  "  Squire  "  Higley. 

The  township  of  Windsor  was  organized  in  1811.  At  the  meet- 
ing convened  for  this  purpose  in  Judge  Griswold's  house, 
Esquire  Jonathan  Higley  was  chosen  to  preside.  He  was  then 
still  holding  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  At  this  meeting, 
among  the  officers  chosen,  his  son  Samuel  was  elected  one  of  the 
trustees,  and  Samuel  and  Jonathan,  3d,  were  made  appraisers. 
His  son,  Thompson  Higley,  was  appointed  supervisor. 

The  few  remaining  years  that  Squire  Higley  lived  were  spent 
coping  courageously  with  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  in  a 
new  and  isolated  region.  Though  he  may  not  have  been  con- 
scious of  it,  he  was  laying  the  foundation  of  a  noble  common- 
wealth. 

Rachel  Negus,*  whom  Squire  Jonathan  Higley  married  in  1769, 

1  The  country  being  yet  thinly  settled,  the  population  of  Windsor,  Mesopotamia,  and  Farming- 
town  Townships  was  required  to  form  an  electoral  district,  and  this  electoral  district  was  named 
Troy. 

a  The  Neguses  were  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1634,  where  Jonathan  Negus  served  as  clerk  of 
records.  He  had  a  family.  Israel  Negus  resided  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  It  is  supposed  that  Rachel  Negus  Higley  was  a  child  or  descendant  of  Israel.  It  is  a 
well  authenticated  fact  that  her  mother  was  Rachel  Alderman  of  Granby. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLE  Yt  M.  D.  489 

was  a  tall,  slender,  clever  girl,  whose  birth  took  place  in  1754. 
Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  young  child,  and  her  mother 
marrying  the  second  time,  this  daughter  was  confided  to  the  kind 
care  of  her  grandparents — the  Aldermans.  She  was  scarcely 
beyond  the  age  of  fifteen  when  she  became  the  wife  of  Jonathan 
Higley,  Jr.  She  proved  an  industrious,  prudent  wife,  developing 
into  a  woman  of  unusual  energy,  and  with  a  forcible  character, 
firm  in  purpose  and  possessing  a  well-balanced  mind. 

On  coming  to  the  primeval  forests  of  Ohio,  she  was  cheerful  in 
the  denial  of  the  things  of  her  past  life  and  associations.  Her 
life,  which  was  prolonged  far  beyond  the  number  of  years  allotted 
to  mankind,  was  attended  to  the  last  with  sound  health,  and  such 
remarkable  vitality  and  activity  that  in  her  presence  the  thought 
of  old  age  was  dispelled.  From  her  girlhood  she  was  a  great 
pedestrian,  and  thought  nothing,  while  making  the  journey  from 
Connecticut  to  Ohio,  of  walking  twenty  miles  a  day.  After  she 
was  in  advanced  years,  she  sometimes  walked  to  Burton,  a  like 
distance,  and  back  again. 

Just  before  leaving  her  Connecticut  home,  her  provident  spirit 
prompted  her  to  go  to  the  cider  mill  and  gather  up  a  little  bag 
of  apple  seeds.  Her  neighbors  ridiculed  the  thought  that  she 
would  ever  see  fruit  from  them.  But  the  seeds  were  planted  in 
the  rich  fresh  soil  of  Ohio  the  following  spring,  and  grew  and 
flourished.  Seven  years  afterward  she  was  allowed  to  enjoy  the 
fruit  produced  from  them.  It  was  the  first  fruit  grown  in  the 
township.  By  careful  culture  this  apple  nursery  yielded  a 
choice  variety,  which  has  since  become  somewhat  famous,  to  which 
was  given  the  name  of  "the  Jonathan  apple."  This  fruit  takes 
its  place  in  the  nursery  catalogues  of  to-day  among  the  finest 
assortments.1 

One  noble,  thrifty  tree  in  particular  stood  sixty  years,  a  speci- 
men of  fine  stature  and  wonderful  beauty,  blossoming  and  bring- 
ing its  annual  crop  of  luscious  fruit,  and  contributing  to  the 
happiness  of  the  whole  settlement.  So  well  known  did  this 
souvenir  of  old  Connecticut  and  a  part  of  the  youth  of  Windsor 
township  become,  that  it  may  be  recorded  as  having  been  one  of 
the  famous  trees  of  the  county.  It  was  felt  to  be  an  enduring 
calamity  when  it  was  destroyed  by  a  pitiless  windstorm,  being 

1  The  original  fruit  bearing  this  name  is  claimed  by  a  horticulturist  in  Central  New  York,  at 
much  later  date.  The  writer,  however,  has  conversed  with  a  number  of  aged  persons  who  clearly 
recalled  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Rachel  (Negus)  Higley  gave  her  first  apples,  in  1811,  her  husband's  given 
name. — ED. 


49°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND   THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

torn  up  by  the  roots  in  the  year  1865.  A  group  of  twenty  or 
more  of  its  companions  are  yet  standing  (1893),  now  crooked  and 
distorted  into  ungainly  shapes,  true  witnesses  of  the  past  and 
likenesses  to  "  withered  age,  as  it  stoops  to  the  caresses  of 
time." 

Rachel  (Negus)  Higley  was  confirmed  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
during  her  younger  years,  and  ever  afterward  remained  a  stanch 
adherent  to  her  religious  faith.  It  was  not  till  the  year  1816 
that  a  church  building  was  erected  in  Windsor.  She  survived 
her  husband  thirty  years,  and  died  from  the  breaking  up  of  her 
natural  powers,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three. 

The  last  illness  of  Squire  Jonathan  Higley  was  a  fever,  and 
was  brief.  His  death  took  place  May  3,  1817.  The  funeral 
services  were  held  in  the  orchard  of  apple  trees  just  east 
of  his  dwelling  A  carpenter's  work-bench  was  neatly  covered 
and  converted  into  a  temporary  pulpit,  from  which  the  Rev.  Mr, 
Humphrey  of  Burton  preached  the  funeral  sermon.  It  was  a 
charming  bright  May  day,  and  an  impressive  scene.  Shrub  and 
tree  and  sod  served  beautifully  to  emphasize  the  symbol  of  the 
resurrection  life.  The  apple  trees  were  robed  in  the  perfection 
of  fresh  verdure,  with  the  beauty  and  perfume  of  a  canopy  of 
white  blossoms.  Heaven  could  not  have  given  a  more  fitting  or 
higher  expression  to  the  assurance  that  earthly  shadows  rise 
into  celestial  joys. 

The  funeral  procession  was  a  striking  spectacle.  He  was  car- 
ried to  his  last  resting-place  on  a  bier  upon  the  shoulders  of  six 
of  his  neighbors,  followed  by  a  train  of  mourners,  all  on  foot. 
Almost  all  of  these  were  his  old  Connecticut  friends  who,  like 
himself,  had  removed  hither  with  bright  ideals  of  the  possibilities 
of  progress  on  the  fertile  soil  of  the  Ohio  wilderness. 

It  was  a  wild  romantic  spot  where  they  laid  him;  and  though 
three-quarters  of  a  century  have  now  passed,  little  change  in  the 
surroundings  of  his  rural  resting-place  has  taken  place.  Belted 
by  a  deep  green  wall  of  native  forest,  away  from  the  centers  of 
human  habitation,  and  "  undefiled  by  human  passions  and  little- 
ness," a  plot  of  two  acres  has  all  of  these  years  held  its  pioneer 
dead  in  calm  and  silent  keeping.1 

1  Judge  Solomon  Griswold  "  set  apart "  two  acres  from  his  estate,  in  the  year  1801,  for  a  burial- 
ground.  This  plot  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  trustees  of  the  Township  of  Windsor,  when  it  was 
organized.  The  warrantee  deed  was  not  given  till  April  Q,  1822,  and  was  placed  upon  record  May 
4,  1827.  (Public  Records,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio.)  This  burial  ground  lies  near  to  Windsor 
Corners,  Ashtabula  County,  O. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY.M.  D.  49 * 

The  inscriptions  upon  the  stones  which  mark  the  last  resting- 
places  of  these  worthy  pioneers  are  as  follows: 

f  n  memory  of 

3otv»  fjieleg 

wbo  fceparteo  tbfs  life 

d&as  3*  1817.  -Rachel,  Traife  of 

B0eo  69  sears  &  6  montbs, 
wbo  emigrated  to  tbis  State  Sonatban 

Hn  tbe  gear  1804. 

EXeo 

Ye  mortals  who  are  standing  by 

You'r  born  for  dust  as  well  as  i  ©CtObet  5tb  1847 

As  I  am  now  so  you  must  be 

Prepare  for  death  and  follow  me.  SgeO  93 


The  age  of  man 
Is  but  a  span. 

A  part  of  the  original  home  farm  descended  to  Esquire  Higley's 
son  Jonathan,  whose  land  lay  adjoining  it. 

Esquire  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  Rachel  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  all  born  in  Turkey  Hills  parish,  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.: 

Abigail,  born  April  9,  1772;'  Rachel,  born  1775;  Samuel,  born 
July  6,  1778;  Jonathan,  3d,  born  March  17,  1781;  Mary,  born 
September  13,  1783;  Thompson,  born  June  2,  1786;  Lydia,  born 
April  18,  1789;  Laura,  born  September  7,  1792;  Fanny,  born 

1795- 

>  Book  iv.,  "  Simsbury  Records." 


CHAPTER  LXL 

DESCENDANTS   OF   JONATHAN    HIGLEY,    JR. 
Abigail,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  M.  D.,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Who's  now  on  top,  ere  long  may  feel 
The  circling  motion  of  the  wheel. 

— THOMAS  ELLWOOD. 

ABIGAIL  HIGLEY  FORWARD,  the  eldest  child  of  Esquire  Jon- 
athan, Jr.,  and  Rachel  Negus  Higley,  was  born  in  Turkey  Hills 
parish,  East  Granby,  Conn.,  April  9,  1772.  She  was  baptized  in 
the  Turkey  Hills  Church,  October  6,  1777.  She  married,  about 
1795,  Samuel  Forward,  Jr.,  the  son  of  Samuel  Forward,  Sr.,1  an 
old  neighbor  of  the  Higleys,  and  grandson  of  Joseph  Forward  of 
Granby.  Samuel  Forward,  Jr.,  was  born  November  23,  1775. 
He  was  made  freeman  at  a  freeman's  meeting  of  the  Turkey  Hills 
Society,  held  April  9,  1800. 

It  is  stated  that  Samuel  and  Abigail  removed  the  year  after 
their  marriage  to  Stephentown,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained 
three  years,  then  returned  to  East  Granby. 

They  emigrated  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  in  company 
with  the  elder  Samuel  Forward  and  his  family  in  the  year  1803, 
taking  up  their  residence  in  Aurora  Township,  Portage  County. 
Here  Samuel,  Jr.,  taught  the  first  school  in  the  town,  opening  it 
the  winter  of  1803-4,  in  a  small  log  building  at  the  center  of  the 
township.  He  also  engaged  in  farming  during  the  summers  for 
two  years.  He  then  removed  with  his  family  to  Warren,  O., 
where  he  was  teacher  in  the  academy  six  years.  Later  on  they 
removed  to  Auburn,  Geauga  County,  O.  It  is  recorded  that  Mr. 
Forward  had  fine  natural  abilities,  and  that  they  were  persons 

1  Samuel  Forward,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn,  fthe  division  which  is  now  East  Granby), 
May  i,  1752.  He  married  Susannah  Holcombe,  the  only  daughter  of  Hezekiah  Holcombe.  They 
resided  in  East  Granby,  one  mile  north  of  the  center,  where,  the  ancient  town  and  church  records 
show,  Samuel  Forward  was  an  active,  substantial  man.  He  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Aurora, 
O.,  reaching  their  destination,  then  in  the  wilderness,  July  27,  1803.  Here  he  resided  until  his 
death,  May  3,  1821.  His  wife  died  December  31,  1832.  He  was  elected  Judge  of  Portage  County 
Court,  was  universally  respected,  and  his  counsel  was  highly  valued.  A  monument  erected  to  his 
memory  stands  in  Aurora.  The  Editor  concludes,  from  the  records  examined,  that  he  was  the  son 
of  Joseph  Forward,  and  not  of  Abel,  as  some  have  supposed. 

492 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THAN  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  493 

of  just  principles.     He  died  January  4,  1835.     His  wife,  Abigail, 
died  April  15,  1855. 

Samuel,  Jr.,  and  Abigail  Higley  Forward  had  children  as 
follows: 

ORCEY,  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  August  29,  1795,  married  Henry  Baldwin,  and 
settled  in  Aurora,  O.  They  had  one  child.  Orcey  Baldwin  died  March  28,  1850. 
Her  husband  died  at  Niles,  O.,  June  24,  1875,  aged  83. 

ORLIN,  born  in  Stephentown,  N.  Y.,  June  13,  1797,  died  July  28,  1797. 

SEMIRA  M.,  born  October  29,  1798. 

LURA,  born  in  Connecticut,  November  17,  1800,  married Hascal.  She 

died  February  2,  1877. 

SAMUEL,  3d,  born  in  Granby,  Conn.,  November  8,  1802,  married  Fedelia  M- 
Hubbard,  December  24,  1846.  They  resided  at  Riverdale,  Rock  Creed  Township, 
Ashtabula  County,  O.,  and  had  a  family.  He  was  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He 
died  February  18,  1888. 

JONATHAN,  born  in  Ohio,  December  7,  1804  :  died  March  23,  1863. 

JULIA,  born  August  II,  1807,  married Frost  ;   died  September  IO,  1837. 

ROLLIN,  born  April  13,  1809,  married  and  resided  in  Ohio. 

SUSAN,  born  January  5,  1811,  married Hadsell ;   died  November  7,  1858. 

CHAUNCEV,  born  December  30,  1813  ;  resided  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio;  died 
March  5,  1873. 

SEMIRA,  the  third  child  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  and  Abigail  Higley  Forward,  was  born  in 
Granby,  Conn.,  October  29,  1798,  and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Ohio  in  1803. 
She  married,  January  8,  1818,  James  Frost.  He  was  born  February  8,  1791. 
The  year  previous  to  her  marriage  she  procured  the  first  mirror  she  ever  owned,  by 
planting  with  her  own  hands  a  patch  of  broom-corn  which  she  cultivated  and 
harvested  ;  her  father  manufactured  it  into  brooms  and  sold  them  for  her.  This 
mirror,  which  in  those  days  in  the  wilderness  was  a  rare  luxury,  she  preserved  for 
about  sixty  years  as  a  relic  of  her  bridal  outfit. 

James  and  Semira  Frost  settled  in  Mantua,  Portage  County,  O.  Here  they 
resided  three  score  years,  living  honored  and  useful  lives.  James  Frost  died  Sep- 
tember 18,  1877.  Mrs.  Frost  survived  her  husband  nearly  eleven  years.  The 
following  tribute  to  her  worth  and  character  is  taken  from  the  Chagrin  Falls 
Exponent: 

"  Mrs.  Semira  Frost,  an  early  pioneer  of  this  town  (Mantua,  O.),  died  at  the 
home  of  her  son,  Madison  Frost,  June  22,  1888,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
nine*years.  She  was  a  woman  of  large  mental  capacity,  possessing  great  strength 
of  mind  and  purpose,  and  retained  these  powers  to  the  day  of  her  death.  Her 
life  was  one  of  simple  correctness.  She  was  a  true  and  faithful  wife,  a  mother 
kind  and  affectionate,  whose  children  fondly  loved  her.  Her  funeral  services,  for 
which  she  herself  arranged  and  left  instructions,  were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  A. 
Wilson  of  Ravenna,  O." 

The  children  of  James  and  Semira  (Forward)  Frost  were,  viz.  : 

Charles,  Frank,  John,  Elmer,  Madison,  Mary  S. ,  George,  Benton  C. 

CHARLES  FROST,  the  eldest  child,  was  born,  September  9,  1819.  He  was  acci- 
dentally drowned  by  the  capsizing  of  his  skiff  in  the  Straits  of  Macinaw,  Mich.,  while 
there  on  a  business  engagement.  His  body  was  washed  ashore  and  discovered  by 


494  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

two  Indians,  Mixanassa  and  Bird,  who  carefully  cared  for  it,  as  well  as  to  return 
to  the  family  the  money  they  found  in  the  pockets.  His  death  took  place  Septenv 
ber  10,  1840.  He  was  interred  at  Macinaw.  He  was  a  promising  young  man, 
bearing  a  fine  character. 

FRANK  FROST,  the  second  child,  born,  March  9,  1821,  married,  first,  Rhoda  C. 
Bumps.  She  died  October,  1865.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Marcia  A. 
Michell,  August  26,  1868.  He  settled  on  a  farm,  given  him  by  his  father,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Mantua.  Here  he  resided  till  about  the  year  1889,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Mantua  Station.  He  died  April  24,  1892.  No  children. 

JOHN  FROST,  the  third  child,  born  March  21,  1823.  He  never  married.  At 
the  funeral  of  his  brother  Elmer  and  his  wife,  he  was  seized  with  illness,  which 
resulted  in  his  death  three  days  afterward,  February  22,  1884. 

ELMER  FROST,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  October  22,  1826.  He  married  Rhoda 
A.  Reed,  November  8,  1848.  He  owned  a  farm  given  him  by  his  father,  adjoin- 
ing his  brother  Frank,  where  he  lived,  and  died  on  the  I4th  of  February,  1884. 
His  wife  died  the  third  day  following,  February  17,  1884.  The  funeral  services 
and  interments  were  held  at  the  same  hour. 

MADISON  FROST,  the  fifth  child  of  James  and  Semira  Frost,  was  born  May  6, 
1829.  He  married  Maria  Powell,  May  26,  1858.  April,  1859,  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  the  western  part  of  the  township  of  Auburn,  Geauga  County,  O.,  where 
they  now  reside  (1894),  highly  respected  citizens. 

They  have  four  children,  viz.  : 

MIRA  M.,  born  August  28,  1859,  who  married,  January  i,  1876,  B.  L.  Stafford,  who  resided  in 
Leroy  Township,  Lake  County,  O.  She  died  April  24,  1882. 

LUNA  J.,  born  December  29, 1864,  married  November  3,  1884,  C.  D.  Jewell.  They  owned  a  farm 
on  which  they  resided  in  Newberry,  Geauga  County,  O.  Mr.  Jewell  died  January  26,  1892,  in  the 
Christian's  faith,  trusting  his  fatherless  little  ones  to  the  God  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan.  Their 
children  are  Frances  Pearl,  Charles  Clyde,  and  Forest  Lyle. 

HENRY  LLOYD,  the  third  child  of  Madison  and  Maria  Powell  Frost,  born  April  16,  1872,  married, 
May  17,  1893,  Florence  S.  Herrick  of  West  Farmington,  O.  His  profession  is  that  of  dentistry. 
They  reside  at  Chagrin  Falls,  O. 

GLENN  M.,  the  fourth  child,  born  July  6,  1880,  resides  with  his  parents  and  is  pursuing  his 
studies. 

MARY  S.  FROST,  the  sixth  child  of  James  and  Semira  Frost,  born  February 
8,  1834 ;  married  Nelson  Blair.  She  resides  in  Parkman,  O.  Her  husband 

died .  She  has  two  daughters,  the  eldest  married Smith  ;  the  second, 

May  Blair,  married  Ora  Hoxon. 

GEORGE  FROST,  the  seventh  child,  born  September   19,  1836,  died   March  4, 

1837. 

BENTON  C.  FROST,  the  eighth  and  youngest  child  of  James  and  Semira  Frost, 
born  July  6,  1840*  He  married  Perlea  E.  Gallia,  November  17,  1870.  They 
settled  in  Auburn,  Geauga  County,  O.,  where  Mr.  Frost  is  the  owner  of  a  large  farm. 
He  also  owns  the  flour  mills  at  Mantua  Station,  O.  He  is  a  well-to-do,  prosperous 
citizen.  Their  children  are  Frances  and  Charles. 


Continued  from  page  491. 

RACHEL,  the  second  child  of  Jonathan  and  Rachel  (Negus) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury,  Conn.,  May,  1774. 
She  died  in  the  bloom  of  young  womanhood,  January  16,  1796. 
The  tenderly  affectionate  heart  of  her  father  mournfully  lamented 
her  death.  Such  was  the  sharpness  of  his  grief,  that  he  declares 
in  his  writings:  "I  am  left  behind  to  mourn — 'tis  enough  to 
break  a  human  heart — my  sorrow  I  cannot  forget !  "  He  after- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  495 

ward  seems  to  have  struggled  to  submit  his  loss  unto  God,  in 
view  of  the  inconceivable  heavenly  joys  into  which  she  had 
entered,  and  the  thought  that  her  presence  was  among  "  the 
happy  dead  who  die  not." 

She  was  interred  in  the  burial-ground  at  Turkey  Hills. 


SAMUEL   HIGLEY. 
Samuel,  ad,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  M.  D.,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  eldest  son  and  third  child  of  Jonathan, 
Jr.,  and  Rachel  (Negus)  Higley,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills,  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.,  July  6,  1778,  and  was  baptized  in  the  Turkey  Hills 
Church,  June  27,  1781. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  grandmother,  Mary  (Thompson)  Higley, 
when  he  was  seventeen,  he  received  a  legacy  of  land  located  in 
the  same  parish. 

His  early  years  appear  to  have  been  spent  in  industrial  labor 
after  the  manner  of  the  Connecticut  farmer  boys  of  his  times, 
attending  school  during  the  winter.  He  acquired  a  common 
school  education  beyond  the  average,  and  on  reaching  manhood 
entered  Harvard  College.  When  his  college  days  were  finished 
he  entered  the  legal  profession,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Hartford,  Conn. 

He  possessed  an  original  and  comprehensive  mind,  with  good 
natural  powers  and  shrewd  insight,  and  developed  an  element  of 
humor  which  constantly  overflowed,   giving  great  relish  to  hi 
life.     He  took  the  freeman's  oath  on  the  isth  of  September,  1800. 

In  July,  1804,  he  joined  his  father  in  the  purchase  of  land  in  the 
Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  and  emigrated  with  the  family  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year.  For  the  first  few  years,  until  the  country 
was  opened  and  the  population  had  increased,  he  engaged  him- 
self in  paying  attention  to  clearing  his  land,  also  in  making  some 
exchanges  in  land.1  But  his  bent  was  never  for  agriculture,  and 
he  would  not  devote  himself  exclusively  to  it.  The  winter  of 
1805  he  taught  a  school  in  Mesopotamia,  the  town  adjoining 
Windsor,  which  was  the  second  school-term  taught  in  that 
town;  and  in  1806  he  taught  in  Warren,  O.  The  year  1807 
found  him  teaching  in  Allegheny,  Pa.,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Windsor  and  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar,  taking  up  the 

1  These  transfers  are  entered  on  record  at  Warren,  Trumbull  County,  O.,  book  i. 


496  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

practice  of  His  profession  in  his  own  county.  He  occupied  various 
public  appointments,  taking  a  helpful  part  in  the  organization 
of  the  Township  of  Windsor  in  1811,  when  he  was  made  one  of 
the  first  appraisers,  and  afterward  served  as  county  surveyor  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  filled  the  office  of  commissioner  for  nine 
years,  being  first  elected  in  1831  and  re-elected  in  1834. 

His  mettle  was  thoroughly  put  to  the  test  during  the  War  of 
1812,  by  being  drafted  for  service  that  summer,  but  he  proved 
neither  independent  nor  heroic.  When  he  was  served  with  the 
notification,  he  stepped  into  a  small  bedroom  which  was  on  the 
ground  floor,  pretending  that  he  must  change  his  clothing,  and 
slipping  out  of  the  window  he  escaped  military  duty  by  making 
quick  time  through  the  forests  to  the  State  of  New  York. 
Nothing  was  heard  of  him  for  some  months.  Finally,  on  the  3oth 
of  the  following  January,  1813,  he  wrote  a  private  letter  from 
Chatauqua  County,  New  York,  to  Judge  Solomon  Griswold,  saying 
that  he  was  in  that  county,  twenty-five  miles  from'a  post  office, 
and  asking  him  to  inform  his  father  concerning  his  welfare. 
He  reported  himself  "in good  health  and  spirits,  and  doing  some- 
thing at  pettifogging,  and  earning  money  faster  than  he  could 
at  home."1  He  did  not  return  to  Windsor  till  the  war  had 
closed.  From  this  time  onward  he'was  branded  as  "  the  coward  " 
of  the  neighborhood  ;  but  the  derision  never  affronted  him,  nor 
did  it  even  seem  to  disturb  his  naturally  reckless  and  easy-going, 
merry  temperament. 

He  was  remarkably  clever,  and  loved  books  on  all  topics,  pro- 
curing them  in  every  way  that  he  could.  Being  humorous  and 
able  to  gratify  that  sense  in  others,  and  always  ready  to  spring  a 
witty  story  on  his  hearers,  he  was  popular  and  won  the  local  bar. 
There  was  a  touch  of  quaintness  and  originality  about  his  life 
on  all  its  sides,  which,  with  his  dry  wit  and  comical  sayings,  won 
him  some  renown,  furnishing  by-words  and  quotations  for  the 
country  roundabout.  It  was  his  peculiar  way  of  speaking  in 
nasal  tones,  when  uttering  these  droll  sayings,  that  added  every- 
thing to  their  effectiveness,  which  it  is  impossible  to  represent  in 
print,  for  it  was  not  only  what  he  said,  but  his  manner,  his  face, 
and  his  voice,  that  were  a  good  part  of  the  fun. 

He  was  fond  of  a  moderate  glass,  in  which  he  pretty  regularly 
indulged,  though  not  to  excess,  nor  was  he  ever  guilty  of  offen- 
sive language  in  his  jollifications  or  in  ordinary  conversa- 

'  Extract  from  the  original  letter. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  497 

tions,  nor  was  it  ever  said  of  him  that  he  stepped  into  oblique 
courses. 

On  the  bench  he  was  no  grave  judge  :  his  varied  powers  of 
mind,  good  sense,  and  good  judgment  winning  him  much  sub- 
stantial favor  in  his  profession.  Many  anecdotes  are  related  of 
his  shrewd  ways.  On  one  occasion  a  friend  came,  desiring  to 
retain  him  as  counsel  in  a  suit  at  law.  After  listening  to  his 
statement,  Higley  said,  "I  can  better  serve  you  by  sitting  in 
the  case,"  strictly  charging  his  client  not  to  mention  the  fact 
of  having  consulted  him.  When  the  day  came  for  trial,  "  Squire 
Sam"  arose  early,  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  several  miles  to 
quite  another  part  of  the  township,  returning  leisurely  about  the 
time  for  the  court  to  open,  from  quite  an  opposite  direction  to  that 
which  he  would  naturally  have  come,  as  though  he  was  incident- 
ally happening  by.  Riding  up  to  a  group  of  men  gathered  about 
the  door  of  the  town  house,  he  inquired,  "What's  going  on?" 

"  The  case  of is  to  be  tried,"  was  the  reply.  "  Why — is  it 

to-day  that  comes  on  ? "  feigning  surprise.  Just  then  Justice 
Clapp  came  along,  who  invited  him  to  dismount  and  come  in. 
Squire  "Sam"  took  out  his  old-fashioned  watch,  and  looking  at 
the  time,  slowly,  with  a  half  absent-minded  air  "guessed  that  he 
could  spare  an  hour,"  and  went  into  court.  The  justice,  seeing 
that  he  was  not  retained  as  counsel,  invited  him  to  "sit"  with 
him.  He,  of  course,  accepted  the  suggestion,  and  the  case  was 
soon  won  for  his  friend. 

Samuel  Higley,  2d,  was  never  interested  in  church  matters, 
seldom  if  ever  entering  a  religious  service,  and  he  paid  but  little 
attention  to  politics.  His  political  leaning  was  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

During  the  agitation  upon  the  question  of  slavery  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  Anti-Slavery  party,  and  in  heart  he 
was  a  true  friend  to  the  black  man,  but  he  took  no  active  part  in 
the  cause.  He  never  seemed  ambitious  to  increase  his  posses- 
sions, nor  did  he  accumulate  property  beyond  a  comfortable 
competency,  though  he  had  a  good  legal  practice  and  was  the 
owner  of  excellent  farms.  He  held  his  original  estate  of  one 
hundred  acres  till  near  his  decease,  owning  it  about  fifty 
years. 

On  the  i;th  of  October,  1818,  he  married  at  Mesopotamia,  O., 
Maria  Miser,  daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Hannah  Miser,  who  came 
from  Schoharie  County,  New  York.  She  was  born  July  2,  1797. 


498  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

She  is  said  to  have  been  a  woman  of  unusual  beauty.  They 
settled  on  his  Windsor  farm. 

For  many  years  "  Squire  "  Samuel  Higley  suffered  with  asthma, 
which,  however,  did  not  incapacitate  him  for  active  practice  of 
the  law.  His  life  and  activities,  full  of  the  flavor  of  amiability 
and  hilarity,  ran  pretty  much  in  the  same  groove  the  last  fifty 
years  that  he  lived,  and  was  almost  barren  of  incident. 

He  died  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  April  5,  1853.  His  wife 
died  October  22,  1863. 

Samuel  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  viz. : 

Samuel,  Jr.,  born  July  2,  1819;  Harriet,  born  June  13,  1821; 
Hannah,  born  December  10,  1823;  Dexter,  born  March  16,  1826; 
Hiram,  born  May  25,  1829;  Sarah,  born  March  16,  1834. 

• 

SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  July  2,  1819.  He  married  March  27,  1844,  Hetty  Ann 
Brooks,  who  was  born  February  n,  1825.  They  resided  at  Windsor  upon  a  part 
of  the  lands  originally  owned  by  Samuel  Higley,  Sr.  Their  children  : 

JANE,  born  December,  10,  1846;  married  Peter  McAboy,  who  was  born  1846. 
They  reside  in  Garrettsville,  O.  They  are  the  parents  of  twins,  Alivilda  and 
Alzada,  born  May  29,  1854.  Alivilda  married,  February  22,  1876,  Charles  Crane, 
who  was  born  February  27,  1853.  They  have  two  children  :  Ethel  and  Ralph. 
Alzada,  married  Judge  Harrington,  May,  1873.  He  died  July,  1886.  JsaMborn 
November  9,  1856.  Wesley  J.  and  Sarah,  twins,  born  March  22,  1859.  Wesley 
J.  married,  1884,  Clarissa  C.  Stone,  who  was  born  1860.  They  reside  in  Hudson, 
O.  Sarah,  his  twin  sister,  married,  February  7,  1878,  Wesley  Kinney,  who  was 
born  July  28,  1854.  They  reside  in  Windsor,  O.  Samuel  (3d),  born  May  5,  1861  ; 
died,  unmarried,  1892.  Frank  Allen,  born  April  1870,  died  1871. 

HARRIET,  the  second  child  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley,  was  born 
June  13,  1821  ;  and  married  George  Abrams.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  two  daughters  and  one  son.  They  reside  in  Painesville,  O. 

HANNAH,  the  third  child  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley,  was  born 
December  10,  1823  ;  married  Walter  Roe.  They  reside  in  Ravenna,  O.  No 
children. 

DEXTER,  the  fourth  child  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley,  was  born 
March  16,  1826  ;  died  February  10,  1844. 

HIRAM  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Windsor,  O.,  May  25,  1829.  He  resided  with  his  parents  till  they  both 
died,  not  settling  upon  his  own  farm  until  his  marriage  at  forty-five.  Mr. 
Higley  owns  104  acres  of  well  improved  farming  land  located  in  Windsor.  He 
pays  some  attention  to  fish  raising,  and  also  to  the  culture  of  apple  trees,  of  which 
he  has  a  fine  variety.  He  is  a  man  of  pushing  ability,  a  respected  citizen  of  the 
township,  large-hearted,  and  benevolent  in  spirit.  He  married,  October  II,  1874, 
Mrs.  Saphronia  Herrick  (formerly  Miss  Simmons),  a  young  widow,  who  was  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THAN  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  499 

mother  of  four  children.  She  was  born  February  10,  1844.  The  highest  testimony 
is  given  by  her  children  and  their  mother's  family  to  the  kind  foster-father's  care 
which  Mr.  Higley  has  faithfully  bestowed  upon  them.  To  each  of  these  step- 
daughters he  gave  a  liberal  "setting  out,"  at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 

SARAH,  the  sixth  child  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Maria  (Miser)  Higley,  was  born  March 
16,  1834,  and  married  Walter  Sisson.  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  none  of 
whom  survived.  They  reside  at  Hamden,  Geauga  County,  O. 


CHAPTER  LXII. 

HON.    JONATHAN    HIGLEY,    3D. 
Hon.  Jonathan,  3d,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  M.  D.,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  He  saw  that  out  from  the  darkness,  out  from  the  depths,  the  human  race  had  struggled  toward 
the  ever-glowing  light.  He  felt  that  the  living  are  indebted  to  the  noble  dead,  and  that  it  was  but 
his  duty  that  he  should  pay  it,  by  preserving  to  the  extent  of  his  power,  by  adding  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  world,  and  by  giving  better  than  he  had  received." 

JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  3d,  the  second  son  and  fourth  child  of 
Esquire  Jonathan,  Sr.,  and  Rachel  Negus  Higley,  was  born  in 
Turkey  Hills  (now  East  Granby),  Simsbury,  Conn.,  March 
17,  1781. 

His  father,  strongly  upholding  popular  education  and  being 
actively  interested  in  the  town  school,  gave  his  sons  a  fair  educa- 
tion for  the  times.  His  grandmother,  Mary  (Thompson)  Higley, 
by  special  bequest,  left  him  "Sixty  pounds  lawful  money  worth 
of  my  land,"  *  which  he  received  on  coming  of  age,  and  which  he 
applied  in  part  payment  for  lands  in  the  Connecticut  Western 
Reserve,  Ohio. 

He  was  a  stalwart  young  man  of  twenty-three,  endowed  with 
a  good  mind  and  sound  health,  when  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  "the  Reserve"  and  began  his  career.  They  reached 
their  destination  the  aoth  of  October,  1804.  With  his  parents 
household  he  shared  the  experiences  usual  to  the  pioneer,  the 
same  new  scenes  and  conditions  which  all  pioneers  of  the  forest- 
lands  have  met.  These  experiences  are  summoned  up  by 
Charles  Dudley  Warner,  who  says  : 

"  The  want  of  roads,  the  lack  of  bridges,  the  primitive  con- 
ditions of  the  dwellings,  and  the  domestic  economy,  the  necessary 
struggles  with  nature  to  wrest  a  living  from  the  ground,  the 
dangers  from  wild  beasts;  and  the  restrictive  privileges  of 
schools,  churches,  and  books,  the  free  hospitality  and  the 
unpolished  manners  of  society,  in  a  thinly  settled  new  country, 
produce  always  a  good  deal  the  same  results."  * 

For  the  first  few  years  Jonathan  Higley,  Jr.,  labored  vigorously 

1  "Simsbury  Probate  Record  Book,"  1794-1800,  p.  266. 
8  "  History  of  Hartford  County,  Connecticut,"  vol.  i.  p.  349. 
500 


DESCENDANTS   OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  501 

helping  to  clear  and  work  his  own  and  his  father's  lands,  working 
day  after  day  with  the  heroism  of  practical  common  life, — for 
their  lives  were  now  made  up  of  common  things, — and  encounter- 
ing difficulties  through  which  there  was  always  found  some 
way  to  safely  pass.  These  years  were  not  marked  by  partic- 
ular incidents,  except  his  marriage,  but  he  was  all  the  while 
engendering  character  by  his  experience,  and  gaining  in  moral 
courage.  At  the  same  time  he  was  an  attentive  observer  of  the 
progress  of  events,  not  narrowing  his  vision  to  know  nothing 
beyond  the  details  of  his  present  surroundings. 

The  cause  of  education  early  began  claiming  the  attention  of 
the  little  group  of  colonists  of  Windsor,  O.  Judge  Solomon 
Griswold's  daughter,  Kesiah,  a  sunny  maiden  full  of  bright 
intelligence,  opened  a  primitive  school  the  winter  of  1804-5,  near 
to  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley's  house,  and  within  easy  walking 
distance  of  her  own  home.  Was  it  surprising  that  young 
Jonathan,  3d,  and  Kesiah,  both  susceptible  to  the  charms  of 
buoyant  youth,  soon  found  themselves  in  the  meshes  of  a  love 
adventure  ? 

"  Behold 

The  ruddy  damsel  singeth  at  her  wheel 

While  by  her  side  the  rustic  lover  sits — 
Perchance  his  thought 

Is  calculating  what  a  thrify  wife 
The  maid  will  make." 

After  several  months  of  courtship  Jonathan,  Jr.,  came  to  his 
father  one  day,  who  was  then  justice  of  the  peace,  and  declared 
to  him  that  they  wished  the  ceremony  of  marriage  performed. 
"It  is  high  time  you  were  married,"  replied  "Squire"  Jonathan. 
Even  to  this  day  some  of  the  aged  residents  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, who  were  then  children,  recall  with  clearness  that  demon- 
strative courtship.  This  was  in  the  year  1806,  and  it  was  the 
first  marriage  in  the  township. 

The  union  proved  a  congenial  and  happy  one.  They  began 
life  together  in  primitive  style,  in  a  scantily  furnished  home,1 
but  being  of  similar  tastes  and  adapting  themselves  to  their 
circumstances,  they  used  th<ir  few  advantages  to  work  their  way 

1  The  log-dwelling  first  occupied  by  Jonathan  Higley,  sd,  and  his  wife  Kesiah,  was  built  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  lot  8,  range  7,  about  twenty  rods  north  of  where  the  public  road  now  passes 
the  premises. 

33 


502  THE  II IG  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

out  into  broader  development,  and  lived  in  the  light  of  hopeful 
prophecy  of  the  future. 

The  few  old  books  they  possessed — and  both  were  fond  of 
books — had  been  carried  over  the  rough  roads  from  Connecticut, 
or  brought  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Badger  in  his  saddle-bags  on 
horseback,  when  he  came  on  his  missionary  tours  from  Hartford. 
These  were  read  over  and  over. 

The  spelling-school  of  evenings,  into  which  they  zealously 
entered,  was  a  source  of  improvement  as  well  as  a  time  of  partial 
frolic.  The  social  gatherings  of  the  neighborhood,  in  which  they 
took  a  lively  part,  were  jolly  and  thoroughly  informal,  attended 
with  a  great  deal  of  fun  at  a  cost  of  no  money  and  very  little 
trouble.  The  Griswold  girls  had  a  high  reputation  in  the  early 
days  of  the  settlement  for  being  good  entertainers,  and  making 
their  visitors  enjoy  jolly  good  times.  Whisky  toddy,  and  later 
on,  when  the  young  orchard  began  bearing,  apples  and  cider, 
served  with  hickory  nuts  from  the  forest  trees,  furnished  the 
evening  refreshments. 

Jonathan  and  Kesiah's  door  and  hearts  were  always  wide  open 
to  welcome  the  stranger.  Of  the  company  of  pioneer  travelers 
they  were  exceedingly  fond,  liking  the  fresh  contact  which  they 
brought  to  them  with  the  outer  world.  These  guests  generally 
stayed  over  night,  and  sometimes  remained  for  one  or  two  days. 
Though  the  log  house  was  small,  the  young  host  and  hostess 
could  always  find  a  place  for  them  to  sleep,  and  there  was 
plenty  to  eat.  The  offer  of  pay  for  entertainment  would  have 
been  considered  almost  an  insult. 

About  the  year  1812  Mr.  Higley  erected  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  lot  8,  range  7,  the  first  frame  dwelling  which  was  built 
in  Windsor.  The  original  building  was  small,  but  still  stands 
(1895)  in  good  condition.  This  house,  to  which  an  addition  has 
been  built,  has  been  for  many  years  the  property  and  residence 
of  his  son,  Harrison  Higley. 

Jonathan  Higley,  3d's,  first  public  appointment  was  at  the  first 
meeting  held  for  the  organization  of  the  township  in  1811,  when 
he  was  given  the  office  of  appraiser,  and  early  in  the  township 
history  he  was  made  one  of  its  trustees.  This  office  he  held  for 
a  number  of  years.  On  the  ijth  of  July,  1811,  he  received  a 
commission  as  justice  of  the  peace  from  Governor  Return  J. 
Meigs,  the  document  being  issued  from  Zanesville,  O.,  which 
was  then  the  capital  of  the  State.  After  this  he  was  generally 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  503 

called  "Squire  Jonathan,"  his  father  being  known  as  "Squire 
Higley." 

About  the  year  1812  he  was  enrolled  in  the  Ohio  Militia,  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  entered  the  second  war  with  Great 
Britain.  In  those  days  a  great  deal  was  made  of  the  militia,  which 
was  mustered  and  paraded  on  regular  training  days.  These  files 
of  soldiers  gathered  and  trained  in  his  father's  dooryard.  On 
the  2(1  of  October,  1818,  he  received  his  official  discharge  from 
military  duty,  his  time  of  service  having  expired. 

The  summer  of  1816  was  shadowed  by  a  heavy  sorrow.  A 
face  that  had  gladdened  his  fireside  departed,  cutting  a  close  tie 
and  leaving  a  great  blank  in  his  home.  His  wife,  Kesiah  Griswold 
Higley,  who  was  now  the  mother  of  five  children,  died  August  14. 
An  epidemic  dysentery,  accompanied  with  fever,  pervaded  the 
settlement,  of  which  she,  with  one  of  her  children,  became  the  vic- 
tims. During  her  severe  illness  of  two  weeks  she  was  faithfully 
nursed  by  her  husband  and  her  twin  sister,  Ursula  Griswold.  She 
was  yet  a  young  woman — only  thirty-two.  For  ten  years  she  had 
brightened  the  life  of  her  husband  by  her  quick  mind,  unusually 
good  abilities,  and  cheerful  presence.  These  ten  brief  years  of 
happiness  in  her  affectionate  companionship,  to  which  he  often 
referred  in  after  years,  were  precious  in  his  memory  to  the  end 
of  his  long  life. 

April  24,  1784,  was  the  date  of  the  birth  of  the  twin  sisters, 
Kesiah  and  Ursula  Griswold,  at  Simsbury,  Conn.  Their  mother, 
Abiah  (Allen)  Griswold,  died  in  1793,  while  they  were  but  mere 
children.  They  came  with  their  father,  Solomon  Griswold,1  to 
the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio,  arriving  March  20,  1800.  Kesiah 
was  confirmed  in  the  Episcopal  Church  early  in  life.  As  has  been 

1  Edward  Griswold,  who  was  born  in  1607,  came  with  his  brothers  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  with  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Huit  (Teacher)  in  1639,  from  Warrickshire,  England.  This  is  the  first  appearance,  as  far 
as  is  known,  of  the  family  in  America.  George  Griswold  owned  a  house  located  on  the  west  side 
of  Broad  Street,  Windsor,  in  1679,  close  to  Captain  John  Higley.  Thomas  Griswold,  descendant 
of  Edward,  had  a  grant  of  land  given  him,  December  29,  1687,  adjoining  Captain  Higley. 
Matthew  Griswold  of  the  same  family  married  the  daughter  of  Roger  Wolcott,  and  was  Governor 
of  Connecticut.  Captain  Higley  afterward  made  purchase  of  the  Roger  Wolcott  farm  at  Simsbury, 
which-was  the  seat  of  the  Higley  Family.  (See  chapter  ii,  on  Windsor,  Conn.,  page  5.)  Solomon 
Griswold  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas.  He  was  born,  1754,  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  and  married  Abiah 
Allen,  1780.  She  was  born  1761,  and  died  1793,  at  Simsbury,  Conn.  He  emigrated  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  northern  Ohio  in  the  year  1800.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hartford  bar,  a  man  possessed  of 
large  means  for  those  times,  and  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Land  Company.  His  emigration 
to  Ohio  marked  the  beginning  of  an  important  epoch  in  the  development  of  the  northeastern  por- 
tion of  that  State.  Soon  after  the  formation  of  the  State  government  Solomon  Griswold  and 
Calvin  Austin  were  appointed  Associate  Judges  of  Trumbull  County.  Judge  Griswold  held 
many  important  offices  till  the  close  of  his  useful  life,  May  16,  1834. 


504  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

already  stated  she  was  the  first  school-teacher  of  Windsor,  O., 
taking  charge,  during  the  winter  of  1804-5,  °f  a  school  of  nine 
pupils — all  of  the  children  of  suitable  age  the  settlement  then 
numbered.  The  schoolhouse  was  a  small  log  building  which 
stood  upon  lot  No.  8,  range  4,  the  farm  now  the  property 
of  Homer  Higley,  Esq.  The  building  long  afterward  was  used 
by  S.  D.  Sackett  as  a  blacksmith  shop. 

At  her  death  Kesiah  left  four  children,  the  youngest  an  infant 
daughter  one  year  old,  bearing  her  own  name.  On  August  u, 
four  days  previous  to  her  departure,  their  little  Achsah,  a  child 
of  five  years  and  six  months,  preceded  her  mother  to  "the 
radiant  shore  of  the  better  land." 

The  mother  and  child  were  interred  in  what  is  now  designated 
the  old  Pioneers'  burial-ground,  the  "God's  acre"  set  apart  in 
1802,  upon  her  father's  estate,  for  burial  purposes,  where  lies 
interred  her  father,  Solomon  Griswold,  Mary  (Higley)  White, 
and  others. 

The  following  is  the  epitaph  upon  the  memorial  stone  erected 
to  her  memory: 

fteetab 
mite  of 

Sonatban  fjigleg  JEsq*. 
Dies  august  U«>  1816 
32  sears,  3  montbs  anD  21  Dags. 


Reader,  your  glass  will  soon  be  run 

Are  you  prepared  to  die  ? 
Not  all  the  god's  beneath  the  Sun 

Your  wants  at  death  supply. 

The  following  May,  1817,  "Squire"  Higley's  father,  Jonathan 
Higley,  Jr.,  departed  this  life.  His  mother  and  sister  Laura  now 
took  charge  of  his  motherless  children  and  the  domestic  affairs 
of  his  home. 

It  was  about  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife  that  a  friend 
one  day  remarked  to  him:  "Squire,  there  is  a  pretty  blue-eyed 
young  widow  down  at  Kinsman,  just  the  wife  for  you." 

"Squire"  Higley  early  made  it  convenient  to  make  a  trip  to 
that  town,  and  it  was  not  long  afterward  that  Martha  Kinny 
Lewis,  who  had  then  only  passed  her  twenty-first  birthday,  became 
his  wife.  They  were  married  September  20,  1818.  Mrs.  Lewis 
entered  the  home  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  undertaking  the  duties 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  505 

of  wife,  and  second  mother  to  four  children,  in  a  cheerful,  hope- 
ful spirit,  the  eldest  child,  Hume,  being  a  lad  of  eleven,  and  the 
youngest  child  now  three  years  of  age. 

She  became  the  mother  of  twelve  children  of  her  own,  and  was 
foster-mother  to  an  orphan  grandchild  of  her  husband,  whom  they 
reared  from  six  years  of  age,  numbering  in  all  seventeen  children 
over  whom  she  had  the  care  and  to  whom  she  held  the  place  of 
mother. 

In  his  domestic  life  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley  ruled  his  fireside 
with  firmness,  and  expected  obedience  from  his  children.  What- 
ever he  said  was  law  and  rule  in  his  home.  He  exacted  deferen- 
tial conduct  on  the  part  of  one  toward  the  other,  and  strictly 
required  his  children,  when  spoken  to,  always  to  affix  the  conven- 
tional expression  of  respect,  "  sir,"  to  their  replies. 

He  was  not  a  person  to  look  after  matters  of  detail  concerning 
his  numerous  family,  or  to  permit  the  heavy  weight  of  his  large 
household  to  rest  upon  his  shoulders,  leaving  these  responsibili- 
ties almost  wholly  upon  his  wife. 

During  a  period  covering  several  years  he  gradually  made  pur- 
chases of  lands,  accumulating  his  acres  till  he  became  the  owner 
of  about  five  hundred.  His  business  capacity  and  management 
were  good,  and  in  keeping  with  his  practical  sound  sense  and  the 
genuineness  of  his  character. 

In  addition  to  his  agricultural  interests  he  was  for  many  years 
engaged  largely  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  an  industry  car- 
ried on  in  the  first  half  of  this  century  in  the  Western  Reserve, 
which  brought  to  it  a  large  share  of  its  wealth  and  prosperity; 
the  superior  quality  made  here  finding  a  ready  market  far  and 
wide  over  some  of  the  Eastern  and  in  most  of  the  Middle  States. 
Mr.  Higley  kept  forty  cows.  He  sold  his  cheese  to  the  regular 
buyers,  whose  business  it  was  to  purchase  and  forward  it  to  the 
markets.  In  his  large  family  of  surviving  children,  eight  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  with  a  grandson  whom  they  brought  up,  he 
had  a  large  force  of  helpers  to  work  and  manage  the  farm  and 
dairy,  and  all  were  expected  to  perform  their  share. 

It  was  his  custom  to  have  the  hides  of  his  cattle  tanned, 
then  employ  a  cobbler  to  come  to  the  house  twice  a  year  and 
make  their  boots  and  shoes  for  the  season,  boarding  him  the 
meanwhile. 

In  person  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  was  a  well-built  fine  figure, 
full  six  feet;  he  was  broad,  with  a  strong  forehead,  and  weighed 


506  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  He  had  an  earnest  nature,  but 
found  difficulty  in  showing  it,  his  speech  being  somewhat  ob- 
structed by  a  slight  stammer.  His  presence  was  one  that  com- 
manded respect,  and,  while  he  was  full  of  gentleness  and  kindness 
of  manner,  he  preserved  a  dignity  that  kept  those  about  him  from 
undue  familiarity.  By  the  mysterious  and  peculiar  law  of  heredity 
he  caught  the  poetic  spirit  of  his  father,  and  in  his  after  years 
became  rather  a  prolific  verse  writer,  his  rhyming  generally  touch- 
ing upon  the  theme  of  slavery,  a  subject  which  lay  close  upon  his 
heart. 

While  he  was  of  a  high,  impulsive  temperament  and  not  easily 
provoked  to  excessive  words,  when  once  aroused  he  was  not 
afraid  to  use  clear-cut  English;  but  for  kindliness  of  nature  and 
true  benevolence  of  spirit  few  men  have  exceeded  him:  he  was 
given  to  big-hearted  conduct  on  every  side  of  his  life.  His  noble 
devotion  to  those  who  crossed  his  pathway,  both  his  friends  and 
those  in  distress  or  in  poverty,  is  worthy  of  special  mention. 
Rich  or  poor,  bond  or  free,  he  responded  to  any  appeal  made  by 
humanity  in  need  of  practical  aid  or  sympathy;  his  money  and 
means  were  at  their  disposal.  Nothing  excited  his  disgust  and 
anger  sooner  than  an  intimation  by  act  or  spirit  that  "  all  men 
were  not  created  free  and  equal."  His  highest  principle  was  to 
help  the  man  to  a  point  where  he  could  help  himself. 

He  was  generally  astir  in  the  morning  before  anyone  in  the 
house.  In  those  days  the  corn-cribs  were  built  of  logs,  leaving 
on  one  side  an  aperture  of  two  or  more  feet  square  through 
which  to  get  the  corn.  Higley,  once  observing  that  his  corn  was 
disappearing  faster  than  he  himself  was  using  it,  one  evening  set 
a  bear  trap  just  inside  the  opening.  Rising  early  as  usual,  he 
went  out  in  the  gray  of  the  morning,  and  looking  toward  the  crib 
he  saw  a  man  standing  very  close  to  the  open  space.  He 
approached  him  at  once.  "  Good-morning!  "  said  Squire  Higley 
cheerfully.  The  man  eyed  him  timorously  and  askant.  "Won't 
you  come  into  the  house  and  warm — this  is  a  chilly  morning?" 
"I  can't,"  said  the  man.  "Why,  what's  the  matter?" 
"Matter!  my  arm  is  fast."  Mr.  Higley  stepped  up  and  loosed 
him  at  once  and  insisted  that  he  must  come  into  the  house.  The 
thief  was  too  much  frightened  not  to  obey.  "  No  one  is  up 
yet — you  don't  need  to  feel  anxious,"  said  Squire  Higley,  as  he 
handed  him  a  seat.  "Now,"  he  continued,  as  he  took  a  chair 
beside  him,  "why  were  you  stealing  my  corn?"  The  man 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THAN  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  507 

responded  that  he  "had  nothing  to  live  upon,"  adding:  "My 
wife  and  family  are  nearly  starving  for  some  meal."  "Well," 
said  Higley,  with  emphasis  and  somewhat  sternly,  "never  steal 
again;  when  you  want  corn  come  to  me.  For  the  sake  of  your 
family  I  will  not  tell  of  this.  You  must  stay  and  have  some 
breakfast  with  us."  The  guilty  man,  tortured  with  his  kind- 
ness, remained  and  sat  at  table  with  the  family. 

The  incident  made  an  honest  man  of  the  thief.  He  became 
a  good  citizen,  Squire  Higley  furnishing  him  provisions  from 
that  time  onward  whenever  he  required  them,  for  which  the  man 
worked  faithfully  and  paid  up.  Higley  never  told  his  family  of 
how  the  stranger  happened  to  take  breakfast  with  them  that 
morning,  or  that  the  setting  of  the  bear-trap  had  proved  a 
success.  It  leaked  out  a  few  years  afterward  from  the  man  him- 
self, the  household  well  remembering  the  mysterious  stranger  at 
that  morning  meal.  In  relation  to  his  profound  generosity,  it 
was  exercised  in  the  most  unostentatious  manner,  and  was 
strictly  secretive  on  his  part.  His  immediate  family  generally 
learned  only  of  his  beneficence  from  those  who  might  happen  to 
express  their  gratefulness  in  a  way  that  reached  the  ears  of 
outsiders. 

"His  charity  was  like  the  snow, 
Soft,  white  and  silent  in  its  fall  ; 
Not  like  the  noisy  winds  that  blow 
From  shivering  trees  the 'leaves — a  pall 
For  flower  and  weed, 
Dropping  below." 

A  stranger  appeared  at  his  door  one  day,  who  had  walked 
twelve  miles  through  the  forests  to  seek  his  aid.  He  had  left 
his  household — a  wife  and  four  children — in  sore  distress.  They 
were  very  poor.  A  debt  had  come  due  and  their  only  cow,  an 
animal  which  furnished  the  subsistance  for  the  family,  had  been 
driven  away  to  satisfy  the  creditor's  claim,  leaving  them  to 
depend  upon  the  wild  game  he  chanced  to  catch,  and  corn  meal, 
for  their  only  living.  This  man  had  heard  of  "Squire"  Higley, 
and  determined  to  find  him,  but  he  had  never  seen  him.  Clad 
in  a  hunting  shirt,  and  gun  on  his  shoulder,  he  left  his  home  at 
daylight  that  morning  without  telling  what  he  intended  to  do, 
but  trying  to  comfort  his  wife  by  saying:  "I'll  bring  you  a  cow 
to-night."  She,  however,  knowing  the  hopelessness  of  their 
poverty,  sat  down  and  wept. 


5°S  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"You  are  an  entire  stranger  to  me,"  said  "Squire"  Higley, 
when  the  man  had  laid  his  trouble  before  him;  "yes;  I  will  let 
you  have  a  cow  to  take  home.  If  you  wish  to  keep  her,  take  your 
own  time  for  payment;  if  you  find  that  you  don't  want  her,  bring 
her  back  when  you  get  out  of  your  difficulty  ;  there  will  be  no 
charges." 

The  relieved  husband  and  father,  driving  the  cow  before  him, 
made  his  way  back  through  the  woods  to  his  home,  redeeming 
his  promise  that  he  had  made  that  morning  to  his  wife.  He 
afterward  related  how  not  only  his  wife,  but  the  entire  family, 
wept  together  on  his  return — wept  tears  of  gratefulness  at  the 
touching  kindness  received  from  one  to  whom  they  were  perfect 
strangers.  They  blessed  his  memory  as  long  as  they  lived. 

A  neighbor  of  Squire  Higley,  who  was  in  straitened  circum- 
stances, came  one  day  to  him  in  the  hay-field  where  he  was 
standing  near  a  harnessed  team  which  was  hauling  the  hay. 
"Higley,"  said  he,  "my  wife  is  ill.  I  haven't  any  money.  Can 
you  let  me  have  a  dollar  ?  I  want  to  go  to  town  for  some 
medicine — and — and,"  hesitatingly,  "I  want  to  borrow  a  horse, 
too."  "Certainly!"  said  Squire  Higley  cheerfully,  at  the  same 
time  putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  handing  him  a  dollar. 
"Boys  !  "  said  he,  "  unhitch  these  horses  !  Neighbor,  you  take 
that  one.  Boys,  take  the  other  to  the  barn — we  will  rake  hay 
while  he  is  gone  with  the  horse."  A  year  afterward  the  neigh- 
bor called,  saying,  "Squire,  I  owe  you  a  dollar;  I  have  come  to 
pay  you."  "  No,"  said  Higley,  "  I  don't  remember  that  you  owe 
me  anything."  The  entire  circumstances  were  carefully  related 
to  him  before  he  could  be  made  to  accept  the  money  or  recall 
the  kind  favor  he  had  done.  But  his  neighbor  never  forgot  it. 

Esquire  Jonathan  Higley  was  never  known  to  begin  legal 
action  in  court,  nor  was  he  ever  sued  at  law.  If  he  could  not 
collect  a  debt,  he  never  compelled  payment,  but  let  it  go;  and  as 
to  other  business  transactions  that  brought  difficulty,  he  sought 
some  other  way  for  an  amicable  adjustment.  At  his  death  he 
left  small  promissory  notes  and  petty  sums  due  him,  amounting 
to  full  one  thousand  dollars  in  value,  which  he  had  loaned  here 
and  there,  and  which  he  had  never  made  any  legal  effort  to 
collect. 

Esquire  Jonathan  Higley  was  elected  Representative  to  the 
Ohio  Legislature  in  1829.  He  went  to  Columbus  in  December 
of  that  year.  It  was  in  the  old  staging  days,  and  his  journey  was 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  JR.  509 

through  the  opening  new  country.  He  was  absent  from  home 
three  months  that  winter,  the  affairs  of  his  family  being  taken  in 
charge  by  his  brother,  Thompson  Higley. 

He  was  a  Federalist  by  heredity.  After  the  founding  of  the 
Whig  party  in  1824,  he  was  one  of  its  close  adherents.  But  dur- 
ing the  year  1826,  the  alleged  killing  of  Morgan  at  Batavia, 
N.  Y.,1  wrought  public  sentiment  in  that  section  of  Ohio  to  a 
high  pitch  upon  the  subject  of  Masonry.  This  feeling  in  Mr. 
Higley's  district  drifted  into  political  and  party  issue  and  became 
the  contest  of  the  day,  resulting  in  a  general  political  movement 
against  the  fraternity.  Spirited  meetings  were  held  in  Higley's 
house,  as  well  as  in  other  private  homes,  and  in  the  district 
schoolhouses.  During  this  agitation,  when  he  was  called  upon 
in  public,  he  always  responded  in  a  few  well  chosen  words,  which 
were  to  the  point,  but  his  speeches  were  generally  brief. 

An  Anti-Masonic  party  which  Esquire  Higley  joined  ruled  the 
county  for  seven  years.  He  was  chosen  to  represent  it  in  the 
Legislature  for  the  reason  that  he  was  a  man  of  tried  integrity  of 
purpose,  an  honest  supporter  of  the  law,  and  one  who  was  thor- 
oughly able  to  hold  his  argument,  more  than  because  he  was  able 
to  make  a  great  speech — his  difficulty  of  readily  giving  expression 
to  his  views,  because  of  the  slight  impediment  in  his  speech, 
probably  causing  him  to  remain  silent  when  he  otherwise  might 
have  entered  forcibly  into  discussion. 

It  was  in  the  old  days  when  practical  men,  who  were  actuated 
by  a  sincere  desire  to  do  justice  and  serve  with  earnestness  of 
conviction,  were  sent  to  our  legislative  assemblies.  Higley  had 
little  sympathy  with  men  who  were  managing  politicians  and 
more  eager  for  personal  success  than  for  the  promotion  of  their 
cause. 

While  his  career  in  the  Ohio  Legislature  was  a  very  manly  one, 
it  was  not  one  of  any  marked  prominence,  his  chief  service  being 
in  the  committee  rooms,  dealing  with  the  customary  interests  of 
the  day. 

1  William  Morgan  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  who  had  announced  his  intention  to  print  a  pamphlet 
exposing  the  secrets  of  Masonry,  was  arrested  on  a  charge  of  larceny  the  summer  of  1826,  made 
by  the  master  of  a  Masonic  lodge,  but  found  not  guilty  ;  then  he  was  arrested  for  debt,  and 
imprisoned  in  jail  at  Canandaigua.  He  was  taken  secretly  from  the  jail  and  conveyed  to  Fort 
Niagara,  where  he  was  kept  until  September,  when  he  disappeared.  The  Masons  were  charged 
with  his  abduction,  and  a  human  body  found  in  the  Niagara  River  was  produced  as  proof  that  he 
was  drowned  to  put  him  out  of  the  way,  though  Weed,  an  editor  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  was  charged 
with  mutilating  it  to  make  it  resemble  Morgan.  The  disappearance  of  Morgan  became  the  chief 
topic  of  partisan  discussion. — Front  "American  Commonwealth"  (New  York),  by  Ellis  H, 
Roberts,  p.  580. 


510  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

He  remained  in  political  sympathy  with  the  Whig  party,  though 
a  decided  outspoken  Abolitionist,  till  the  year  1848,  when,  seeing 
that  his  party  was  doing  nothing  toward  a  scheme  for  opposing 
slavery,  he  broke  away  and  supported  his  personal  friend,  Joshua 
R.  Giddings,  who  represented  Higley's  congressional  district  in 
the  United  States  Congress,  and  became  a  pronounced  Free- 
soiler.  Higley,  however,  maintained  a  strong  standard  against 
Mr.  Gidding's  Masonic  connections.  On  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party  in  1856  he  became  identified  with  it,  and 
remained  devoted  to  its  principles  as  long  as  he  lived. 

In  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley's  early  married  life  he  sometimes 
attended  religious  services  with  his  wife,  Kesiah,  which  were 
held  by  the  Episcopalians  in  a  schoolhouse — District  No.  6. 
Church  services  were  also  occasionally  conducted  in  his  own 
house  by  a  clergyman  who  was  his  intimate  friend.  But  he  never 
became  a  member  of  any  religious  body,  though  his  religious 
sensibility  was  strong.  In  after  years  he  not  only  completely 
separated  himself  from  church  organizations,  but  his  strong 
prejudice  against  them  was  well  known. 

He  was  still  in  the  prime  of  life  when  he  made  up  his  mind  on 
the  question  of  slavery,  and  on  this  question  he  bore  a  vigorous 
individuality,  retaining  a  horror  of  the  system  to  the  end  of  his 
fourscore  and  seven  years.  It  was  not  from  a  religious  stand- 
point that  he  took  this  stand;  his  whole  moral  nature  revolted 
at  holding  in  bondage  a  fellow-man.  He  hated  oppression. 
From  his  standpoint  he  felt  from  the  day  and  time  that  the  sub- 
ject was  first  publicly  touched  upon,  that  the  Church  should  be 
the  first  great  moral  power  to  protest  against  it,  and  that  it 
should  be  a  mighty  warrior  to  crush  its  power.  Instead  of  this, 
the  door  of  the  little  church  in  his  immediate  neighborhood  was 
closed  to  the  advocates  of  freedom,  and  the  clergyman,  from  Ken- 
tucky, who  had  been  a  slaveholder  previous  to  his  settlement  in 
the  parish  at  Windsor  (Ohio),  boldly  and  openly  preached  sermons 
declaring  that  slavery  was  a  divine  institution.  And  when  Esquire 
Higley  looked  abroad  he  saw  convulsions  within  the  "borders  of 
Zion,"  disputes,  and  volleys  of  words  wasted  in  unpractical  dis- 
cussion, a  fierce  state  of  feeling  and  divisions  in  place  of  united 
concentration  of  energy  upon  practical  measures  for  its  overthrow. 

The  Higleys  are  a  people  not  fond  of  contention.  Squire 
Jonathan  was  no  exception  in  this  respect  to  his  ancestors  or  their 
descendants.  •  The  bitterness  fostered  in  the  Church,  and  its  lack 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THAN  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  511 

of  standing  true  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  repelled  him  entirely 
from  its  doors.  He  lost  all  faith  in  its  ministers.  Since  old 
theologies  had  never  had  a  deep  place  in  his  belief,  and  his 
religious  convictions  had  never  yet  settled  into  the  sharpness  of 
denominational  lines,  it  was  easy  for  him  to  sever  himself  forever 
from  its  immediate  atmosphere,  leaving  his  religion  mostly  one 
of  meditation  and  solitude. 

He  took  hold  of  the  cause  of  the  slave  early  in  the  days  of  the 
agitation  of  the  subject,  with  all  the  energy  and  force  that  his 
strong,  vigorous  mind  and  influence  commanded,  and  worked 
faithfully,  fearlessly  denouncing  the  Church  and  its  slave- 
holding  sympathizers;  yet  he  labored  on  with  results,  laboring 
disinterestedly,  having  no  ends  of  his  own  in  view.  His 
antipathy  to  the  institution  was  so  strongly  grounded,  that  he 
could  not  maintain  patience  while  even  holding  conversation 
with  those  who  differed  from  him,  frequently  losing  his  temper 
at  the  outset. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  open  his  house  for  anti-slavery 
meetings  and  discussions  upon  the  slave  question.  As  the 
subject  got  deeper  hold  in  the  community,  Squire  Higley,  with 
his  coworkers,  began  getting  up  meetings  in  the  district  school- 
houses  throughout  the  county,  for  which  they  secured  the  ablest 
lecturers  and  speakers  of  the  day,  who  addressed  the  crowds 
which  came.  In  these  meetings  fugitives  were  often  present  who 
told  thrilling  stories  of  their  narrow  escapes,  and  their  great 
sufferings  and  flight  from  tyranical  masters. 

Higley  stood  loyally  by  the  black  man  in  other  ways  than  in 
public  demonstration  and  effort  for  his  freedom  from  bondage. 
He  was  always  welcome  to  his  hearthstone  and  helped  forward, 
and  never  did  a  fugitive  come  to  his  threshold  but  he  took  him 
in,  befriended  him,  and  rendered  him  substantial  assistance  in 
making  his  escape  to  the  protecting  flag  that  waved  over  Canada. 

And  all  this  while  these  earnest  labors,  which  were  touching 
deep  issues  in  the  history  of  the  black  man  in  our  nation,  were 
far-reaching,  beyond  the  mere  local  boundaries  of  his  county, 
for,  politically,  he  stood  among  those  in  the  forefront  of  the  sup- 
porting constituency  behind  his  friends,  the  Hon.  Joshua  R. 
Gidding  and  Benjamin  F.  Wade,  who  represented  their  district 
in  the  United  States  Congress,  in  their  persistent  and  unflinch- 
ing fight,  at  the  seat  of  the  nation,  against  the  slave  power. 
Without  such  men  as  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Higley  and  his  coad- 


512  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

jutors  to  support  them,  it  would  not  have  been  possible  for  these 
distinguished  legislators  to  have  accomplished,  even  with  their 
rare  powers,  what  they  did  for  the  cause  of  freedom. 

During  all  the  long  struggle  Higley  was  a  subscriber  and  close 
reader  of  the  anti-slavery  papers  of  his  day.  Garrison's  Liberator, 
from  the  time  it  was  started,  in  the  year  1838,  and  Frederick 
Douglass'  National  Anti-Slavery  Standard,  published  by  the 
American  Anti-Slavery  Society  of  New  York,  were,  among  other 
periodicals  regularly  found  upon  his  table  from  the  time  they 
were  first  issued. 

His  family  never  forgot  how  carefully  and  with  what  absorbing 
interest  he  perused  them,  sitting  up  late  of  nights  holding  a  tallow 
candle  in  one  hand  and  his  .newspaper  in  the  other.  And  when 
they  had  been  thoroughly  read  he  saw  to  it  that  they  were 
circulated  among  friends  and  acquaintances  far  and  near. 

It  will  be  forever  placed  to  his  credit,  and  to  the  honor  of  his 
memory,  that  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  was  ever  uppermost 
in  his  heart  from  the  time  that  his  gaze  became  fixed  upon  its 
evils,  and  the  ear  of  his  inmost  soul  heard  the 

"  Voice  of  a  people  suffering  long  ! 
The  pathos  of  their  mournful  song, 
The  sorrows  of  their  night  of  wrong."  ' 

Though  the  progress  toward  the  ultimate  end  he  longed  and 
prayed  for  was  of  slow  growth,  he  was  never  known  to  slack  his 
earnest  labors,  up  to  the  time  he  heard  the  cannon  echo  from 
shots  fired  on  Sumter.  The  Emancipation  Act  which  ransomed 
the  race  was  the  signal  event  of  his  life.  He  lived  to  see  the 
"travail  of  his  soul"  satisfied,  and  the  dream  of  years  come 
to  pass. 

As  Squire  Higley  advanced  toward  age,  his  habit  of  life  became 
more  and  more  devotional.  He  spent  much  time  in  reading,  and 
was  often  absorbed  in  reflection.  Nature  and  his  Bible  were  his 
companions.  Members  of  his  family  sometimes  found  him 
searching  the  Scriptures  far  into  the  night,  and  he  frequently 
spoke  of  the  comfort  they  gave  him.  As  all  his  children  came 
to  mature  years,  he  presented  each  one  with  a  well-bound  copy 
of  the  Testament.  His  advice  to  his  children  was  ever  whole- 
some and  wise.  "Live  in  peace  with  all  mankind,"  he  wrote  to 
his  son  Harrison,  "and  always  live  with  eternity  in  view." 

i  Whittier. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THA  N  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  513 

He  died  August  13,  1866,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years  and  five 
months,  in  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  he  had  not  lived  in 
vain,  breathing  his  last  in  the  Christian's  hope,  "  having  cast  his 
anchor  in  the  land  that  lies  beyond  death."  He  was  interred  in 
the  village  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners. 

Esquire  Jonathan  Higley  divided  his  estate  among  his  large 
family  of  children  while  he  was  yet  living,  retaining  the  home 
farm  at  Windsor,  then  containing  about  one  hundred  acres,  for 
the  support  of  his  wife  and  himself,  together  with  the  lots  of 
land  given  below,1  which  he  devised  by  will  at  his  death. 

His  sons,  Allen  and  Jonathan  Higley,  4th,  were  appointed 
executors  of  his  will  by  a  codicil  made  August  10,  1866,  the  will 
having  been  executed  June  22,  1861.  The  will  was  admitted  to 
probate  May  17,  1867. 

MARTHA  (KINNEY)  LEWIS,  the  second  wife  of  the  Hon.  Jona- 
than Higley,  whom  he  married  September  20,  1818,  was  the 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sally  Kinney,  who  came  from  Worthing- 
ton,  Hampshire  County,  Mass.,  arriving  March  15,  1815,  at  Kins- 


1 "  To  his  '  well-beloved  wife  Martha '  in  lieu  of  dower  he  gave  '  all  his  personal  property  and 
the  use  and  improvement  of  the  home  farm  containing  about  100  acres,  and  the  improvement  of  all 
the  land  he  gave  to  his  grandchildren  by  the  name  of  Graves  and  the  privilege  of  cutting  the  wood 
on  30  acres  of  land  lying  in  Hartsgrove  which  he  devised  to  his  sons  Hume  and  Allen  during  the 
life  of  his  wife.'  Out  of  this  legacy  she  was  to  pay  his  daughter  Achsah  forty  dollars. 

"  To  his  sons  Hume  and  Allen.  '  in  addition  to  what  they  have  had,  30  acres  of  land  lying  in 
Hartsgrove  in  Lot  No.  144  ;  also  25  acres  lying  in  Windsor  in  Lot  9,  Range  5.'  Out  of  this 
legacy  they  were  to  pay  the  heirs  of  his  deceased  daughter  Martha  Decker,  $25.00  to  each  when 
they  became  of  age. 

"  To  his  son  Harrison,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  had  had,  36  acres  or  all  the  land  in  Lot  No.  144 
in  Hartsgrove  lying  east  of  that  given  to  Hume  and  Allen." 

"  To  his  son  Homer,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  has  had,'  one-half  of  the  land  lying  on  the  east 
side  of  Lot  No.  8  Range  2,  in  Windsor. 

"  To  his  son  Lewis,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  has  had,"  the  remaining  half  of  land  on  the  east 
side  of  Lot  8,  Range  2,  in  Windsor. 

"  To  his  son  Jonathan,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  has  had,'  30  acres  lying  in  Hartsgrove  in  Lot 
No.  58,  the  west  end,  '  the  land  on  which  he  now  lives.' 

"  To  his  son  Hector,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  has  had,'  20  acres  lying  east  of  the  land  given  to 
Jonathan  in  Hartsgrove  in  said  Lot  No  58. 

"  To  his  son  Aaron,  '  in  addition  to  what  he  has  had,  all  the  promissory  notes  I  hold  against  him.' 

"  To  his  daughter  Ursula,  '  in  addition  to  what  she  has  had,  a  note  of  about  $30  I  hold  against 
her  husband  Henry  Townsend.' 

"  To  his  daughter  Jane.  '  in  addition  to  what  she  has  had,  17  acres  of  land  lying  in  the  N.  W. 
corner  of  Lot  10,  Range  8,  in  Windsor.' 

"To  his  grandson,  '  Orwin  Graves,  10  acres  of  land  lying  in  the  S.  W.  corner  of  Lot  8,  Range  a, 
in  Windsor.' 

"  To  the  heirs  of  his  late  daughter,  Mary  Graves,  '  20  acres  lying  north  of  the  land  I  gave  to 
Orwin  Graves.' 

"  To  his  sons,  '  Hume,  Allen,  Jonathan,  Hector,  Homer,  Harrison,  and  Lewis  Higley,  he 
devised  his  home  farm  lying  in  Lots  No.  8,  sth  and  6th  ranges  (Windsor)  containing  about  one 
hundred  acres.'  "—Taken  from  the  original will of Esquire  Jonathan  Higley,  3^. 


514  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

man,  O.,  where  they  settled.  She  was  born  December  18,  1796. 
At  twenty  she  married  Jedediah  Lewis.  By  his  sudden  and  acci- 
dental death  their  lives  together  closed  the  year  following — 1817. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  responsibility  of  becoming  the  second 
mother  to  four  children  fell  upon  her  when  she  became  the  wife 
of  "  Squire  "  Higley.  To  these  were  added  twelve  children  of 
her  own,  and  a  grandchild  they  brought  up.  Except  one  infant, 
who  died  of  whooping-cough  about  the  year  1836,  all  of  these 
children  remained  at  home  until  they  were  full-grown  men  and 
women. 

Right  faithfully  did  she  perform  her  mission  as  wife  and  mother 
to  this  numerous  family.  As  a  second  mother  she  was  character- 
ized by  a  close  attachment,  and  an  unvarying  kindly  bearing, 
toward  the  children  of  the  first  wife,  the  outcome  of  her  gentle 
and  indulgent  heart.  The  children  to  whom  she  gave  birth  well 
remember  that  the  preference,  however  insignificant  the  matter 
might  be,  was  always  given  to  their  half  brothers  and  sisters  in 
questions  of  differences  or  the  settlement  of  childish  disputes, 
and  that  it  generally  fell  to  their  lot  to  get  the  second  choice. 
This  happened  frequently  to  their  discomfort,  and  naturally 
sometimes  kindled  in  their  spirits  a  secret  vexation,  a  state  of 
feeling  which  their  mild-eyed  mother  overcame  by  showing  them 
the  beauty  of  a  sweet  and  yielding  temper.  The  government  of 
her  family  was  entirely  by  persuasion. 

In  the  generous  hospitality  of  their  home  Mrs.  Higley  was 
well  mated  by  her  husband.  She  was  at  all  times  found  ready  to 
receive  and  welcome  visitors  and  guests,  who  came  in  season  or 
out  of  season,  and  she  never  was  averse  to  cheerfully  preparing  an 
extra  meal  for  the  stranger  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  and  often  late 
at  night.  Her  generous  instincts  were  evidenced  in  various 
ways,  sometimes  leading  her,  to  the  amusement  of  the  family,  to 
act  directly  in  violence  to  her  natural  will.  Her  hatred  of 
domestic  animals  was  well  known.  Yet  if  she  saw  a  hungry  dog 
or  cat  appear  in  the  door-yard,  she  would  immediately  lay  aside 
her  work  and  go  to  the  cupboard  and  get  food  for  it.  This  of 
course  invited  all  of  the  hapless  and  stray  cats  roundabout  to 
repair  to  the  premises  where,  perching  themselves  upon  fences 
and  sheds,  they  awaited  in  expectancy  her  benevolence.  When 
once  fed  something  like  anger  would  fall  over  her  face,  and  her 
usually  mild  tongue  would  give  vent  with  surprising  volubility  to 
a  tirade  against  the  "pesky  "  intruders. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JON  A  THAN  HIGLE  Y,  JR.  515 

The  routine  of  her  daily  life  was  the  same  as  that  which  occu- 
pied the  women  of  her  day.  She  had  little  time  to  fret  or  worry. 
Naturally  quick  motioned  ancft>f  remarkable  activity  and  dispatch 
in  what  she  undertook,  she  accomplished  marvels  in  the  amount 
of  labor  that  she  performed.  Nothing  among  the  old-time 
proverbs  could  be  more  fitting  than  the  text  she  chose  for  her 
daily  living:  "  Her  candle  goeth  not  out  by  night."  She  received 
the  wool  from  the  sheep's  back,  which  she  carded,  and  the  flax  in 
its  rough  state,  which  she  hatcheled,  spinning  and  weaving  these 
into  material  for  clothing  and  household  uses,  out  of  which  she 
cut  and  made  all  of  the  garments  worn  by  her  large  family. 
Manufactured  products  were  seldom  purchased.  The  cooking, 
washing,  ironing,  and  churning,  together  with  considerable  atten- 
tion paid  to  cheese-making,  were  a  part  and  parcel  of  her  round 
of  employments,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  during  most  of 
these  years  she  was  constantly  bearing  or  nursing  an  infant.  Of 
evenings  she  sat  before  the  fire  and  knitted  the  family  supply  of 
socks  and  stockings,  her  nimble  fingers  flying  with  almost  the 
swiftness  of  a  machine.  She  easily  knitted  a  man's  sock  on  a 
winter's  evening. 

None  of  her  energy  was  wasted.  Her  children  cannot  recollect 
of  ever  having  seen  her  busy  hands  unemployed  during  one  wak- 
ing moment,  except  it  might  have  been  a  part  of  a  Sunday.  She 
rarely  employed  female  help,  unless  there  was  illness  in  the  family, 
but  thoroughly  trained  her  daughters  in  domestic  duties  as  they 
grew  to  womanhood.  With  all  her  manifold  duties,  she  found 
time  to  tenderly  visit  her  sick  neighbor,  and  to  do  much  in  cheer- 
ing the  look  and  lightening  the  step  of  the  needy.  Her  life, 
which  was  made  up  of  detail,  was  entirely  unostentatious  and 
quiet  in  its  movement,  and  was  mainly  spent  within  the  precincts 
of  her  own  hearthstone. 

She  survived  her  husband  five  years  and  two  months,  and  was 
administered  to  by  her  daughter,  Jane  (Higley)  Barnard,  the 
last  three  years  of  her  life.  During  the  last  year  she  lived  her 
mind  was  in  process  of  dissolution,  and  was  so  enfeebled  that 
she  was  unable  to  deal  with  anything  that  required  thorough 
judgment. 

She  died  October  15,  1872,  in  the  old  Higley  homestead — the 
same  home  that  she  entered  fifty-four  years  before,  when  she 
became  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Higley  in  the  year  1818. 
She  was  interred  in  the  village  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners. 


THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 


>. 

w 


The   sons   and  daughters   of  Jonathan   Higley,    3d.,  were  as 
follows: 


Hume,  born  February  17,  1807. 

Allen,  "  January  14,  1809. 

Achsah,  "  February  5,  1811. 

Mary,  "  February  18,  1813. 

Kesiah,  "  August  19,  1815. 

Achsah,  "  October  26,  1819. 

Jonathan,  4th,      "  Thursday,  June  21,  1821. 

Hector,  "  Tuesday,  September  10,  1822. 

Ursula,  "  Tuesday,  September  15,  1824. 

Aaron,  "  Monday,  May  29,  1826. 

Martha,  "  Friday,  May  24,  1828. 

Homer,  "  Saturday,  January  30,  1830. 

Olive,  "  Wednesday,  September  17,  1832. 

Harrison,  "  Saturday,  May  17,  1834. 

Infant,  born  early  in  1836,   died  of  whooping-cough, 

1836. 

Lewis,  born  Tuesday,  May  16,  1837. 

^  Jane,  "  Monday,  July  15,  1839. 


PQ 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

HUME    HIGLEY. 
Hume,  Jonathan,  3d,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

These  struggling  tides  of  life  that  seem 

In  aimless  wayward  course  to  tend, 
Are  eddies  of  the  mighty  stream 

That  rolls  to  its  appointed  end. 

— WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT. 

HUME  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child  of  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley,  3d, 
and  Kesiah  Griswold,  was  born  February  17,  1807,  on  the  old 
Higley  farm  which  was  a  part  of  the  original  purchase  of  his 
grandfather  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O. 

Industrial  labor  and  manual  training  went  hand  in  hand  in  his 
farm  life  during  his  childhood.  He  acquired  his  education  of 
winters  at  the  country  district  school.  When  a  boy  of  but  nine 
years  he  was  deprived  of  his  mother  by  death,  yet  she  left  so  clear 
a  photograph  upon  his  young  heart  that  it  became  an  enduring 
impression,  lasting  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  always  recalled  her 
as  a  mother  who  was. endowed  with  a  strong  brain,  lively  intel- 
lect, and  cheerful  spirit. 

By  the  time  that>  he  was  a  well-grown  lad,  the  forest  clearings 
in  the  "Western  Reserve"  showed  comfortable  farm?,  fairly 
well  stocked,  and  a  colony  of  growing  prosperity.  Fo'  one  year, 
when  he  was  about  twenty,  he  taught  a  district  school.  On  the 
loth  of  December,  1829,  he  married  Betsey  Norris,  who  came 
from  Tolland,  Conn.  They  settled  upon  a  farm  given  him  by  his 
father,  a  part  of  lot  9,  7th  range,  which  lay  in  the  near  vicinity 
of  the  home  of  his  birth.  This  farm  he  held  about  forty  years. 
But  his  leaning  was  toward  a  business  life,  and  later  on  he  almost 
entirely  gave  up  plowing  the  ground  and  sowing  the  seed,  engag- 
ing in  other  enterprises,  some  of  which  involved  the  outlay  of 
considerable  amounts  of  money,  as  well  as  necessitating  his 
absence  from  his  home  and  family.  In  business  relations,  he 
was  known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  possessing  a  vigorous 
and  a  thoroughly  honest  mind. 

About  the  year  1852  he  took  a  large  contract  for  the  construc- 

34  ™ 


5*8  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

tion  of  the  Lake  and  Trumbull  County  plank  road,  a  work 
attended  with  a  vast  amount  of  heavy  labor,  a  part  of  his  section 
passing  through  the  original  forest.  This  required  that  the  trees 
should  be  felled  and  the  stumps  removed,  which  in  those  days, 
when  the  aid  of  mechanical  labor-saving  machinery  was  yet  in 
rude  form,  required  a  courageous  heart  and  persevering  effort  to 
accomplish.  He  filled  the  contract  faithfully,  and  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  contracting  company. 

About  the  year  1847  he  began  purchasing  live  stock,  more 
especially  swine,  and  driving  them  in  large  numbers  to  Brighton, 
the  live  stock  market  of  Boston.  This  brought  him  into  com- 
mercial transactions  with  business  men  of  the  cities  and  towns, 
as  well  as  with  the  farmers  of  Northern  and  Central  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  which  gave  him  a  wide  experience  with  men,  and  made 
him  an  excellent  judge  of  character.  He  finally  acted  for  a 
number  of  years  as  buyer  for  a  large  Boston  commission  house, 
David  Collins';  and  also  became  the  purchaser  and  shipper  of 
butter  and  eggs  for  the  firm  of  Rockwell  &  Higley  of  Boston. 

He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  Windsor,  in  the  year 
1859,  and  served  for  some  years,  discharging  the  duties  of  his 
office  with  wisdom  and  fairness.  His  conciliatory  temperament — 
a  marked  characteristic  of  Hume  Higley — gave  him  ample  oppor- 
tunity, while  holding  the  office,  to  exert  his  noble  faculty  in  striv- 
ing to  harmonize  or  check  contentions,  and  it  was  a  singular 
result,  though  a  common  one  applied  to  very  many  cases,  that 
the  differences  of  the  opposing  parties,  brought  before  Squire 
Higley,  were,  through  his  influence,  harmoniously  compromised 
and  satisfactorily  settled  without  legal  action. 

About  the  year  1855  he  began  prospecting  for  coal,  having 
for  some  time  previously  held  the  opinion  that  there  were 
valuable  mineral  deposits  in  that  section  of  the  State.  Whether 
it  was  an  imaginative  genius  that  he  acted  upon,  with  a  seer's  fore- 
sight of  the  unfailing  quarries  of  beautiful  building-stone  and 
fountains  of  natural  gas  which  were  as  yet  hidden  and  undis- 
covered beneath  the  earth's  surface  in  Northern  Ohio,  or  whether 
he  had  some  clew  for  his  good  dreams,  no  one  now  living  can  tell; 
but  he  went  energetically  about  his  search,  spending  much  time 
and  effort,  with  considerable  outlay  of  means,  during  the  follow- 
ing five  years.  At  different  points  he  excavated  to  the  depth  of 
thirty  feet  and  over,  more  than  once  making  a  find  of  coal,  but 
the  layers  being  thin,  he  abandoned  them.  In  Newberry  Town- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  1ST.  519 

ship,  Geauga  County,  he  dug  eighteen  feet,  and  claimed  that  he 
had  discovered  a  fairly  good  deposit,  sufficient  to  warrant  him  in 
taking  a  lease  of  almost  five  hundred  acres  of  land  where  this  coal 
was  located;  here  he  began  developing  a  mine,  but  the  opera- 
tions on  the  whole,  proving  unsatisfactory,  he  gave  them  up  on 
the  expiration  of  the  lease. 

Hume  Higley,  like  his  father,  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  was  ever 
a  friend  to  suffering  humanity.  He  possessed  unusual  tender- 
ness of  nature.  He  was  a  young  man  in  the  prime  and  vigor  of 
life  when  the  subject  of  slavery  began  to  be  discussed,  and  soon 
began  to  see  the  need  of  earnest  labor  and  active  exertions  in 
behalf  of  the  enslaved  blacks  of  the  South.  It  was  in  the  days 
when  there  was  much  odium  attached  to  the  Abolition  cause,  yet 
the  general  opposition  which  at  that  time  prevailed  in  the  North 
toward  the  unpopular  controversy  had  little  weight  with  him,  and 
he  went  straightforward  in  the  "dauntless  battle,"  fearlessly 
advocating  unconditional  emancipation  ;  nor  did  he  cease  his  prac- 
tical friendly  aid  to  the  slave,  or  his  outspoken  word  and  action 
in  his  behalf,  till  he  saw  the  day  when  human  liberty  was  pro- 
claimed, reaching  the  shores  of  our  great  land  from  its  rising 
to  its  setting  sun,  and  from  the  Gulf  to  its  northernmost 
boundary. 

Hume  Higley  was  an  exceptionally  fine  specimen  of  manhood, 
standing  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  broad  in  proportion,  and 
finely  shaped,  weighing  two  hundred  and  sixty  pounds;  with  a 
confident  bearing  and  manner.  He  possessed  immense  mus- 
cular strength. 

During  his  experience  as  schoolmaster  when  a  young  man,  it 
happened  one  day  that  a  "big  boy,"  who  was  the  size  of  an 
ordinary  man,  was  caught  in  a  misdemeanor.  On  being  reproved 
the  pupil  began  making  a  display  of  bravado,  and  defied  the 
master.  Higley  ordered  him  to  come  from  his  seat  to  the  center 
of  the  floor.  This  the  young  man  refused  to  do.  Higley  then 
starting  toward  him,  the  chap  clutched  to  a  door  close  at  hand, 
holding  on  with  unyielding  grip,  when  the  stalwart  teacher,  with- 
out any  apparent  effort,  grasping  him  by  the  seat  of  his  trousers, 
lifted  him  to  his  shoulder,  together  with  the  door  broken  from  its 
hinges,  and  bearing  both  out  to  the  road,  the  pupil  all  the  while 
kicking  and  squirming,  set  him  on  his  feet  and  ordered  him  to 
leave  the  premises;  the  young  man  left  at  double-quick  pace. 

Higley  never  made  use  of  his  powerful  strength  for  combative 


520  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

purposes,  and  used  himself  to  declare  that  "  he  could  scare  more 
persons  than  he  was  willing  to  whip."  He  thought  nothing  of 
lifting  from  the  ground,  over  the  sideboards  of  a  wagon,  a  barrel 
filled  with  cider  and  placing  it  therein,  and  was  known  to  take 
a  barrel  of  oil  from  a  wagon  which  stood  in  front  of  a  store- 
house, carry  it  up  four  steps  and  to  a  wareroom  in  the  rear  of 
the  building.  He  never  showed  any  apparent  extra  exertion  in 
performing  such  feats. 

Hume  Higley  was  not  a  church  member.  He  was  a  thorough 
believer  in  and  practiced  the  spirit  and  essence  of  the  true 
religious  sentiment  contained  in  the  precept,  "As  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them."  With  his  sons 
he  made  himself  so  genial  and  confidential  that  he  was  their 
most  intimate  friend  till  long  after  they  had  gone  out  into  the 
world.  The  thought  of  fear  of  their  father  never  possessed 
them,  for  he  was  always  considerate  of  their  temptations  and 
surroundings,  reasoning  with  them  for  their  best  good. 

Mr.  Higley's  good  qualities  of  courage  and  good  fellowship 
were  characteristically  prominent  till  his  strong  constitution  and 
vigorous  good  health  gave  way,  about  the  year  1863,  to  a  nervous 
disorder, — epilepsia, — leaving  him  as  the  winter  of  life  advanced 
an  almost  confirmed  invalid. 

He  died  April  7,  1879,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years  and 
two  months.  The  interment  was  in  the  village  cemetery  at 
Windsor  Corners. 

Betsey  (Norris)  Higley,  the  wife  of  Hume  Higley,  was  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Betsey  Norris,  of  Tolland,  Conn. 
Her  birth  took  place  May  15,  1808,  on  her  father's  home-farm, 
which  was  located  three  miles  north  of  the  court  house  on 
Tolland  Street.  It  is  said  by  her  old  friends  who  remember  her 
from  her  childhood,  that  she  was  a  healthy  lassie,  with  well- 
rounded  figure,  remarkably  red  cheeks,  and  winning  ways. 

Her  father,  besides  devoting  his  attention  to  his  farming 
operations,  for  many  years  had  charge  of  the  toll-gate  on  the 
turnpike  road,  of  ninety-six  miles,  which  ran  from  Boston  to 
Hartford.  These  were  in  the  old  stage-coach  days  of  traveling, 
and  during  the  times  when  great  quantities  of  produce  were 
hauled  between  these  cities  by  large  two-horse  teams.  Stage 
horses  in  those  times  trotted  at  a  lively  pace — there  was  no 
lagging.  It  can  well  be  imagined  that  the  full  rosy-cheeked  little 
girl  may  have  often  been  seen  scampering  to  look  on  as  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,IST.  521 

great  event  of  each  day  came  to  pass,  when  the  stage  horn  was 
blown  and  the  Boston  coach  came  rushing  by  with  its  four  spirited 
horses,  loaded  inside  with  passengers,  and  a  lot  of  them  on  top; 
and  this  sight,  together  with  the  constant  coming  and  going  of 
the  intelligent  hardy  teamsters,  who  used  to  stop  and  hold  long 
drawn  out  conversations  with  her  father  while  their  horses  drank 
at  the  public  watering  trough  by  the  roadside,  and  rested  a  bit, 
gave  to  the  little  maiden  her  first  perceptions  of  this  great 
revolving  world,  and  brought  to  her  knowledge  nearly  all  that 
she  knew  of  its  commerce  and  activities. 

But  Betsey  was  yet  a  child  when  her  father  died  of  "white 
swelling  "  in  one  of  his  legs,  leaving  a  family  of  seven  children  * 
to  be  brought  up  by  their  widowed  mother.  This  heavy  care 
brought  upon  her  a  hard  struggle  with  life. 

In  the  year  1812  the  brothers  of  Benjamin  Norris,  John  and 
Cornelius,  emigrated  from  Tolland,  Conn.,  to  Windsor  Township 
in  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  and  in  1813  their  old  neighbor 
and  friend,  Elijah  Grover,  followed,  all  removing  their  families 
with  them.  This  emigration,  with  others  from  their  town,  had 
acquainted  Benjamin  Norris  and  his  wife  with  this  fertile  region 
of  increasing  good  fortune  and  prosperity,  and  when  the  Widow 
Norris'  daughter  Deborah  married  Orin  Grover,  they  too,  to- 
gether with  her 'son  Samuel,  decided  to  make  it  their  future 
home. 

It  happened  a  few  years  later  that  the  wife  of  Elijah  Grover 
died,  and  finding  himself  desolate,  Mr.  Grover  set  his  heart  upon 
the  Widow  Norris,  who  was  still  living  in  her  old  Connecticut 
home.  In  due  time  he  returned  to  his  native*place  and  married 
her, — about  1824, — bringing  her  the  same  year,  with  her  remaining 
children,  among  whom  was  Betsey,  to  his  farm  at  Windsor,  O. 
They  made  the  journey  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  by  the  usual  route, 
taking  the  then  great  waterway  for  travel — the  Erie  Canal — 
they  came  to  Buffalo,  where  they  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel 
and  sailed  for  Ashtabula,  O.  Here  they  landed,  and  coming  by 
ox-team  twenty-eight  miles  southwest  through  the  woods,  they 
arrived  at  their  future  home. 

Young  Betsey  was  now  a  girl  of  sixteen.  Connecticut  had  a 
fair  educational  system  in  those  times,  and  she  had  acquired  a 

1  The  names  of  the  children  of  Benjamin  and  Betsey  Norris  were  as  follows :  Deborah,  Ben- 
jamin, Samuel,  Sally,  Martin,  Greenleaf,  Increase,  and  Betsey  ;  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Tol- 
land, Conn. 


522  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

pretty  thorough  knowledge  of  the  ordinary  English  branches. 
From  her  early  childhood  she  had  showed  signs  of  cleverness  and 
talent.  She  early  developed  into  a  finely  proportioned  woman, 
amiable  and  thoughtful.  She  was  never  a  person  given  to  many 
words.  Her  mother,  Mrs.  Grover,  died  four  years  after  she 
became  the  wife  of  Elijah  Grover. 

About  the  year  1826  Betsey  began  teaching  a  school  in  the 
eastern  district  of  Windsor.  She  afterward  taught  at  Harts- 
grove. 

On  the  loth  of  December,  1829,  she  married  Hume  Higley, 
and  became  the  mother  of  twelve  children.  Her  married  life 
was  engrossed  with  the  over-weight  of  domestic  cares  which 
have  always  been  imposed  upon  the  farmers'  wives  of  our  country 
— an  endless  round  of  unfinished  toilsome  duties  from  which 
they  have  but  little  respite. 

It  was  not  many  years  after  her  marriage  till  the  charge  of 
her  family  devolved  almost  wholly  upon  her  owing  to  the  fre- 
quent absences  of  her  husband  in  his  business  relations.  In  this 
responsibility  she  managed  the  family  and  its  affairs  with  pru- 
dence and  energy. 

The  Norrises  of  Connecticut  were  Methodists  in  their  religious 
creed,  and  her  preference  in  church  connections  was  with  that 
body. 

Mrs.  Betsey  Higley  was  a  good  woman  and  a  good  mother. 
She  was  made  acquainted  with  a  large  share  of  the  burdens  of 
life,  which  tested  her  equanimity  and  courage.  As  the  flight  of 
years  went  by,  she  ennobled  them  in  the  presence  of  her  family 
with  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit.  Her  last  days  upon  earth  were 
smitten  with  severe  pangs  of  physical  suffering,  rendering  her  a 
helpless  invalid.  She  died  of  cancer,  August  i,  1875,  and  was 
laid  to  rest  beside  her  husband. 

Hume  and  Betsey  (Norris)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  viz. : 

Cicelia,  Henry  Anson,  Martin  TV.,  Addison  N.,  Elizabeth, 
Charles,  Mary,  Emory,  Emory,  ad,  Greenleaf  W.,  Lucy  Exnie,  and 
Harriet. 

CICELIA  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey  (Norris) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  October  30,  1830.  She  received 
a  fair  education  for  the  women  of  those  times  who  lived  in 
agricultural  districts.  She  grew  up  to  be  the  companion  and 
main  assistant  of  her  mother  in  the  labor  and  care  of  her  large 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY t\ST.  523 

family.     Her  entire  life  was  spent  in  the  home  domestic  circle. 
She  died  unmarried,  March  19,  1864. 

HENRY  ANSON  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O., 
April  i,  1832. 

His  earlier  years  were  spent  in  alternate  periods  of  practical 
agricultural  pursuits  and  in  learning.  He  received  his  education 
at  the  district  school,  afterward  attending  a  local  academy  at 
Windsor  Corners  with  Professor  Wakefield  as  its  principal.  But 
he  abandoned  farm  life  at  an  early  age  to  enter  a  different  sphere. 

When  he  reached  his  majority  his  father  gave  him  a  twenty- 
dollar  gold  piece,  with  which  he  went  to  Boston,  Mass.  This  was 
his  first  step  into  commercial  life.  Arriving  in  that  city  an 
utter  stranger,  save  one  young  man  whom  he  had  seen  in  Ohio, 
and  lodging  over  night 'at  a  hotel,  he  set  out  next  morning  to 
find  his  friend,  who  was  then  in  the  employ  of  A.  P.  Ellis  &  Co., 
commission  merchants.  Soon  finding  the  business  house  and, 
after  some  conversation  with  his  friend,  he  made  application 
for  employment.  To  this  application  he  did  not  receive  an 
assuring  answer;  however,  before  night  he  found  himself  engaged 
by  the  firm.  The  day  following  was  Saturday.  His  employer 
seeing  something  in  the  verdant  young  man  that  interested 
him,  invited  him  to  be  his  guest  over  Sunday  at  his  country 
residence  at  West  Newton,  an  invitation  gladly  accepted,  espe- 
cially as  his  traveling  expenses  and  hotel  bills  had  relieved  his 
pocketbook  of  all  of  his  funds  except  one  shining  fifty-cent  piece. 
At  Mr.  Ellis'  country  home  he 'was  highly  entertained  with  the 
horses,  the  various  riding  vehicles,  the  gardens,  conservatories, 
and  the  beautiful  appointments  of  a  fine  country  seat.  He  seemed, 
too,  to  find  favor  with  his  employer's  family,  for  Mr.  Ellis  ex- 
tended his  invitation  for  a  week.  But  there  is  no  romantic  account 
that  the  young  man  fell  in  love  with  his  employer's  daughter  ! 

When  ten  days  were  passed,  young  Higley  was  installed  into 
his  business  life.  He  entered  with  zest  into  his  work,  and  served 
six  months,  living  in  the  meanwhile  as  economically  as  he  possi- 
bly could.  As  yet  not  a  word  had  been  said  concerning  his 
salary.  Mr.  Ellis  then  one  day,  calling  him  into  his  private  office, 
asked  him  if  he  was  satisfied  with  his  position.  Receiving  an 
honest  assurance  that  he  was,  he  offered  him  six  dollars  a  week 
for  his  past  services  and  seven  for  the  future.  The  offer  was 


524  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

abundantly  satisfactory.  This  was  in  the  year  of  1853.  His 
salary  was,  however,  gradually  increased,  till  within  his  first  year 
his  wages  were  raised  to  ten  dollars  weekly.  This  amount  was 
then  considered  a  fine  salary  for  a  young  man  in  this  business. 

Two  years  later — 1855 — Mr.  Ellis  retired  from  active  business 
and  the  firm  dissolved.  Mr.  Higley  then  received  a  proposition 
from  L.  W.  Rockwell,  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  in 
Boston,  to  form  a  partnership  in  the  same  line  of  business,  which 
offer  Mr.  Ellis  advised  him  to  accept.  Young  Higley  had  by  this 
time  laid  up  five  hundred  dollars.  The  partnership  united  under 
the  firm  name  of  Rockwell  &  Higley,  produce  commission  mer- 
chants. Higley  set  out  speedily  and  visited  the  old  patrons  of 
A.  P.  Ellis  &  Co.,  securing  the  most  of  the  trade  which  had 
belonged  to  that  house,  while  Rockwell,  who  was  a  Nova  Scotian, 
set  off  to  his  native  province;  the  result  being  that  a  large  and 
lucrative  trade  in  potatoes,  eggs,  wood,  and  plaster  was  built 
up,  the  young  firm  shipping  flour  in  return. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  Western  trade  of  the  house  in  butter, 
eggs,  and  poultry  had  largely  increased,  mainly  through  the 
efforts  of  Hume  Higley,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  had  become  a  purchaser  and  shipper  for  the  firm. 

The  business  met  with  success  for  ten  years,  when  in  1865, 
Rockwell  &  Higley  dissolved  partnership;  the  reciprocity  treaty 
being  repealed,  a  heavy  duty  was  laid  upon  Canadian  produce, 
and  that  branch  of  the  business  became  unprofitable.  The 
best  of  relations  had  always  existed  between  the  partners,  but 
one  instance  of  a  slight  misunderstanding  having  ever  occurred, 
and  it  was  with  feelings  of  mutual  regard  and  respect  that  their 
business  relations  were  severed. 

In  January,  1866,  Mr.  Higley  removed  to  New  York  City,  join- 
ing in  partnership  with  his  brother  Charles,  in  a  commission 
house,  the  firm  being  known  as  H.  A.  &  C.  Higley  &  Co.  He 
withdrew  from  this  firm  in  a  short  time,  and  A.  H.  Hamilton 
became  his  partner,  the  firm  doing  a  good  business  for  three 
years.  He  then  found  opportunity  for  entering  the  firm  of 
Hicks  &  Hathaway,  flour  and  grain  merchants,  an  offer  which 
he  accepted.  In  1875  he  returned  to  the  firm  of  Chas.  Higley 
&  Co.,  his  brother  Charles  and  Mr.  Hamilton  both  having  died, 
leaving  his  brother,  Greenleaf  W.  Higley,  the  only  surviving  part- 
ner in  that  house.  The  two  brothers  continued  business  under 
the  old  firm  name  till  the  year  1878  when,  being  caught  in  a  finan- 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  525 

cial  flurry,  the  house  was  compelled  to  suspend.  The  following 
year  Mr.  Higley  turned  his  business  energies  to  the  grain  and 
provision  brokerage  business. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  the  New  York  Produce 
Exchange  Review,  five  years  later  : 

"  Among  the  well-established  and  enterprising  members  of  the  grain  and  provision 
trade  of  New  York  is  Mr.  H.  A.  Higley  of  Broad  Street.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  New  York  Produce  Exchange  in  1865.  Mr.  Higley  has  continued  his  busi- 
ness alone  since  1879,  and  has  during  the  intervening  period  met  with  a  flattering 
degree  of  success,  and  is  highly  spoken  of  by  his  fellow-members  as  a  broker  of 
ability  and  strict  integrity.  He  has  direct  connections  with  Chicago,  and  has 
developed  a  large  trade  in  the  line  of  grain  options,  having  every  possible  facility 
for  the  prompt  filling  of  all  orders.  Mr.  Higley  has  ever  given  a  conscientious 
support  to  all  measures  best  calculated  to  advance  the  permanent  welfare  and 
prosperity  of  the  Exchange,  and  it  is  such  enterprising  gentlemen  as  he  who  have 
so  materially  built  up  the  organization  to  its  present  high  degree  of  usefulness. 
Mr.  Higley  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  has  been  a  permanent  business  resident  of  the 
East  thirty  years,  and  has  built  up  a  trade  and  a  standing  for  himself  of  a  character 
alike  creditable  to  himself  and  to  the  worthy  institution  of  which  he  has  so  long 
been  a  member." 

It  was  during  the  summer  of  1884  that  Mr.  Higley  made  an 
extended  journey  to  the  Pacifice  coast,  traveling  northward  to 
Whatcom,  Wash.,  and  southward  to  California,  thoroughly 
acquainting  himself  with  the  resources  and  prospects  of  the 
great  grain  fields  of  the  West — Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana,  and 
Oregon.  These  observations  he  put  into  clever  articles  which 
appeared  in  the  columns  of  some  of  the  leading  New  York 
financial  and  commercial  journals,  and  which  gained  much 
acceptance  with  his  business  associates  "on  'Change."  Mr. 
Higley  has  traveled  extensively  throughout  the  United  States 
and  been  a  sensible  and  close  observer. 

On  removing  from  Boston  to  New  York  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  has  since  resided.  For  many 
years  he  owned  a  pleasant  cottage  seaside  home  at  Ocean  Grove, 
N.  J.,  being  one  of  the  first  purchasers  of  lots  when  that  well- 
known  resort  was  founded.  He  also  held  for  a  number  of  years 
the  title  deed  to  the  old  Family  farm  at  Windsor,  O.,  which  had 
belonged  to  his  father  for  a  period  of  forty  years. 

In  1875  he  became  a  member  of  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn — 
the  distinguished  Plymouth  pastor,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  had  few  firmer  friends  or  more  ardent  supporters 
than  Henry  A.  Higley. 


526  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Mr.  Higley  has  experienced  many  "  ups  and  downs"  in  life, 
and  passed  through  trying  ordeals;  some  of  these  perhaps  aris- 
ing out  the  stronger  and  nobler,  as  well  as  from  his  weaker, 
characteristics.  In  a  case  in  point,  when  maliciously  assailed,  he 
met  the  difficulty  with  cool  and  unyielding  courage,  having  the 
nerve  to  hold  with  loyal  and  admirable  devotion  by  those  who 
shared  the  stress  of  storm  with  him. 

Of  generous  impulses  and  easily  moved  by  sympathy,  he 
possesses  a  singularly  marked  and  strong  sense  against  injustice 
and  wrong  done  to  others.  Conciliatory  in  temperament  and 
moderate  in  tone,  he  is  seldom  willing  to  listen  to  useless 
wrangle,  but  when  his  temper,  which  is  slow  to  take  fire,  is 
aroused  he  knows  how  to  couch  his  language  in  strong,  and 
sometimes  offensive,  terms.  He  has  always  been  known  as  a 
man  of  energy  and  activity,  having  great  confidence  in  whatever 
he  undertakes.  With  a  genial  merriment  flowing  through  his 
nature,  he  can  always  tell  a  story  singularly  adapted  to  match 
any  that  are  told  in  his  presence.  Unassuming  and  courteous 
in  manner,  of  commanding  figure  and  ample  proportions, — six 
feet  and  one  inch  in  height,  and  weighing  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  pounds, — his  presence  is  easily  distinguished  wherever  he  is. 
January  14,  1853,  he  married  Sarah  Nye.  Of  this  marriage  there 
were  born  three  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The 
only  surviving  child  is  one  son,  viz.  : 

HENRY  ALLEN  HIGLEY,  M.  D.,  who  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  September 
13,  1866. 

His  boyhood  was  spent  with  his  parents  in  their  Brooklyn  home  and  at  their  sea- 
side residence  at  Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.  October  i,  1873,  he  began  his  studies  at 
Lockwood's  Academy,  Brooklyn,  and  two  years  later  entered  the  Brooklyn  Poly- 
technic Institute,  in  which  collegiate  school  he  passed  the  various  courses  of  study. 
On  the  ist  of  October,  1884,  he  entered  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  Yale  Uni- 
versity. The  following  year  he  relinquished  his  studies  there,  and  devoted  himself 
to  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York 
City,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine,  May,  1888.  On  the 
ist  of  October  of  the  same  year,  having  been  a  successful  candidate,  he  entered  the 
New  York  Charity  Hospital,  from  which  he  was  graduated  April  I,  1890.  From 
that  time  to  the  present  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

On  the  1 5th  of  September,  1884,  Dr.  Higley  married,  in  the  church  of  St. 
Chrysostom,  New  York,  Harriet  A.  Welter,  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Nancy  Welter, 
then  of  Brooklyn,  a  bright  and  amiable  young  woman  possessing  freshness  of  char- 
acter and  lovable  natural  qualities.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz.: 

Florence  J.,  born  November  29,  1887.     CJiarlotte,  born  December  6,  1893. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEYt\ST.  527 

Continued  from  page  522. 

MARTIN  NATHAN  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O., 
January  20,  1834.  With  the  exception  of  one  year,  while  in  the 
employ  of  the  firm  of  Charles  Higley  &  Co.  of  New  York  City, 
he  always  resided  in  his  native  county.  He  followed  various 
pursuits,  was  a  man  possessed  of  good  natural  abilities,  but  not 
having  turned  them  to  the  best  uses,  he  never  accumulated  prop- 
erty. For  some  years  he  devoted  considerable  attention  to 
casual  writing  for  different  country  newspapers. 

He  married,  first,  Sarah  E.  Rawdon  of  Windsor,  who  was 
born  December  22,  1841.  The  marriage  took  place  December 
31,  1857.  His  wife  became  a  victim  of  consumption,  bearing  a 
protracted  period  of  physical  suffering  with  remarkable  patience. 
Had  the  "  Unser  "  Fritz's  impressive  words,1  "  Learn  to  suffer  and 
not  complain"  written  two  days  before  his  death,  been  then 
inscribed  and  placed  as  a  motto  before  her,  she  could  not  have 
more  fully  amplified  them.  She  was  a  woman  well-beloved  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  She  died  February  22,  1871. 

Mr.  Higley  married,  second,  Adelia  C.  Jourdan,  January  i, 
1872.  She  was  born  February  16,  1845.  Martin  N.  Higley  died 
November  n,  1895.  He  was  interred  in  the  village  cemetery  at 
Windsor  Corners. 

Children  by  first  wife:  Two  infants  who  died  young;  Deetta, 
born  January  14,  1859,  who  married  Martin  Mills,  1892.  They 
reside  in  Windsor,  O. 

By  second  marriage:  Allen  Edward,  born  September  n,  1872; 
Cora  Betsey,  born  December  27,  1874;  and  married  Irwin  Sommers, 
June,  1893  ;  Harry  Doune,  born  December  15,  1878. 

ADDISON  NATHANIEL,  the  fourth  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O., 
August  22,  1835.  He  resided  in  his  native  town  till  he  was 
twenty-five.  May  6,  1860,  he  married  Sarah  E.  Jackson,  at  South 
Thompson,  Geauga  County,  O.  She  was  born  November  7,  1839. 
They  settled  in  South  Thompson,  where  Mr.  Higley  occupied 
himself  with  agriculture  and  the  purchasing  and  shipping  of 
poultry  to  Boston.  August,  1864,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
that  city,  where  he  was  for  one  year  in  the  employ  of  the  firm  of 

1  The  German  emperor  wrote  these  words  beneath  his  photograph,  which  he  presented  to  a 
friend,  two  days  previous  to  his  death  from  a  cancerous  affection  :  "  Lerne  Zu  leiden  ohne 
klagen.'' 


528  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

which  his  brother  Charles  Higley  was  the  leading  partner.  Later 
on  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  younger  brother,  Greenleaf 
W.  Higley,  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  N.  Higley  &  Co.,  pro- 
vision dealers.  But  not  caring  for  the  push  and  flurry  of  an 
Eastern  city  life,  he  chose  to  close  out  the  business  and  return  to 
his  native  town  in  Ohio.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1868.  Here 
he  engaged  with  Hillard  &  Hamilton  as  an  advertising  agent. 
This  business  Mr.  Higley  successfully  followed  a  number  of 
years,  traveling  in  thirty  States  and  Territories.  On  severing 
his  connection  with  the  firm  early  in  the  seventies,  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  care  of  his  invalid  father,  Hume  Higley,  who  now 
required  the  constant  attention  of  one  of  his  sons. 

Mr.  Higley  was  an  extraordinary  somnambulist.  Among  many 
incidents  in  which  he  betrayed  strange  actions  during  a  state  of 
sleep  he,  one  night  in  1867,  while  residing  in  Boston,  owing  to  a 
nervous  condition  of  the  system,  thought  the  house  on  fire.  He 
was  at  the  time  occupying  a  chamber  in  the  third  story  of  his 
dwelling.  Promptly  clambering  out  upon  the  roof,  he  walked  on 
the  eaves-spouting  to  the  corner  of  the  building  and,  stepping  off, 
fell  to  the  pavement  below,  awakening  from  the  state  he  was  in 
to  find  both  of  his  ankles  broken  and  the  bones  protruding 
through  the  flesh.  He  suffered  for  many  tedious  weeks 
afterward. 

Addison  N.  Higley  died  September  22,  1876,  after  having  lived 
a  vigorous  and  respected  life. 

His  widow  married  Ezra  Rawdon,  a  much  respected  citizen  of 
Windsor,  O.  She  was  a  Christian  professor,  and  availed  herself 
of  the  privilege  of  a  membership  in  the  Universalist  Church. 
It  was  her  chief  joy  to  aid  the  sick  and  unfortunate.  Her  kind 
and  obliging  ways  won  the  affection  of  an  abundance  of  friends. 
The  last  years  she  lived,  in  the  midst  of  her  suffering,  which  was 
lengthened  to  ten  weary  months  duration  from  paralysis,  her 
Christian  fortitude  was  made  beautifully  evident.  She  died 
January  5,  1883.  The  Rev.  Charles  Shipman  conducted  the 
funeral  services. 

Addison  N.  and  Sarah  E.  Higley  were  the  parents  of  one  child, 
viz. : 

HENRY  GARRISON  HIGLEY,  who  was  born  at  South  Thompson,  Geauga  County, 
O.,  April  24,  1861.  He  attended  first  the  district  school  at  Windsor,  O.,  his 
parents  having  removed  there  in  1868.  He  afterward  was  a  student  at  the  Austin- 
burg  Ohio  Institute,  under  Professor  Tuckerman,  a  school  of  considerable  note  for 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  1ST.  S29 

its  excellent  system  and  facilities  for  instruction.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was 
deprived  by  death  of  his  father's  care. 

January  24,  1883,  he  married  Jennie  A.  Rawdon,  daughter  of  Ezra  Rawdon. 
She  was  born  June  14,  1862. 

While  Henry  G.  Higley  has  always  been  practically  familiar  with  agriculture, 
and  carried  it  on  to  some  extent,  he  has  engaged  from  time  to  time,  and  with  an 
almost  invariable  degree  of  fair  success,  in  a  variety  of  enterprises  :  sometimes  his 
time  and  interests  have  been  connected  with  a  large  stone-quarry  at  Windsor  Mills, 
again  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  lots  of  land,  etc.,  etc.  He  resides  in  a  substantial 
home  which  he  built  and  owns  at  Orwell,  Ash  tabula  County,  O.,  and  where  he  is 
at  present  (1896)  engaged  in  the  purchase  and  shipping  to  New  York  of  farm  prod- 
uce, making  a  specialty  of  nuts  and  poultry. 

He  is  a  man  of  strong  physique,  possessing  a  well-balanced  mind  and  kindly  dis- 
position ;  thoroughly  upright  and  honorable  in  his  business  relations,  energetic, 
and  of  untiring  diligence,  and  has  many  friends.  Mr.  Higley  has  belonged  to 
the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  He  is  now  a  "  Past- 
Grand,"  having  taken  three  degrees.  Henry  G.  and  Jennie  Rawdon  Higley  are 
the  parents  of  three  children  : 

Leonard  Addison,  born  January  30,  1884  ;  Richard  Ezra,  born  December  I, 
1886  ;  and  Amarett  Helen,  born  August  4,  1888. 

ELIZABETH  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey  (Nor- 
ris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  December  13,  1836.  She 
died,  unmarried,  at  sixteen  years  of  age, ,  1852. 

"  Time  had  set 
No  silvery  signet  on  her  yet, 
The  crown  of  womanhood  but  now 
Rested  upon  her  placid  brow." 

• 

Continued  from  page  532. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey  (Norris) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  August  18, 
1838.  He  received  a  common  school  education,  chiefly  during  the 
winter  months,  working  during  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm 
of  summers.  When  seventeen  he  began  assisting  his  father  in 
buying  farm  products,  butter,  eggs,  and  poultry,  and  shipping  the 
same  to  the  firm  of  Rockwell  &  Higley  of  Boston.  In  this 
employment  he  was  engaged  till  he  was  twenty,  gaining  all  the 
while  habits  of  self-reliance  and  an  experience  which  proved 
invaluable  to  his  future  business  career.  He  had  a  good  busi- 
ness head,  and  was  gifted  with  great  mental  energy,  capable  of 
quickly  grasping  and  deciding  upon  a  measure,  and  was  a  tire- 
less worker.  He  was  good-natured,  yet  withal,  shrewd,  honest, 
and  upright,  having  steady  purposes  and  good  habits. 


53°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

At  twenty  he  went  to  the  city  of  Boston,  engaging  as  salesman 
with  Rockwell  &  Higley,  the  firm  of  which  his  brother  Henry 
was  then  a  partner.  This  position  he  held  three  years.  He  then, 
in  1861,  entered  into  a  partnership  with  James  P.  Emmerson  in 
the  produce  commission  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Charles 
Higley  &  Co.  In  about  two  years  this  firm  was  dissolved  by 
mutual  consent,  and  a  new  firm  was  formed  under  the  name  of 
Higley,  Bennett  &  Co.  This  house  did  a  large  and  successful 
produce  commission  business,  and  was  very  popular  with  the 
trade,  Charles  Higley  winning  his  way  to  prominence  by  his  inde- 
fatigable industry  and  enterprise. 

Finding  that  many  of  their  heaviest  Western  shippers  preferred 
to  forward  their  produce  to  New  York  City,  and  believing  that 
it  would  be  to  his  best  business  advantage  to  remove  there, 
Higley  decided  to  close  out  in  Boston  and  open  a  house  in  the 
commercial  metropolis.  This  was  early  in  1865.  Entering  into 
partnership  with  O.  W.  Paine,  they  opened  a  house  in  Washing- 
ton Street,  New  York,  July  4,  1865,  in  the  same  line  of  business 
which  Mr.  Higley  had  so  successfully  conducted  in  Boston.  The 
enterprise  was  prosperous.  The  following  year,  1866,  a  new 
combination  was  formed,  composed  of  Henry  A.  Higley,  Charles 
Higley,  and  A.  H.  Hamilton.  Henry  A.  Higley  and  A.  H. 
Hamilton  withdrew  by  mutual  consent  after  continuing  in  the 
business  one  year,  Charles  Higley  and  O.  W.  Paine  continuing 
under  the  style  of  Charles  Higley  &  Co.  till  1870,  when  Mr. 
Paine  withdrew,  and  A.  H.  Hamilton  was  again  admitted.  Mr. 
Hamilton  died  in  the  spring  of  1873,  and  Greenleaf  W.  Higley 
became  a  member  of  the  firm. 

During  these  several  changes,  the  business  had  continued  to 
increase,  the  house  becoming  one  of  the  largest  produce  com- 
mission houses  in  New  York.  The  spring  of  1874  found  Charles 
Higley  in  failing  health.  He  had  always  till  now  enjoyed  a 
strong  and  robust  constitution;  handsome  in  personal  appearance, 
of  magnificent  physique,  weighing  two  hundred  pounds,  and  in 
height  six  feet  two  inches,  the  warning  could  scarcely  be  accepted 
by  his  family  and  his  friends  that  so  much  vitality  and  power  and 
spirit  could  ever  cease  ;  but  his  decline  was  rapid.  His  physicians, 
who  pronounced  his  disease  enlargement  of  the  heart,  advised 
change  of  climate,  and  complete  rest  from  business  cares. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  him  and  his  family  to  go  to  the 
White  Mountains,  but  on  the  very  eve  of  setting  off  hemorrhage 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  531 

set  in;  however,  he  soon  rallied,  and  some  two  weeks  were  spent 
in  the  exhilarating  mountain  atmosphere,  from  which  at  first  he 
appeared  to  receive  benefit.  Again  beginning  to  fail,  and  longing 
for  his  home,  to  gratify  him  the  family  started  for  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. ;  he  was,  however,  destined  never  to  cross  his  threshold 
again.  The  railroad  passengers  looked  on  with  a  sort  of  tender- 
ness, as  a  fit  of  prostration  came  suddenly  over  him,  in  which  he 
expired,  about  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  August  10,  1874, 
just  as  the  train  was  nearing  Springfield,  Mass.  His  age  was 
thirty-six  years.  The  body  was  brought  to  Brooklyn,  and  the 
burial  took  place  in  the  family  lot  in  Greenwood  cemetery.  He 
left  a  comfortable  estate  to  his  family. 

Charles  Higley  married  Sarah  Francis  Taylor  in  Boston. 
Three  children  were  born  of  the  marriage,  viz. : 

Edward,  Adelaide  T.,  and  Charles. 

The  family  reside  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey  (Norris) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  May  8,  1840.  She  lived  at 
home  with  her  parents  till  her  marriage,  July  17,  1863,  to  Levi 
Smith  of  Monteville,  O.  During  her  brief  married  life  they  re- 
sided on  a  small  farm  at  Monteville. 

She  died,  July  16,  1864,  just  one  year,  lacking  but  one  day,  from 
the  date  that  she  became  a  bride. 

The  burial  took  place  in  the  village  cemetery  at  Windsor  Cor- 
ners. Her  husband  survived  her  but  a  few  years.  There  were 
no  children. 

EMORY  HIGLEY  (ist),  the  eighth  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  February  24,  1842,  and  died  the  follow- 
ing October,  aged  six  months. 

Continued  from  page  522. 

EMORY  HIGLEY  (zd),  the  ninth  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  June  29,  1843.  Here 
he  spent  the  first  nineteen  years  of  his  life.  He  received  his 
education  at  the  District  School,  No.  6. 

Early  in  1862  he  joined  the  forces  banded  together  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  Union,  enlisting  in  Company  B,  23d  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  a  regiment  of  which  ex-President  Hayes  was 
at  that  time  the  major,  and  afterward  the  general-commanding. 
Emory  Higley  served  with  the  regiment  one  year,  when  he  re- 


S32  THE  HIGLEYS  AND   THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ceived  an  honorable  discharge  on  account  of  general  disability. 
Soon  after  his  return  from  the  Civil  War  he  went  to  Boston  and 
entered  the  employ  of  H.  L.  Lawrence  &  Co.,  commission 
merchants,  remaining  with  the  concern  two  years.  From  Boston 
he  removed  in  1865  to  Butler,  Ind.,  having  a  favorable  prop- 
osition of  a  partnership  with  Samuel  Haverstock  in  the  sale  of 
general  merchandise.  The  firm  did  an  extensive  and  profitable 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Haverstock  &  Higley. 

The  year  following,  May  13,  1866,  he  married  the  daughter  of 
his  partner,  Mary  Haverstock,  a  most  estimable  young  woman 
possessing  excellent  qualifications  for  a  good  wife.  Her  father 
was  a  man  of  wealth.  He  died  some  years  later,  leaving  her  a 
valuable  property. 

But  Emory  Higley's  tastes  inclined  to  journalism.  He  estab- 
lished The  Banner  of  Liberty,  the  first  newspaper  published  in  the 
town  of  Butler,  and  finally  giving  up  his  excellent  business  oppor- 
tunities, and  severing  his  connection  with  the  mercantile  firm  at 
Butler,  he  removed  to  Vallisca,  la.,  and  there  started  a  bright 
and  successful  journal. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1872,  he  married  Eliza  Blakesley  of  Mal- 
com,  Poweskiek  County,  la.  He  afterward  removed  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  took  a  position  in  the  house  of  his  brother, 
Charles  Higley  &  Co.  This  position  he  held  a  few  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Iowa,  and  settling  at  Red  Oak,  established 
a  weekly  journal — the  Red  Oak  Record,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  for  some  time.  Afterward  he  went  to  Le  Mars,  la., 
where  he  became  the  assistant  editor  and  solicitor  of  the  Le  Mars 
Daily  Globe,  a  newspaper  of  considerable  standing  and  influence 
in  the  State.  He  remained  in  this  connection  till  his  decease. 

He  had  great  adaptability  and  versatility,  traits  which  enabled 
him  to  work  in  many  directions.  His  death  was  untimely,  for  he 
was  a  man  in  the  very  prime  of  his  days.  It  came  suddenly  and 
without  any  warning.  On  the  evening  of  November  29,  1885, 
while  spending  an  evening  with  a  friend,  he  was  seized  with  a 
fit  of  apoplexy,  and  life  soon  became  extinct.  The  press,  in  its 
editorial  obituaries,  speaks  of  him  as  having  been  "a  man  with 
faults  and  errors,  but  possessing  a  big  heart,  generous  impulses, 
and  a  bright  intellect." 

He  was  interred  in  the  Union  Cemetery  at  Le  Mars,  the  funeral 
being  conducted  by  the  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  order  he  was  a 
member. 


GREENLEAF   W.    HIGLEY   AND   FAMILY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLEY,\ST.  533 

By  his  marriage  with  Mary  Haverstock  he  had  children,  viz. : 
Luther  J?.,  born  October  30,  1867;    and  Lever  ett  Graver,  born 

December  31,  1870. 

By  second  marriage:  Ray  IV.,  born  April  7,  1873;   Hume,  born 

January  22,  1877. 

LUTHER  H.  HIGLEY,  the  first  child,  was  born  at  Butler,  Ind.,  October  30,  1867. 
He  is  a  man  possessing  admirable  traits  of  character,  and  is  a  citizen  of  excellent 
standing.  He  was  chosen  principal  of  the  Butler  High  School,  1893,  acceptably 
filling  the  responsible  position.  Professor  Higley  is  also  the  editor  and  publisher 
of  The  Butler  Record.  He  married,  February  9,  1889,  Carrie  D.  Palmerston,  who 
was  born  April  2,  1869.  Their  child,  Ethel  Adeline,  was  born  November  13,  1892. 

GREENLEAF  W.  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  and  youngest  son  of 
Hume  and  Betsey  (Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashta- 
bula  County,  O.,  May  10,  1845. 

His  early  plow-boy  life  on  his  father's  farm,  among  the  various 
haunts  of  field,  stream,  and  woods,  made  him  physically  strong, 
which,  with  the  inheritance  of  brains  and  practical  good  sense,  laid 
an  excellent  foundation  upon  which  developed  natural  energy 
and  stirring  qualities  of  force  and  courage,  elements  which  his 
character  conspicuously  disclosed  in  later  years.  He,  as  well  as 
his  brothers,  was  among  the  shrewd  and  honest  young  men  who 
come  to  our  great  cities  from  the  rural  districts,  with  their  only 
capital — their  brains  and  good  health,  their  pluck  and  industrious 
habits,  and  comprehending  the  intricate  steps  of  commerce, 
become  geniuses  of  trade. 

Greenleaf  acquired  a  common  school  education  at  the  district 
public  school;  from  early  life  he  wrote  a  good  hand,  and  was 
always  bright  in  figures.  During  the  years  of  his  boyhood  his 
father  was  absent  from  home  the  larger  proportion  of  the  time, 
engaged  in  buying  provisions  for  Boston  commission  houses,  and 
his  older  brothers  had  gone  out  to  make  their  way  in  the  world. 
This  brought  opportunity  for  him  to  display  some  of  the 
promising  qualities  of  his  youth,  and  his  capacity  for  taking 
responsibilities. 

When  but  a  lad  of  thirteen  he  was  accustomed  to  being  sent  to 
Painesville,  O.,  twenty-one  miles  distant,  to  transact  business 
matters  for  the  family,  such  as  getting  drafts  cashed,  etc.  It 
was  the  intelligence  and  aptness  of  the  boy  that  attracted  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Osborne,  an  elderly  gentleman,  cashier  of  the 
Lake  County  Bank,  with  whom  these  business  transactions 
35 


534  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

were  conducted,  which  caused  him  to  frequently  speak  words  of 
praise  and  approval  to  the  lad,  and  this  it  was  that  first  inspired 
him  to  grasp  a  wider  idea  of  the  world,  and  begat  an  ambition  to 
look  beyond  the  quiet  life  of  the  country  farm. 

At  sixteen  his  father  requested  him  to  meet  him  at  Attica,  Ind., 
and  accompany  him  in  his  business  engagements.  Greenleaf  set 
off  with  much  enthusiasm  on  this  his  first  traveling  experience, 
walking  to  Painesville  and  there  taking  a  railway  train.  During 
the  next  five  years,  1861-65,  ^e  was  away  from  home  much  of  the 
time,  associated  with  his  father  in  the  purchase  and  shipping  of 
provisions,  traveling  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Southern  Ohio. 

Hume  Higley  was  finally,  in  1865,  forced,  from  failing  health,  to 
give  up  business,  and  Greenleaf,  having  reached  his  twentieth 
year,  was  not  long  in  making  his  way  to  Boston.  He  first  engaged 
with  the  produce  commission  house  of  Rockwell  &  Higley,  and 
remained  in  its  employ  two  years. 

Left  now  to  his  own  resources,  life  was  far  from  being  dull 
and  monotonous  to  the  young  man.  Genial,  social,  and  of  a 
cheery  natural  temperament,  he  was  at  no  loss  in  a  large  city  to 
find  plenty  of  entertainment.  He  joined  a  Good  Templars'  lodge, 
where  the  young  people  enjoyed  lively  evenings.  Here  he  met 
Helen  Simpson,  his  future  wife,  whom  he  married  January  21, 
1867. 

Mr.  Higley's  older  brother,  Addison  N.  Higley,  opening  a  prod- 
uce commission  house  in  Boston  about  this  time,  Greenleaf 
joined  him  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  N.  Higley  &  Co.  This 
firm  was  afterward  styled  Higley  Brothers  &  Adams.  The 
concern  was  rather  short-lived,  though  the  enterprise  met  with 
fair  success,  doing  business  in  a  small  way;  however,  they  wound 
it  up  honorably.  Addison  Higley  returned  to  Ohio,  and  Green- 
leaf  and  his  wife  went  to  Butler,  Ind.,  where  Mr.  Higley  entered 
the  mercantile  store  of  Haverstock  &  Higley,  of  which  his  brother 
Emory  was  then  one  of  the  partners.  Not  liking  the  position, 
Mr.  Higley  remained  only  a  few  months,  and,  returning  to  Bos- 
ton, engaged  again  in  the  commission  business.  This  time  he 
began  in  a  modest  way  on  his  own  responsibility. 

In  the  meanwhile  his  brother,  Charles  Higley,  having  in  the 
year  1865  opened  a  house  in  the  same  line  of  trade  in  New  York 
City,  and  business  increasing,  he  made  a  favorable  offer  to  Green- 
leaf,  which  was  accepted.  Surrendering  his  lease  and  winding  up 
his  Boston  concern  with  a  fair  balance  in  his  favor,  Mr.  Higley 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  535 

removed  to  New  York,  November,  1868,  settling  his  family  in 
Brooklyn.  After  the  first  year  he  received  twenty-five  dollars  a 
week  and  five  per  cent,  of  the  profits. 

In  1870  a  change  in  the  firm  of  Charles  Higley  &  Co.  took 
place,  one  of  the  partners  withdrawing,  giving  place  to  A.  H. 
Hamilton.  The  death  of  Mr.  Hamilton  occurring  in  1873,  Green- 
leaf  W.  Higley  became  a  member  of  the  firm.  On  the  roth  of 
August,  1874,  his  brother  Charles  died,  leaving  Greenleaf  the 
only  surviving  member  of  the  firm.  It  was  at  a  time  of  the  firm's 
greatest  prosperity.  He  continued  alone  in  sole  charge  of  the 
business  for  one  year,  the  trade  of  the  house  all  the  while  increas- 
ing. The  burden  of  the  business  falling  too  heavily  upon  him, 
his  brother  Henry  A.  Higley  entered  the  partnership,  the  firm 
continuing  its  original  name,  Charles  Higley  &  Co.  On  the  i5th 
of  June,  1878,  a  sudden  misfortune  caused  the  house  to  suspend. 

Mr.  Greenleaf  Higley  was  advised  by  Canadian  friends  to  go 
to  Manitoba.  Having  young  children  whose  future  interests  he 
considered,  he  decided  upon  making  the  experiment,  and  during 
the  autumn  of  1878  he  set  off  on  the  long  journey,  taking  his 
family  with  him.  He  located,  on  their  arrival,  at  Gladstone,  104 
miles  northwest  of  Winnipeg.  This  was  before  the  days  of  rail- 
ways in  the  far  northwest  of  the  United  States  and  Dominion. 
The  romantic  adventures  and  perils  of  this  journey  would  make 
an  interesting  chapter.  Mr.  Higley  soon  opened  a  trading-post 
with  the  Indians  and  settlers.  He  did  a  good  paying  business. 

A  former  shipper  and  patron  of  his  New  York  house,  who 
resided  in  Iowa,  approached  him  concerning  returning  to  New 
York,  wishing  him  to  take  charge  of  the  sale  of  his  produce  in 
that  city.  Mr.  Higley,  realizing  the  deprivations  to  which  his 
family  were  subjected  and  the  lack  of  educational  facilities  for 
his  children,  decided  to  return,  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1880, 
he,  with  his  wife  and  flock  of  five  young  children,  retraced  their 
long  journey  and  found  themselves  again  settled  in  the  great 
commercial  center  of  trade,  their  home  being  re-established  in 
Brooklyn.  Mr.  Harry  Dowie,  a  Scotchman,  and  a  brisk  practical 
man  of  experience,  who  had  been  in  the  employ  of  Charles  Hig- 
ley &  Co.  for  some  years,  made  a  meet  person  with  whom  Mr. 
Higley  should  again  enter  into  the  general  commission  business. 
The  firm  was  styled  Harry  Dowie  &  Co. 

The  improved  facilities  for  forwarding  stock  from  the  West 
during  all  seasons  of  the  year  in  refrigerator  cars,  which  were 


536  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

constantly  being  extended  to  new  territory,  opened  a  wide  field 
for  obtaining  supplies,  and  brought  to  New  York  market  immense 
quantities  of  provisions. 

The  house  of  which  Mr.  Higley  was  now  practically  the  head, 
making  a  specialty  of  poultry  and  the  cold  storage  and  freezing 
process,  increased  to  large  proportions,  exceeding  any  predic- 
tions that  might  have  been  made  for  such  a  trade.  It  was  this 
firm  which  originated,  to  some  extent,  the  method  of  preserva- 
tion of  poultry  and  perishable  goods  by  refrigerating  in  cold  air 
chambers,  and  the  house  became  among  the  large  dealers  in  New 
York  City,  successfully  controlling  the  market  in  its  particular 
product. 

The  personal  popularity  of  both  members  of  the  firm,  coupled 
with  their  tact  in  dealing  with  men  with  whom  they  were  brought 
into  business  relations,  together  with  their  indefatigable  industry 
and  close  attention  to  business,  to  which  were  added  G.  W. 
Higley's  thorough  and  practical  experience  and  extended 
acquaintance  in  the  trade,  were  elements  which  contributed 
largely  to  their  success.  Mr.  Dowie,  after  having  been  inti- 
mately associated  with  him  in  business  relations  for  twenty 
years,  asserts  to  the  writer  that  "  My  partner  is  a  salesman  with- 
out an  equal;  possessing  most  remarkable  traits  for  business, 
keen  in  perception,  an  unusually  well  balanced  mind,  ready  to 
listen  to  all  arguments,  yet  firm  and  decided  in  his  convictions, 
cool  and  discriminating,  and  always  cheerful,  he  is  the  most 
congenial  man  with  whom  to  hold  close  relations,  I  candidly 
state,  that  I  ever  knew."  Another  business  friend  says  :  "  He  is 
spoken  of  everywhere  by  both  shippers  and  buyers  as  a  practical 
business  man  of  marked  ability,  whose  judgment  is  to  be 
respected." 

In  person  Greenleaf  W.  Higley  is  six  feet  one  inch  in  height, 
broad-shouldered,  and  has  a  weight  of  two  hundred  and  nine 
pounds.  He  is  light  complexioned,  with  a  prominent  forehead 
and  open  brow,  is  of  a  highly  sensitive  nervous  organization, 
unpolished  except  by  natural  instincts,  singularly  unassuming, 
and  unaffectedly  modest.  For  fame  he  has  never  cared.  No  man 
has  fewer  foes  than  he;  everybody  who  really  knows  him  is  his 
friend  :  and  no  sentiment  can  more  appropriately  describe  his 
most  prominent  characteristic  than  the  immortal  legend,  "With 
MALICE  toward  none,  with  CHARITY  for  all."  But  the  best  test  of 
a  man's  whole  life  is  in  his  own  home.  The  writer  of  these  pages, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  537 

who  was  a  member  of  his  household  at  intervals  covering  a  period 
of  several  years,  does  not  hesitate  to  frankly  declare  that  his 
noble  bearing  and  thoroughly  unselfish  ways  in  his  domestic 
circle,  his  gentle  and  naturally  kind  disposition,  are  marked 
phases  of  his  character  worthy  of  imitation  and  example. 

Mr.  Higley  has  never  been  active  in  politics,  though  he  has 
always  been  a  decided  Republican.  His  originality  of  character 
and  his  subtle  intellect  is  given  to  forming  and  asking  abstruse 
questions  upon  religious  subjects.  He  has  never  identified  him- 
self in  membership  with  a  church,  though  he  has  been  a  ready 
contributor  to  church  finances  when  called  upon;  his  retiring 
nature  has  kept  his  many  generous  deeds  from  public  knowledge. 

He  is  a  man  who  keeps  pace  with  the  current  of  the  times,  and 
possesses  a  large  fund  of  general  information.  Of  sociable  habit 
when  with  personal  friends,  in  his  relaxation  he  likes  his  cigar, 
and  is  fond  of  story-telling,  always  having  a  fitting  one  at  his 
tongue's  end. 

Besides  owning  for  some  years  a  valuable  city  residence  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  he  became  the  purchaser,  from  his  brother,  in 
1 886,  of  the  old  homestead  farm  at  Windsor,  O. ,  where  he  was  born. 
Here  Mr.  Higley  built  a  country  residence,  which  his  family  have 
occupied  as  a  summer  home  a  part  of  each  year  the  last  seven 
years.  It  was  at  this  country  place  that  he  and  his  wife  enter- 
tained the  first  general  reunion  of  the  Higley  Family  of  this  coun- 
try, a  memorable  event  which  socially  proved  of  great  personal 
satisfaction,  the  result  of  which  was  to  awaken  a  wide-spread  and 
lasting  interest  in  the  past  history  of  the  Higley  Family. 

It  was  to  Greenleaf  W.  Higley's  inception  that  the  Higley  kith 
and  kin  are  indebted  for  this  volume,  a  work  in  which  he  has 
taken  an  unflagging  interest,  from  no  other  motive  except  his 
desire  that  the  record  of  his  progenitors  should  be  collected  and 
preserved.  He  has  encouraged  the  measure  in  every  possible 
way,  and,  independently  of  the  families  themselves,  meritoriously 
assumed  almost  the  entire  expense  of  collecting  the  material. 
And  it  was  the  outgrowth  of  G.  W.  Higley's  large  natural 
resource' of  suggestion  and  origination,  that  in  the  year  1874 
the  New  York  Daily  Market  Report  was  established,  Frank  Barry, 
publisher,  the  journal  giving  a  daily  review  of  the  produce  market. 
There  was  at  that  time  no  special  daily  paper  published  which 
was  devoted  alone  to  this  object.  Higley's  firm  financially  sus- 
tained the  enterprise,  beside  sending  out  several  hundred  copies 


538  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

each  day  to  its  patrons.  The  little  journal  prospered  and  met 
with  success,  having  now  a  wide  circulation  among  the  general 
commission  houses  of  New  York,  which  they  distribute  to  their 
customers. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  Mr.  Higley's  health  suffered  prostration 
consequent  upon  long  over-taxation  in  business  ;  hemorrhage  of 
the  stomach  set  in,  and  his  vital  forces  well-nigh  collapsed  under 
nervous  prostration.  It  was  decided  by  his  physicians  that  if  he 
regained  his  health,  to  relieve  the  physical  and  mental  strain  he 
must  give  up  the  active  duties  of  commercial  life  and  retire  to  his 
country  home  to  recuperate.  Remaining  there  for  a  period  of 
more  than  two  years,  he  apparently  recovered,  and  in  1893  again 
entered  into  active  business  life  in  New  York  City. 

His  wife,  Helen  Simpson,  of  sturdy,  courageous  Scotch  stock, 
a  woman  independent  in  thought,  intense  in  her  emotions,  and 
of  great  practical  energy,  was  brought  by  her  parents,  with  a 
Scotch  colony  that  came  to  America  and  settled  at  Valcartier, 
twenty  miles  north  of  Quebec,  Canada,  when  she  was  seven  years 
of  age.  She  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  August  18,  1844. 

She  has  always  retained  a  warm  attachment  for  the  people  of 
her  nativity,  and  a  thoroughly  loyal  feeling  to  the  land  of  her 
birth  and  kindred  there.  Strong  in  character  and  person,  she 
grapples  difficulties  with  no  slumbering  or  uncertain  hand,  throw- 
ing herself  unflinchingly  into  any  situation  in  which  circum- 
stances are  unfavorable,  pressing  her  way  through,  and  inspiring 
all  about  her  with  hope  and  courage.  Full  of  humane  impulses, 
she  will  go  out  of  the  way  at  any  time  to  do  a  kindness  ;  her 
hospitality  is  free  and  hearty.  She  has  a  taste  for  reading,  and 
keeps  pace  with  the  current  events  and  popular  books  of  the  day. 
When  she  was  at  her  best  she  sang  with  deep  pathos  the  old 
Scotch  ballads  which  she  had  been  trained  in  and  taught  from 
childhood  ;  many  has  been  the  evening  when  with  perfect  accent 
and  expression  she  has  moved  those  around  her  fireside  with 
"My  Ain  Countrie,"  together  with 

"  And  there's  a  hand,  my  trusty  frere, 

And  gi'e's  a  hand  o'  thine  ; 
And  we'll  talc'  a  richt  guid-willie  waught 
For  auld  langsyne. 

For  auld  langsyne,  my  dear,"  etc. 

In  the  province  of  her  home  Mrs.  Higley  is  the  efficient  basis 
of  the  domestic  system.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Lewis  Avenue 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLEY,\ST.  539 

Congregational  Church,  Brooklyn.  Her  father,  John  Simpson,  a 
typical  Scotchman  who  retained  to  a  wonderful  degree  to  the 
end  of  his  life  the  marked  characteristics  of  his  race,  writes  in 
his  native  Scotch  dialect  of  her  ancestry  as  follows  : 

"VALCARTIER,  Q.,  C.,  December  5,  1886. 

"  DEAR  MISTRESS  JOHNSON  :  I  see  ye  wish  an  ootline  o'  the  hist'ry  o*  my  fore- 
bears an'  mysel',  but  I  fear  it  wad  tak'  ower  lang  to  tell,  an'  fill  up  too  muckle 
room  ;  forbye,  I  doobt  it  wadna  be  very  interestin'  readin' ;  hooever,  I'll  try  to 
mak'  the  lang  story  short. 

"  My  gran'feyther  wis  William  Simpson,  a  sma'  farmer  frae  the  pairish  o' 
Beath,  Fifeshire,  an'  my  gran'mither's  name  was  Marget  Macgregor.  They  hed 
twasons  an'  ae  dochter — John,  Davie,  an'  Elspeth,  or  '  Eppie,'  as  she  wis  aye  ca'ed. 
John  wis  my  feyther.  He  mairrit  ane  Helen  Reid,  a  dochter  o'  George  Reid,  wha 
wrocht  i'  the  agriculturist  wey  aboot  Cooriss  [Culross],  near  Clackmannan,  an'  eemi- 
gratit  to  Delhie,1  mair  than  saxty-five  years  syne.  This  Cooriss,  ye  ken,  used  to  be 
lang  famed  for  its  girdles  forbakin'  bannocks  on,  an'  is  situatit  on  an  ootlyin'  little 
bit  o'  Perthshire  [recently  added  to  Fifeshire  by  the  Boundary  Commissioners]. 

44  Efter  their  mairrage  John  and  Helen — my  feyther  and  mither — took  a  fairm 
in  Fife.  They  hed  a  lairge  faimly — Davie,  Willie,  Geordie,  John  (mysel'),  Jamie, 
an'  a  wheen  dochters,  but  a'  the  lassies  deid  in  infancy  excep'  Marget,  wha  is  still 
alive.  Willie  becam'  a  shoemaker,  an'  Jamie  a  baker.  As  for  mysel'  I  followed 
agricultural  pursoots  till  I  wis  fifteen  years  of  age.  Then  I  went  to  the  '  lang 
toon '  o'  Kirkcaldy  (Fifeshire)  to  learn  to  be  a  millwright  an'  engineer.  I  ser'd  an 
apprenticeship  o'  near  seeven  years  at  it.  Whan  my  time  wis  oot  I  gae'd  to  Enbrugh 
[Edinburgh],  an"  efter  workin'  there  a  while  I  mairret  Mary  Younge,  a  dochter  o' 
Jeems  Younge,  cairragemaker.  He  wis  a  hard-workin'  airtisan  an'  belanged  to 
Dollar,  Clackmannanshire,  but  Mary  hersel'  wis  born  in  theCanongate  o'  Enbrugh. 
My  feyther-in-law  hed  a  lairge  faimly,  but  he's  been  deid  for  mony  years  noo. 

"  Mary  (my  wife)  an'  me,  efter  oor  mairrage  lived  for  quite  a  number  o'  years  in 
Enbrugh.  There  she  brocht  hame  to  me  twa  dochters  an'  ae  son.  The  dochters 
are  still  alive,  but  the  son  "  is  not " — he  deid  while  young.  Ane  o'  my  dochters, 
Mary,  mairret  George  Todd,  potter,  noo  an  agriculturist  here  at  Valcartier ; 
an'  my  ither  dochter,  Helen,  mairret  Greenleaf  W.  Higley  of  New  York.  I  left 
Enbrugh  for  this  Province  on  loth  April,  1851,  an'  on  l8th  July  landed  at  Port- 
neuf,  in  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  aboot  thirty-six  miles  abune  Quebec.  My  lassie, 
Helen,  will  aye  min'  weel  aboot  it,  for  there,  durin'  a  squall,  she  fell  owre  the 
wharf  into  the  river  and  wis  near  droon'd. 

"  Whan  I  wis  young  they  werena  sae  very  partick'lar  as  they  are  noo  in  Scotland 
aboot  registerin'  births  et  sitra,  but  a'  weel-livin'  folk  there  made  a  pint  o'  gettin* 
their  little  anes  bapteesed,  an'  the  meenisters  were  carefu'  in  keepin'  an'  preservin' 
reg'lar  lists  o'  them  ;  sae  there  wad  be  nae  deeficulty  o'  gettin,'  at  least,  certeeficates 
o'  the  bapteesms  o'  my  forebears,  mysel,  an'  faimly.  I  wis  born  at  Dothan  fairm, 
pairish  o'  Auchterderran,  Fifeshire,  on  3lst  July,  1815.  My  wife  (wha  wud  be 
three  years  aulder  than  me)  wis  bapteesed  in  Nicolson  Street  United  Secession 
Kirk,  Enbrugh.  Oor  bairns  were  a'  born  in  Pleasance  Street,  Enbrugh,  and  were 
bapteesed  in  Broughton  Place  United  Secession  Kirk,  there.  Mary  wis  born  on 

1  State  of  New  York. 


54°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY, 

26th  April,  1839  ;  John,  on  3ist  December,  1841,  an"  Helen,  on  i8th  August, 
1844.     John  died  on  26th  June,  1843. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"JOHN  SIMPSON."  ' 

As  has  already  been  stated,  Greenleaf  W.  Higley  and  Helen 
Simpson  were  married  in  Boston,  Mass.,  January  21,  1867.  They 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 

John  Greenleaf,  born  November  22,  1868;  Ida  Mary,  born 
February  27,  1870;  Harriet  Salome,  born  March  23,  1872;  Charles 
Windsor,  born  November  14,  1874;  Helen  Ruth,  born  August  31, 
1876;  Alice  M.,  born  February  3,  1878;  died  February  13,  1878; 
Joseph  L.,  born  November  23,  1882,  died  an  infant;  Elizabeth 
Alice,  born  April  9,  1886. 

JOHN  GREENLEAF  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
November  22,  1868. 

He  was  an  apt  student  in  the  Brooklyn  public  schools,  giving  his  teachers  per- 
fect satisfaction,  graduating  in  1885,  after  which  he  entered  the  Brooklyn  High 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  June,  1887.  He  then  began  his  experience 
in  commercial  life,  entering  his  father's  business  house  in  New  York  City. 

From  March,  1891 ,  to  January,  1893,  he  was  with  a  firm  in  New  York  City,  largely 
engaged  in  the  butter  and  egg  business.  Later  on  he  connected  himself  with  the 
house  of  H.  Dowie  &  Co. 

Mr.  Higley  has  from  his  boyhood  been  characterized  by  his  excellent  capa- 
bilities, his  thorough  methodical  habits,  together  with  stirring  industry  and  faith- 
fulness to  duty,  traits  which  face  his  life  toward  a  rising  and  successful  career. 

On  the  3d  of  December,  1889,  he  married  Belle  Hamilton,  daughter  of  the 
late  Elwood  Hamilton  and  his  wife,  Angeline  Lyons.  She  was  born  January  8, 
1870,  near  Windsor  Mills,  Ashtabula  County,  O.  Her  primary  education  was 
received  at  the  district  school.  While  yet  at  a  tender  age  she  was  left  motherless. 
At  fourteen  she  went  to  Ravenna,  O.,  where  she  attended  the  public  graded  school 
and  then  attended  the  high  school  at  Marlboro',  O.  After  the  death  of  her  father 
she  became  a  student  at  the  New  Lyme  Institute,  Ohio,  a  collegiate  preparatory 
school.  Here  she  remained  two  years.  She  is  a  member  of  the  "  Christian" 
Church. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  established  a  tasteful  home  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Their  children  : 

Alice  Isabel  Higley  (adopted  babe),  born  December  21,  1892  ;  died  August  i, 
1893.  El-wood  John,  born  March  8,  1894. 

IDA  MARY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Greenleaf  W.  and  Helen  Simpson 
Higley,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  February  27, 1870.  From  childhood  she  was 
practical  and  earnest,  and  was  early  distinguished  for  her  pure  and  quiet  spirit  and 
high  moral  purpose,  as  well  as  the  "  Martha-like"  care  that  she  took  upon  herself 
in  the  things  of  the  home  and  over  the  younger  members  of  the  family. 

1  John  Simpson  died  June  2,  1888.  His  wife,  Mary  Younge  Simpson,  died  April  16, 1888.  They 
were  interred  side  by  side  in  the  Presbyterian  churchyard  at  Valcartier,  St.  Gabriel  District,  Quebec. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  541 

Endowed  with  a  philosophic  and  comprehensive  mind,  she  was  always  inclined 
to  intellectual  pursuits,  which  led  her  during  her  schooldays  not  only  to  diligent  and 
close  application  to  her  studies,  keeping  abreast  with  her  class,  but  to  snatch  hours 
whenever  she  could  for  reading  and  the  further  cultivation  of  her  mind.  She  has 
never  been  a  person  to  pore  over  books  without  absorbing  and  thinking  for  herself, 
taking  pleasure  in  thoroughly  digesting  what  she  reads. 

Miss  Higley  frequented  Plymouth  Church  and  listened  with  ardent  interest  to 
the  eloquence  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  by  whom  she  was  baptized.  She 
was  admitted  to  membership  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 

After  she  was  graduated  from  Brooklyn  Public  School,  No.  3,  in  1886,  and  when 
she  became  mistress  of  her  own  time,  she  went  through  the  full  course  of  the 
Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  receiving  a  diploma.  She  has  faith- 
fully pursued  the  study  of  music,  in  which  she  has  made  excellent  progress,  and 
possesses  exceptional  ability  as  a  music  teacher.  In  1891  she  spent  ten  weeks 
at  the  Normal  School  at  Fremont,  Neb.,  passing  an  examination  in  August  of 
that  year,  at  Stanton,  in  nineteen  branches,  obtaining  a  Normal  diploma,  also  a 
first  grade  teacher's  certificate.  She  afterward  took  up  the  second  course  of  the 
Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Circle. 

Eminently  qualified  for  the  work,  her  services  now  became  valuable  as  a  teacher, 
and  the  same  year — 1891 — found  herteaching  in  Curtis,  Neb.  On  the  close  of  the 
school  year  she  accepted  a  favorable  offer  in  the  town  of  Medical  Lake,  Wash., 
where  she  took  charge  of  the  intermediate  department.  There  she  played  the 
organ  in  the  Congregational  Church,  and  on  Sunday  afternoons  for  two  years 
conducted  the  music  in  the  State  Insane  Asylum. 

She  singularly  delights  in  her  chosen  work  of  instructing  the  young,  and  to  this 
calling  she  is  now  (1895),  devoting  herself,  filling  most  acceptably  a  place  of  rare 
usefulness  at  Mannington,  W.  Va. 

HARRIET  SALOME  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Greenleaf  W.  and  Helen  Simp- 
son Higley,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  23,  1872.  She  was  a  vigorous, 
high-spirited,  generous-hearted  child,  and  is  now  a  diligent,  practical,  and  active 
woman,  well  acquainted  with,  and  efficient  in,  all  of  the  various  phases  of  the  house- 
hold domestic  interests,  and  capable  in  business  qualifications.  She  was  graduated 
from  Brooklyn  Public  School,  No.  3,  in  the  year  1889.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Lewis  Avenue  Congregational  Church  and  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society. 
She  married  Floyd  Traver  Loucks  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  October  24,  1894,  who 
was  born  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1872.  They  reside  in  Brooklyn. 
They  have  one  child,  Howard  Simpson  Loucks,  born  July  9,  1895. 

CHARLES  WINDSOR  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Greenleaf  W.  and  Helen 
Simpson  Higley,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  November  14,  1874.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  in  that  city  and  was  graduated  June,  1889.  He  is  engaged  in 
business  with  a  leading  commission  house  of  New  York  City,  and  resides  with  his 
parents  in  Brooklyn. 

HELEN  RUTH  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Greenleaf  W.  and  Helen  Simpson  Hig- 
ley, was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  August  31,  1876,  and  was  graduated  from  Public 
School,  No.  43,  New  York  City,  June  20,  1893.  She  is  a  diligent  and  dutiful 
daughter,  exercising  at  all  times  within  the  sphere  of  her  home  generous  and  amiable 
qualities  of  heart  worthy  of  remark.  Possessing  a  natural  disposition  for  books 
and  their  contents  she  turns  her  spare  hours  to  profit  by  a  constant  course  of  read- 


542  THE  NIG  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ing.  To  this  practice  may  be  attributed  her  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  works 
of  many  authors.  She  is  a  member  of  Lewis  Avenue  Congregational  Church,  and 
resides  with  her  parents. 

ELIZABETH  ALICE  HIGLEY, — called  "  Bessie," — the  youngest  surviving  child  of 
Greenleaf  W.  and  Helen  Simpson  Higley,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  April  9, 
1886,  and  is  now  attending  Public  School  No.  35,  Brooklyn. 


Continued  from  page  523. 

LUCY  EXNIE  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  child  of  Hume  and  Betsey 
(Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  September  10,  1848. 
She  was  a  brunette,  with  charming  brown  eyes.  For  some  years 
she  was  in  a  delicate  state  of  physical  health,  which  resulted  in 
the  weakening  of  her  mental  faculties.  She  died,  unmarried, 
May  26,  1872,  and  was  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Windsor 
Corners. 

HARRIET  HIGLEY,  the  twelfth  and  youngest  child  of  Hume  and 
Betsey  (Norris)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County, 
O.,  September  2,  1851.  She  has  spent,  with  little  exception, 
her  entire  life  upon  the  farm  where  she  was  born  and  reared. 
During  the  last  years  of  the  lives  of  both  of  her  parents,  through 
a  protracted  period  when  they  were  bowed  with  ill  health,  she 
was  dutifully  at  hand  devoting  herself  incessantly  in  administer- 
ing to  their  comfort,  and  faithfully  .managing  the  housewife 
affairs. 

In  substantial  acknowledgment  of  this  faithful  attention  to 
their  parents,  her  brothers  voluntarily  released  their  right  and 
inheritance  to  the  old  homestead  where  most  of  them  had  been 
born,  together  with  sixteen  acres  of  land,  presenting  her  with  a 
clear  title-deed  to  the  property.  On  this  property  she  now 
resides  with  her  husband. 

November  10,  1880,  she  married  Andrew  M.  Cruse,  who  was 
born  in  Svaneke,  Island  of  Bornholm,  Denmark,  December  3, 
1851.  He  was  the  son  of  Anders  and  Margrethe  Kruse.1  His 
father  died  in  1858,  leaving  his  widow  with  three  children,  the 
eldest  being  Andrew,  who  was  but  just  turned  of  seven  years  of 
age.  The  boy  attended  the  national  schools  in  his  native  town 
until  he  was  fourteen,  and  was  confirmed,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  country,  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 

The  mother  seeming  naturally  to  lean  much  upon  this  son, 

1  In  the  Danish  language  the  name  is  spelled  with  a  "  K  " — Kruse. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  543 

Andrew  grew  to  manhood  in  intimacy  with  her,  and  under  a 
sense  of  the  responsibility  of  the  home  and  its  household. 

Attracted,  when  about  the  age  of  twenty,  by  the  golden  oppor- 
tunities and  advantages  he  heard  of  in  America  for  business 
prosperity,  he  sailed  for  New  York  from  Copenhagen,  August, 
1870,  and  landed  on  the  zoth  of  September  the  same  year.  In 
less  than  twelve  months  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he 
went  to  Windsor,  O.,  where  he  made  an  engagement  in  connec- 
tion with  a  quarry  of  fine  building  stone,  in  which  business  he  has 
continued  since.  He  is  a  man  of  substantial  character  and  excel- 
lent business  abilities,  well  respected  in  the  community. 

Their  children: 

Henry  A.,  born  August  14,  1881,  died  October  2,  1881;  Alma 
Pearl,  born  April  21,  1883;  Lawrence  A.,  born ,  1889. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

ALLEN    HIGLEY. 

Family  of  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Higley  ^   •$<!,  continued  from  page  516. 

Allen,  Jonathan,  3d,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  The  present  is  the  vassal  of  the  past." 

ALLEN  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  and 
Kesiah  (Griswold)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  January  14, 
1809.  He  resided  in  his  native  township  during  his  whole  life. 
As  a  farmer  and  an  extensive  dealer  in  blooded  stock,  together 
with  manufacturing  to  considerable  extent  the  once  famous 
"  Western  Reserve  cheese,"  he  accumulated  property  and  became 
one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  township. 

Mr.  Higley  was  a  true  type  of  an  American  business  farmer. 
He  was  an  excellent  financier,  straightforward,  and  unquestion- 
ably a  man  of  force.  In  making  investments  of  his  means  he 
was  conservative  and  cautious  of  running  risks,  but  was  always 
ready  to  cheerfully  entertain  propositions  for  loans  to  safe  busi- 
ness men,  or  to  become  their  security. 

He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  held  the  office  for  some 
years. 

Like  his  older  brother,  Hume  Higley,  he  was  a  man  of  noble 
stature,  measuring  six  feet  in  height,  and  weighing  nearly  two 
hundred  pounds;  genial  in  temperament,  and  of  agreeable  ways,  no 
man  in  the  community  was  better  liked  or  more  highly  respected. 

He  married,  in  1836,  Lois  Norris,  a  cousin  of  his  sister-in-law, 
Betsey  (Norris)  Higley,  and  daughter  of  Cornelius  Norris,  who 
came  from  Tolland,  Conn.,  to  Windsor,  O.,  in  1812.  She  was  born 
in  1808.  Her  family  were  strict  members  of  the  Methodist 
denomination,  and  Lois  was  faithful  to  her  Church.  Her  hus- 
band, Allen  Higley,  was  not  a  church  communicant,  but  attended 
Sunday  services  with  his  wife,  and  gave  generously  to  the  regular 
support  of  the  church,  as  well  as  liberally  contributing  to  a  new 
church  building.  After  their  marriage  they  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  the  northwest  part  of  Windsor,  where  Mr.  Higley 
owned  a  considerable  tract  of  land.  Later  on  he  built  a  com- 

544 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  545 

modious  dwelling  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town  on  Phelps 
Creek,  to  which  they  removed  and  where  they  spent  their 
remaining  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  had  no  children.  By  the  decease  of  their 
brother-in-law  and  sister,  Joseph  and  Mary  (Higley)  Graves,  a 
family  of  nine  children  were  left  orphans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley 
opened  their  hearts  and  home  to  these  children,  receiving  three, 
Allen,  Wilbur,  and  Harriet,  to  whom  they  extended  faithful  and 
affectionate  paternal  care,  manifesting  an  interest  in  them 
scarcely  less  than  they  would  have  bestowed  upon  children  of 
their  own. 

Allen  Higley  died  April  i,  1872.  His  wife,  Lois  Higley,  died 
March  27,  1886.  Their  burials  took  place  in  the  village  cemetery 
at  Windsor  Corners. 

Continued  from  page  516. 

ACHSAH  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  and 
Kesiah  (Griswold)  Higley,  was  born  February  5,  1811.  She  died 
of  dysentery,  August  ii,  1816,  twodaysafter  her  mother  departed 
this  life  from  the  same  disease. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Jonathan,  Jr.,  and  Kesiah 
(Griswold)  Higley,  was  born  February  18,  1813.  An  aged  pioneer 
who  remembers  her  distinctly  remarked  to  the  writer:  "Mary 
Higley  was  the  finest  girl  I  ever  knew."  She  married  Joseph 
Graves,  of  Windsor,  O.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  Graves.  He 
was  born  January  28,  1809.  She  received  as  a  marriage  gift  from 
her  father  four  hundred  dollars  in  money. 

Joseph  Graves  died  of  pulmonary  consumption,  January  23, 
1849.  His  wife  died  of  the  same  disease,  May  13,  1851.  They 
were  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz. : 

Alice  and  Harriet,  twins,  born  June,  1836;  Allen,  born  August 
27,  1838;  Ashley,  born  March,  1840;  Lucy,  born  February,  1842; 
Wilbur;  Wallace;  Edgar  and  Mary,  twins,  born  June  30,  1849. 

The  parents  and  seven  of  their  children  died  while  yet  in  the 
vigor  and  brightness  of  man  and  womanhood.  The  dates  of  their 
deaths  are  given  below.  The  three  surviving  children  are  Wilbur, 
Wallace,  and  Edgar. 

WILBUR  GRAVES,  the  eldest  of  the  three,  married Norris,  and  resides  in 

Windsor,  O.     He  is  an  agriculturist,  owning  a  well  cultivated  farm.     Their  chil- 
dren ;  Ernest,  Ashley,  Benjamin,  Augusta. 

WALLACE  GRAVES,  the  second  surviving  son,  lived  for  some  time  after  the  death 


546  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  his  parents  with  his  grandfather.  When  soldiers  were  required  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union,  he  was  among  the  first  to  enter  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  enlisted,  June  n,  1861,  in  the  230!  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes  (afterward  President  of  the  United  States)  commanding,  "  for 
three  years,  or  during  the  War."  The  regiment  was  known  as  "  the  Hayes  Regi- 
ment." Wallace  Graves  served  during  the  entire  period  of  the  war,  and  was  with 
his  regiment  in  all  of  its  engagements.  He  more  than  once  suffered  severe  wounds. 
In  one  battle  he  was  struck  by  a  ball,  which  entering  near  the  stomach,  passed  al- 
most through  his  body,  making  a  frightful  wound;  his  life  was  saved  by  a  success- 
ful surgical  operation.  Again,  during  the  roar  of  cannon  and  musketry,  he  received 
a  gunshot  wound  in  the  knee.  Falling  upon  the  field  of  battle,  he  was  captured  a 
prisoner.  Seeing  the  Confederates  coming  upon  him,  and  knowing  that  he  was 
forced  to  surrender,  he  took  his  watch  from  its  hiding-place  in  his  clothing,  and 
dashed  it  upon  a  stone  close  by,  shouting,  "You  shall  not  get  this."  He  now 
resides  at  Eureka,  Humboldt  County,  Cal. 

EDGAR  GRAVES,  the  youngest  child  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  was  born  at 
Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  June  30,  1849.  Though  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  period  of  his  life,  he  acquired  a  comprehensive  education.  He  resided  for  a 
number  of  years  at  Hartsgrove,  an  adjoining  town  to  that  of  his  birth,  bearing  a 
well-deserved  character  as  an  honorable  citizen. 

Mr.  Graves  took  an  active  part  in  the  official  and  educational  affairs  of  the  town, 
and  was  honored  with  different  public  trusts  ;  he  received  the  appointment  and  served 
as  postmaster,  was  elected  and  served  in  the  office  of  County  Clerk,  and  at  the  present 
time  holds  the  office  of  Treasurer  of  Ashtabula  County,  residing  at  Jefferson,  the 
county  seat.  He  married  Lucy  Jarvis,  a  woman  whose  talents,  especially  in  music, 
and  many  attractive  qualities  win  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  her.  They  have  no 
children. 

Continued  from  page  516. 

KESIAH  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Jonathan  and  Kesiah  (Gris- 
wold)  Higley,  was  born  August  19,  1815.  She  was  an  infant  but 
one  year  old  when  her  mother  died.  She  married  Cyrus  Graves, 
a  brother  to  Joseph  Graves,  whom  her  sister  Mary  married.  At 
her  marriage  she  received  from  her  father  an  equal  amount  as 
that  presented  to  her  sister — four  hundred  dollars.  But  she  was 
destined  to  reach  only  the  bloom  of  mature  womanhood,  she 
too  dying  of  pulmonary  consumption,  passing  from  earth,  May  16, 
1849.  They  had  two  children,  Adeline  and  Orwin.  Her  husband, 
Cyrus  Graves,  survived  her;  he  removed  to  Niagara,  on  the 
Canada  side,  and  was  for  some  years  the  proprietor  of  the 
Niagara  House.  He  died  in  Canada. 

Adeline,  their  eldest  child,  born  January,  1837,  died  four  years 
after  her  mother.  Orwin  Graves,  the  only  survivor  of  the 
family,  now  resides  in  the  Province. 

A  long  row  of  plain  white  marble  slabs   in   the   cemetery  at 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  1ST.  547 

Windsor  Corners,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  recording  the  deaths  of 
the  members  of  the  two  families  of  the  Higley  sisters  sketched 
above,  who  married  the  Graves  brothers,  presents  the  remarkable 
and  touching  spectacle  of  almost  two  entire  households  passing 
away  with  that  insiduous  disease,  consumption  of  the  lungs. 
The  inscriptions  are  as  follows: 

Joseph  Graves,  died  January  23,  1849,  aged  40  years. 

Kesiah  (Higley)  Graves,  wife  of  Cyrus  Graves,  died  May  16,  1849,  aged  33  years. 
Mary  (Higley)  Graves,  wife  of  Joseph  Graves,  died  May  13,  1851,  aged  38  years. 
Harriet,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  June  13,  1852,  aged  16  years. 
Adeline,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Kesiah  Graves,  died  June  19,  1853,  aged  16  years, 

5  months. 
Alice,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  November  17,  1857,  in  the  22d 

year  of  her  age. 
Allen,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  September  28,  1859,  aged  2I  years,  I 

month,  I  day. 
Ashley,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  June  17,   1863,  aged  22  years,  10 

months,  7  days. 
Lucy,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  January  II,  1865,  aged  22  years, 

II  months. 
Mary  K.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Graves,  died  August  2, 1867,  aged  18  years, 

I  month. 

Continued  front  page  516. 

ACHSAH  HIGLEY  (ad),  the  sixth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d, 
and  the  first  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Lewis,  was 
born  at  Windsor,  O.,  October  26,  1819.  At  theage  of  nine  years 
she  went  to  reside  with  her  grandparents,  Isaac  and  Sally  Kinney, 
at  Kinsman,  Trumbull  County,  O.,  and  at  eighteen  she  united 
with  the  Methodist  Church  of  that  place.  Here  she  married 
March  31,  1841,  Ira  Kinney  of  Kinsman.  Mrs.  Kinney  was  born 
March  17,  1818.  Her  father  having  given  her  a  marriage  gift  of 
two  hundred  dollars,  the  newly  married  pair,  uniting  their  means 
as  well  as  their  future  lives  together,  secured  a  small  parcel  of 
land  at  Newberry,  Geauga  County,  O.,  upon  which  they  estab- 
lished their  home.  Possessing  active  energy,  good  health,  and 
indomitable  spirits,  they  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  two  years 
after  their  marriage  purchased  additional  land;  finally  increasing 
their  estate  to  two  hundred  acres,  for  which  they  have  long  held  a 
clear  title-deed.  On  this  farm  they  resided  together  more  than  fifty 
years.  They  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Newberry,  pass- 
ing through  all  the  experiences  and  vicissitudes  of  the  pioneer  life. 


548  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Mrs.  Kinney  passed  through  life  making  many  friends,  but 
never  enemies.  To  her  family  she  gave  her  best  attention,  being 
her  husband's  helpful  companion,  and  always  a  faithful  counselor 
to  her  children.  Many  will  remember  her  generous  hospitality 
with  gratitude,  her  richness  in  good  common  sense,  and  her 
affectionate  desire  Jo  serve  her  God  and  promote  the  welfare  of 
all  whose  pathway  in  life  lay  alongside  of  her  own.  Her  heart  was 
in  touch  with  humanity  wherever  it  was  in  distress  or  suffering. 
It  was  a  usual  thing  among  the  many  kind  acts  of  her  life,  to  see 
her  busily  engaged  in  knitting  stockings  and  mittens  for  the 
needy.  She  became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  two  dying  soon 
after  their  birth.  During  the  last  eight  years  she  lived,  she  was  in 
an  enfeebled  state  of  health.  In  the  spring  of  1892  she  began  to 
perceptibly  fail  from  an  affection  of  the  bowels,  and  on  the  20th 
of  May  (1892),  she  departed  at  God's  "home  call,"  which  she 
knew,  for  her  listening  ear  had  heard  its  bidding.  The  funeral 
services  took  place  at  her  home,  and  she  was  laid  to  rest  beside 
her  children  in  the  cemetery  at  Newberry  Centre.  Her  husband 
survives  her.  Ira  and  Achsah  (Higley)  Kinney  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  named  children: 

Albert  Reed,  Jonathan  Higley,  Martha  Arvilla,  Ira  Allen, 
Frank  IV.,  Lucy  Addie  ("Dollie"),  and  Emma  Jane. 

ALBERT  REED  KINNEY,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  May  25,  1844.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents,  assisting  in  the  farm  work  and  pursuing  his  studies,  till 
the  spring  of  1861,  when,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  among  the 
first  who  volunteered  in  the  service  of  his  country.  In  August  of  that  year  he  en- 
listed in  Company  B,  4ist  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Though  young  and 
strong,  and  seeming  sure  of  long  life,  his  constitution  did  not  stand  the  strain  of 
hardship  and  exposure  ;  the  following  summer — 1862 — found  him  much  broken 
down  with  a  disease  incident  to  camp  life,  chronic  dysentery.  He  finally  became 
the  occupant  of  military  hospital  beds,  and  at  last  was  transferred  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  where,  still  continuing  to  fail  in  strength,  he  received,  on  account  of  his  dis- 
ability, an  honorable  discharge.  He  was  afterward  transferred  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
from  which  point  he  was  with  much  difficulty  brought  home  by  his  father — but  only 
to  die.  His  decease  took  place  soon  after  his  arrival — February  12,  1863.  He  was 
a  promising  young  man,  tall  in  stature,  enjoyed  fine  physical  health,  and  was  finely 
built ;  possessing  a  sunny  disposition,  he  was  always  in  good  spirits.  He  proved 
himself  a  brave  and  true  soldier. 

"  He  gave  up  his  life  his  country  to  save, 
And  claimed  for  the  sacrifice  only  a  grave." 

JONATHAN  HIGLEY  KINNEY,  the  second  child  of  Achsah  Higley  and  Ira  Kinney, 
was  born  November  25,  1846,  and  has  since  lived  in  Newberry,  Geauga  County,  O., 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  549 

with  the  exception  of  a  few  years'  residence  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  He 
received  his  elementary  education  in  the  neighboring  district  school,  afterward 
attending  the  Chester  Cross  Road  Seminary  and  the  Orwell  High  School.  Later  on 
he  pursued  his  studies  at  Geneva,  O.  He  has  had  some  experience  as  an  educator, 
having  successfully  taught  several  school  terms.  Owning  a  well  improved  farm  ad- 
joining his  parents'  estate,  he  is  at  present  engaged  in  the  culture  of  small  fruits  and 

bees.     He  married,  January  22,  1872,  .     He  is  a  vigorous  man  in  the  prime 

of  life,  quiet  and  unassuming,  worthy  of  the  high  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 
There  are  no  children. 

MARTHA  ARVILLA  KINNEY,  the  third  child  of  Achsah  Higley  and  Ira  Kinney, 
was  born  February  i,  1849.  She  married  Stephen  Dunwell,  September  2,  1876. 
They  reside  in  Newberry,  O.  Mr.  Dunwell  is  a  farmer.  They  have  no  children. 

IRA  ALLEN  KINNEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Achsah  Higley  and  Ira  Kinney,  was 
born  August  4,  1855.  He  died  of  diphtheria,  January  6,  1863. 

FRANK  W.  KINNEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Achsah  Higley  and  Ira  Kinney,  was  born 
July  13,  1858.  He  was  a  particularly  bright  and  intelligent  child,  bearing  promise 
of  development  into  a  noble  man.  But  his  young  life  was  suddenly  cut  short. 
During  a  sharp  thunderstorm,  May  23,  1870,  while  hastily  running  from  the  house 
into  the  door-yard,  he  was  struck  by  lightning  and  killed.  His  bereaved  parents 
laid  him  in  the  cemetery  at  Newberry  Centre  beside  his  two  brothers. 

LUCY  ADDIE  KINNEY,  the  sixth  child,  who  has  from  infancy  been  known  by  the 
familiar  household  name  of  "  Dollie,"  was  born  January  25,  1861.  She  attended 
the  district  school  while  pursuing  the  elementary  branches.  She  was  afterward  a 
student  at  the  Ge^y^a  Seminary,  Chester  Cross  Roads,  a  superior  institution  of 
learning,  which  was  honored  by  the  late  President  Garfield,  he  having  here  gained 
the  rudiments  of  his  classical  education.  Miss  "Dollie"  resides  at  home  with 
her  father,  taking  the  responsibility  of  the  domestic  concerns  of  the  home,  and 
nobly  caring  for  the  motherless  babe  of  her  deceased  sister  Emma. 

EMMA  JANE  KINNEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Achsah  and  Ira  Kinney,  was  born 
October  27,  1865.  She  took  the  common  school  course  at  the  district  schoolhouse 
near  her  father's  home,  and  then  attended  the  high  school  at  Chardon,  the  county 
seat  of  Geauga  County,  Ohio. 

In  due  course  of  time  she  became  a  successful  teacher.  She  married,  October  15, 
1890,  Robert  A.  Moore  of  Chagrin  Falls,  O.,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Her  thread  of  life  was  untimely  snapped  in  little  more  than  one  brief  year  after- 
ward. She  departed  this  life  on  the  22d  of  February,  1892,  after  a  brief  illness 
of  pneumonia,  having  made  her  days  fragrant  by  her  influence. 

She  left  an  infant  child,  born  October  30,  1891,  who  bears  the  name  of  Gladys  S. 
Moore, 

"  There  is  no  death  !     The  stars  go  down 

To  rise  upon  some  fairer  shore  ; 
And  bright  in  Heaven's  jeweled  crown 

They  shine  forever  more. 
And  even  near  us,  though  unseen, 
The  dear  immortal  spirits  tread  ; 
For  all  the  boundless  universe 
Is  life— there  are  no  dead." 


55°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Continued  from  page  516. 

JONATHAN  HIGLEY,  4th,  the  seventh  child  of  Jonathan  Higley, 
3d,  and  the  second  child  of  his  wife  Martha  (Kinney)  Lewis,  was 
born  at  Windsor,  O.,  June  21,  1821. 

He  was  among  the  eldest  of  his  father's  sons,  and  consequently 
was  made  acquainted  during  his  earlier  years  with  the  heavy 
labor  incident  to  farm  life  in  a  wooded  country  not  long  settled. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  the  township  and  'tis 

said: 

"  He  was  quick  metal  when  he  went  to  school."  l 

When  he  had  passed  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  married, 
December  5,  1843,  Jane,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Miriam  Clark 
of  Kinsman,  Trumbull  County,  O.,  who  was  born  April  26,  1822. 

The  land  set  apart  to  him  by  his  father  when  he  reached  his 
majority  laid  in  Hartsgrove,  an  adjoining  township,  and  was  yet 
uncleared  of  its  heavy  timber.  To  begin  in  the  original  forest 
and  carve  out  a  farm  required  a  repetition  of  much  of  the  hard 
labor  that  had  attended  the  efforts  of  the  early  settlers,  although 
a  period  of  forty  years  had  now  elapsed  since  his  father's  ax  was 
heard  among  those  that  broke  the  stillness  of  the  dense  forests 
of  Windsor.  A  house  and  barns  were  to  be  erected,  the  timber 
felled,  fields  made,  and  orchards  planted.  Time  came  when 
young  Jonathan  had  made  for  himself  a  name  and  a  place  among 
the  well  managed  farms  of  the  township,  the  happy  results  of 
honest,  well  directed  toil.  Here  for  a  number  of  years  he  resided 
and  was  prosperous. 

But  he  was  destined  to  a  day  of  misfortune.  Entering  into  a 
partnership  in  the  dry  goods  and  country  merchandise  trade, 
which  met  with  no  reasonable  success,  together  with  an  unfor- 
tunate suretyship,  his  circumstances  became  greatly  reduced. 
A  long  and  wearying  illness  of  his  wife  about  the  same  time, 
which  finally  resulted  in  her  death,  added  to  his  trials  and  dis- 
appointments. 

Jane  Clark,  his  wife,  whom  pulmonary  consumption  claimed 
for  its  victim,  was  a  woman  of  unusual  ability,  earnest  hearted, 
and  of  broad  sympathy.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  till  her 
marriage  at  twenty  she  was  a  teacher.  The  certificates  given  her 
by  the  school  examiners  show  her  to  have  been  thoroughly  well 
qualified  for  her  position,  and  sustaining  a  "very  fine  character." 
She  left  behind  her  a  noble  record  of  much  usefulness. 

1  Julius   Caesar. 


JONATHAN    HIGLEY, 

OF   WINDSOR,   OHIO. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, 1ST.  551 

At  Jonathan  Higley's  home  a  broad  hospitality  was  ever  prac- 
ticed. His  wife  was  given  to  keeping  open  door  to  all  in  need, 
receiving  every  class  of  persons  underneath  their  roof.  She  was 
known  to  more  than  once  bid  an  unfortunate  neighbor  to  come 
in  just  at  nightfall,  invite  him  to  partake  of  a  comfortable  warm 
meal,  and,  seeing  him  in  need  of  clean  linen,  loan  him  one  of  her 
husband's  shirts  while  his  own  was  laundried,  then  sit  up  late  to 
neatly  repair  it,  and  by  midnight  send  him  away  in  good  condi- 
tion and  good  cheer. 

She  died  August  i,  1858,  leaving  a  memory  which  lingered 
fondly  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  her. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  her  husband's  sister,  Olive 
Higley,  died  of  the  same  disease.  Their  bodies  were  taken  to  the 
village  Universalist  Church,  where  the  funeral  services  were  held 
at  the  same  hour,  the  Rev.  Charles  Shipman,  who  was  an  old 
schoolmate  of  Mrs.  Jane  Higley,  preaching  the  funeral  sermon 
by  her  request. 

The  last  five  years  of  his  father's  life  Jonathan,  4th,  with  his 
two  daughters,  lived  in  the  old  homestead  with  his  parents, 
administering  to  them  in  their  then  declining  years,  his  daughter 
Ellen  being  the  special  attendant  of  her  grandmother.  On  the 
decease  of  his  father  he,  with  his  brother  Allen  Higley,  was 
appointed  an  administrator  to  the  estate. 

After  remaining  a  widower  eleven  years  he  married  Elizabeth 
Clark,  a  widow  with  four  young  children,  who  possessed  some 
property.  Mrs.  Clark  was  a  woman  of  more  than  average 
intellectual  attainments,  was  gentle  in  her  demeanor,  and  good 
and  true  at  heart.  They  resided  upon  a  small  farm  in  Windsor, 
which  Mr.  Higley  managed.  After  a  married  life  extending 
about  twenty-three  years;  his  second  wife  died  of  pneumonia, 
March,  1892. 

Jonathan  Higley,  4th,  inherited  largely  of  his  father's  (Esquire 
Jonathan  Higley)  temperament.  In  intellectual  strength  he  is  a 
"young  old  man,"  and,  as  was  recently  remarked  concerning 
another  personage,  "the  kind  of  brains  he  got  is  the  kind  that 
lasts."  He  is  a  man  of  good  attainments:  in  his  reading,  lean- 
ing to  the  current  of  modern  thought,  he  is  somewhat  skeptical, 
and  likes  argumentation  on  Christian  beliefs.  To  look  into  his 
face  it  betrays  much  wisdom  smoldering  there,  which,  with  his 
counsel  and  good  judgment,  is  sought  by  all  the  near  kindred 
concerning  their  various  affairs,  and  much  valued.  He  possesses 


552  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

a  social,  generous  nature,  his  hand  always  being  freely  opened 
to  any  who  require  assistance — perhaps  too  freely  for  his  own 
material  interests.  His  habits  in  life  are  of  "rugged  simplicity," 
and  in  personal  appearance  he  is  pronounced,  by  all  who  meet 
him  as  strikingly  resembling  the  ideals  pictured  by  artists  repre- 
senting "Uncle  Sam."  Whatever  of  human  infirmities  he  may 
possess  are  covered  by  his  eminent  impartiality,  and  his  thorough, 
loyal  fidelity  in  his  friendships.  Appreciating  humor  and  given 
to  a  good  joke,  a  ready  welcome  always  awaits  him  as  a  visitor. 
He  is  to-day  the  patriarch  Higley  of  the  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio, 
branch  of  the  Higley  Family,  having  reached  life's  afternoon — 
the  glamour  of  its  setting  sun  already  rests  upon  his  brow. 

Jonathan,  4th,  and  Jane  (Clark)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  viz. : 

Pluma  and  Ellen.  They  adopted  a  motherless  babe  the  first 
year  after  their  marriage,  named  Ruth  Turtle,  born  December  5, 
1843,  to  whom  they  extended  the  same  affectionate  care  and 
advantages  of  education  as  they  did  their  own  children.  She  in 
turn  devoted  herself  to  her  foster-parents  with  filial  attachment 
and  obedience,  fully  rewarding  them  for  their  expenditure  of 
parental  care.  She  married  Marvin  Grover  of  Windsor,  O.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Higley  also  took  to  their  home,  Ashley  Graves,  one  of 
the  nine  orphaned  children  of  Jonathan  Higley's  half  sister, 
Mary  Higley  Graves.  Ashley  Graves  died  June,  1863. 


PLUMA  HIGLEY,  their  eldest  daughter,  was  born  March  16,  1848.  She  married 
Horace  Atkins,  February  19,  1867.  They  reside  in  Windsor,  O.  They  have  no 
children,  but  adopted  a  daughter  who  was  nearly  related  by  blood  ties — Jennie  IV. 
Atkins.  She  was  born  May  17,  1868.  She  married  Emory  Clark,  and  resides  in 
Cleveland,  O. 

ELLEN  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Jonathan,  4th,  and  Jane  (Clark)  Higley,  was 
born  March  22,  1851.  She  married  Lewis  Young,  July  4,  1869.  They  had  one 
child,  James  Young,  born  April  13,  1873.  James  Young  died,  1894.  Her  second 
marriage  was  with Ward  of  Painesville,  O. 


Continued  frontpage  516. 

HECTOR  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d, 
and  the  third  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Lewis,  was 
born  at  the  old  Windsor  homestead,  September  10,  1822. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm  he  was  early  trained  in  the  hard 
school  of  agricultural  industry,  attending  the  common  school  in 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HKLEY,  1ST.  553 

the  winters.  From  boyhood  it  was  recognized  that  he  possessed 
a  genuine  talent  for  music,  and  he  early  began  a  musical  edu- 
cation. 

By  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  was  engaged  in  traveling  from 
point  to  point  in  northern  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  accompanied 
by  his  brother,  Aaron  Higley,  conducting  dancing  classes,  for 
which  they  furnished  their  own  music,  using  the  clarionet  and 
violin.  In  this  profession  he  was  successfully  engaged  seven 
years.  As  a  violinist  he  became  proficient  and  popular,  and  for 
a  great  many  years  was  before  the  public,  in  request  far  and  near 
for  furnishing  the  music  at  gatherings  of  every  sort,  public  and 
patriotic,  as  well  as  those  of  a  select  and  social  character. 

In  the  autumn  of  1851  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Hartsgrove 
Township,  to  which  he  afterward  added  lands,  making  in  all  196 
acres.  This  quantity  was  further  increased  by  portions  he 
received  from  his  father. 

The  same  year — 1851 — he  married  Elvira  Mullen,  daughter  of 
William  and  Matilda  Mullen,  who  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
Pennsylvania.  They  settled  on  his  Hartsgrove  farm.  Their 
married  life  lasted  but  ten  years,  during  which  period  two  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Elvira  Higley  died  of  pulmonary 
consumption,  March  25,  1861,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years 
and  six  months,  and  was  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Windsor 
Corners. 

In  the  year  1862  Mr.  Higley's  second  marriage  took  place  with 
Martha  Farnsworth,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Fannie  P.  Farns- 
worth  of  Hartsgrove.  She  was  born  December  16,  1836. 

Mr.  Higley's  is  a  musical  household,  music  being  a  part  of  the 
family  life.  His  home  has  always  been  the  well-known  resort  of 
a  large  circle  of  music-loving  people  since  his  hearthstone  was 
founded.  His  daughter  Luella  possessed  musical  genius,  and 
received  considerable  local  reputation.  The  picturesque  scene 
of  the  family  group,  together  with  the  harmony  with  which 
they  practiced  concerted  music,  always  furnished  a  pleasing 
social  entertainment.  Luella's  decease  in  the  bloom  of  young 
womanhood  brought  grief  to  a  wide  circle. 

Hector  Higley  is  a  generous-spirited  man.  His  faithful  friend- 
ship and  true  brotherly  kindness,  shown  by  his  many  good  acts 
toward  his  kindred,  as  well  as  to  others,  are  the  outgrowth  of  a 
nature  and  education  inherited  and  grown  in  the  atmosphere  of 
his  father's  life  and  enduring  example.  This  has  led  him  to  act 


554  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

upon  his  love  of  mankind,  furnishing  a  home  to  the  unfortunate, 
and  looking  especially  after  those  in  depressed  circumstances. 

During  the  late  Civil  War  he  possessed  the  lively  interest  and 
enthusiasm  that  was  becoming  a  patriotic  citizen.  His  contribu- 
tions to  the  various  calls  in  aid  of  military  service  were  liberal 
and  frequent.  For  the  purpose  of  raising  a  volunteer  corps  he 
gave  three  hundred  dollars  at  one  subscription. 

Outside  of  his  agricultural  interests  and  the  supervision  of  his 
large,  well  improved  farm,  he  is  well  known  as  an  owner  and  lover 
of  high-blooded  stock,  especially  horses  and  sheep.  He  is  a  fine 
judge  of  horses,  and  owns  the  finest  thoroughbreds  in  the 
county. 

Children  of  the  first  marriage  were  Frances  and  Dexter. 

By  second  marriage  :  Zorada,  who  died  December  30,  1863, 
aged  one  year  ;  Luella  A.,  Rhomey,  Lucia,  and  Gordon. 

FRANCES,  the  oldest  daughter,  born  January  4,  1852  ;  married  Frank  Nye,  1870. 

DEXTER,  the  oldest  son,  born  January  6,  1856  ;  married,  October  20,  1881, 
Gertie  Haskins,  who  was  born  September  20,  1858.  They  reside  in  Hartsgrove, 
O.  They  have  no  children. 

LUELLA  A.,  the  eldest  surviving  daughter  of  the  second  marriage,  born  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1865  ;  married,  November  9,  1889,  Charles  N.  Cloes.  She  died  April 
4,  1890. 

RHOMEY,  the  eldest  son  of  Hector  and  Martha  (Farnsworth)  Higley,  born 
September  22,  1867;  married,  November  15,  1888,  Effe  Decker  of  Hartsgrove,  O. 
They  reside  in  Hartsgrove. 

LUCIA,  born  October  29,  1870,  and  GORDON,  born  April  ir,  1872,  the  youngest 
son  and  daughter,  reside  with  their  parents. 


Continued  from  page  516. 

URSULA  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Jonathan,  3d,  and  the  fourth 
by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Higley,  was  born  at  the 
Higley  home-farm,  September  15,  1824.  While  yet  a  young  girl, 
in  the  midst  of  the  industrious  life  they  lived  in  those  times,  she 
was  her  mother's  main  assistant  in  the  domestic  cares  and  labors 
of  the  home,  her  elder  sister,  Achsah,  spending  the  most  of  her 
time  with  her  grandparents — the  Kinneys  of  Kinsman,  O. 

Ursula  was  an  active-minded  girl,  possessing  readiness  and 
quick  perceptive  mind. 

She  married,  in  1847,  Henry  Townsend,  who  was  born  March 
16,  1824.  On  her  marriage  Mrs.  Townsend  received  thirty  acres 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLEY,  \ST.  555 

of  farming  land,  in  Windsor,  as  a  gift  from  her  father,  to  which 
was  afterward  added,  by  bequest,  an  additional  ten  acres,  and 
thirty  dollars.  Her  husband  also  became  the  owner  of  an  excel- 
lent farm,  their  united  ownership  of  lands  making  an  estate  of 
about  three  hundred  acres,  on  which  they  reside.  Mr.  Townsend 
has  always  been  a  well-to-do  agriculturist  ;  he  is  a  man  of  sound 
principles,  discharging  with  fidelity  every  trust  reposed  in  him, 
and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He  served  in  the  late  Civil 
War,  and  receives  a  pension. 

Of  late  years,  as  Mrs.  Townsend  advanced  in  life,  a  disease  of 
the  brain  manifested  itself,  and  became  so  serious  that  she  was 
finally  unfitted  for  the  cares  of  her  family. 

Henry  and  Ursula  (Higley)  Townsend  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children,  viz. : 

Perry  A.,  Freeland,  and  Henry,  Jr.     A  daughter  died  in  infancy. 

PERRY  A.  TOWNSEND,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  in  Windsor,  O.,  April  10, 
1848.  For  many  years  he  did  not  enjoy  a  strong  state  of  health,  nevertheless  his 
ambition,  together  with  his  excellent  natural  abilities,  led  him  to  application  and 
useful  study,  and  he  acquired  two  professions.  He  is  both  a  practicing  dentist 
and  a  druggist,  owning  a  drug  store  at  Windsor  Corners.  But  he  also  attained 
an  education  not  scholastic  alone,  having  early  developed  an  extraordinary  genius 
for  fine  and  delicate  mechanism.  He  has  manufactured  a  superior  violin,  and 
is  a  workman  of  skill  on  musical  and  other  fine  instruments,  together  with  clocks 
and  watches. 

He  married,  October  26,  1891,  Ida  H.  Bell,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Lovina 
Bell,  who  was  born  March  10,  1860.  They  have  two  children  :  Nora  Grace,  born 
September  22,  1892,  and  a  son,  born  1894. 

FREELAND  TOWNSEND,  the  second  son  of  Henry  and  Ursula  (Higley)  Townsend, 
was  born  September  22,  1849.  He  married  Kate  Moody  of  Windsor.  They 
removed  from  Windsor  to  Orwell,  O.,  in  1891.  He  is  a  builder.  They  have 
children,  viz.: 

Clara,  Alma,  Cora,  Mary. 

HENRY  TOWNSEND,  Jr.,  the  third  child  of  Henry,  Sr.,  and  Ursula  (Higley)  Town- 
send,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  March  n,  1867.  He  is  a  young  man  of  clever 
abilities  and  manly  aspirations  ;  he  obtained  an  excellent  education  preparatory  to 
entering  college,  and  is  now  taking  the  course  at  Oberlin. 

Like  his  elder  brother  Mr.  Townsend  is  an  ingenious  workman,  as  well  as  a 
violinist  recognized  as  possessing  more  than  ordinary  attainment. 

AARON  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  and 
the  fifth  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Lewis,  was  born  at 
Windsor,  O.,  May  29,  1826.  His  early  years  were  spent  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  in  acquiring  a  common-school  education. 
While  yet  in  his  teens  he  began  his  first  venture  in  business 


556  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

away  from  home,  associating  himself  with  his  brother  Hector  in 
teaching  dancing  classes  in  Northern  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania 
towns,  and  gaining  a  favorable  reputation  by  the  music  they 
furnished  for  festive  occasions.  Genial  and  thoroughly  apprecia- 
tive of  a  good  joke,  with  an  agreeable  personality,  he  was  popu- 
lar, and  retained  his  popularity  till  the  close  of  his  life. 

At  his  majority  he  became  the  owner  of  farming  lands  in  Harts- 
grove,  an  adjoining  township,  toward  the  payment  of  which  his 
father  gave  him  four  hundred  dollars.  But  the  busy  hive  of  city 
life  had  its  strong  attractions  for  Mr.  Higley,  and  early  in  the 
year  1868  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Cleveland,  O.  Endowed 
with  an  unusually  clever  ingenuity,  he  became  the  originator  and 
constructor  of  several  patented  inventions,  some  of  which  proved 
valuable  enterprises,  accruing  him  a  fortune,  while  others  did  not 
meet  with  financial  success. 

He  married  Charlotte  Fenney  of  Bristolville,  Trumbull  County, 
O.  He  died  Monday,  May  10,  1886. 

From  a  Cleveland  daily  journal  the  following  obituary  notice  is 
taken. 

"  Aaron  Higley,  one  of  the  old  and  respected  citizens  of  this  city,  died  on  Monday 
last  at  his  home,  164  Huron  Street,  after  a  painful  illness  of  two  weeks'  duration. 
Mr.  Higley  is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  Cleveland,  having  been  con- 
nected with  important  business  enterprises.  He  was  the  inventor  of  a  valuable 
patent  on  street-car  gearing,  and  was  the  president  of  the  Higley  Car  Journal  Co., 
which  manufactured  the  improvement  extensively.  He  was  also  the  founder  of  the 
Silver  Metal  Co. 

"  During  a  course  of  twenty  years  of  an  active  business  life  it  can  be  said  that  he 
made  no  enemies  and  many  friends.  Having  devoted  himself  closely  to  his  busi- 
ness, and  having  passed  through  singular  vicissitudes  of  life  and  fortune,  in  his  last 
illness  he  became  indifferent  to  these,  not  thinking  of  himself  as  he  was  passing 
away,  but  dwelling  with  loving  solicitude  upon  the  best  interests  of  those  to  whom 
he  was  bound  by  family  ties." 

He  was  interred  Wednesday,  May  12,  1886. 
Aaron  and  Charlotte  (Fenney)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  two 
sons,  Frank  and  Charles. 

FRANK  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born .     He  received  his  education 

and  grew  to  manhood  in  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  now  resides,  devoting  his  time  and 
talents  to  his  chosen  profession — that  of  law,  having  built  up  and  sustained  a 
successful  practice.  He  is  married,  and  is  an  honorable  citizen.1 

1  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  material  for  a  biographical  sketch  of  this  very  worthy  citizen  has 
been  furnished  for  these  pages. — THE  EDITOR. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  \ST.  557 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  of  Aaron  and  Charlotte  (Fenney)  Higley, 
was  born  October  n,  1866,  in  South  Bend,  Ind.,  at  which  place  his  parents  then 
resided.  He  was  taken  to  Cleveland,  O. ,  on  their  removal  to  that  city  when  he 
was  an  infant  eighteen  months  old.  He  attended  the  grammar  schools  and  after- 
ward the  high  school  of  Cleveland,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1885.  He 
then  entered  the  Case  School  of  Applied  Sciences,  passing  through  the  entire 
course  of  instruction.  The  following  three  years  he  was  engaged  as  chemist  in  the 
chemical  department  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  in  Cleveland,  at  the  same  time 
teaching  in  the  public  night  schools. 

In  the  year  1889  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
class  "90,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar,  June, 
1890.  A  few  weeks  after  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge  Rufus  P.  Ranney, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists  of  the  State,  and  here  he  was  associated  with 
Henry  C.  Ranney,  the  nephew  of  the  judge. 

Later  on  he  formed  a  partnership  with  the  Hon.  E.  P.  Hatfield,  a  lawyer  of 
high  ability,  having  a  wide  reputation,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hatfield  &  Higley. 
Mr.  Hatfield  receiving  a  public  appointment  which  engrossed  his  entire  time,  the 
firm  dissolved  in  1892,  Mr.  Higley  continuing  the  business  and  retaining  the  office 
of  the  firm. 

Charles  Higley  has  entered  somewhat  into  political  affairs,  casting  his  influence 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cleveland  Athletic  Club. 
Possessing  a  genial  temperament  and  an  affable  manner,  with  a  good  brain  and 
energetic  heart,  he  is  an  industrious,  painstaking  young  lawyer,  with  a  wide  field 
and  a  successful  career  before  him. 

He  resides  in  Cleveland  with  his  mother. 


Continued  front  page  516. 

MARTHA  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  child  of  Jonathan,  3d,  and  the 
sixth  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Higley,  was  born  at 
Windsor,  O.,  May  24,  1828. 

She  shared  the  same  broken 'schooldays  and  home  experiences 
in  her  girl  life  as  the  other  daughters  of  this  numerous  house- 
hold, passing  through  a  like  maternal  drill  in  the  details  of  house- 
hold employments. 

She  married  William  Decker,  February  20,  1849.  On  her  mar- 
riage her  father  presented  her  with  a  home  lot  in  Hartsgrove, 
afterward  making  further  provision  for  her.  But  her  life  was 
divested  of  joy :  many  shadows  fell  across  her  intricate  pathway, 
in  which  a  strain  of  pathos  was  mingled,  till  the  end  of  her  days. 
Both  husband  and  wife  were  the  victims  of  chronic  disease,  Mrs. 
Decker  early  falling  a  prey  to  pulmonary  consumption,  which 
closed  her  life  at  thirty.  In  the  difficult  circumstances  in  which 
she  was  placed,  she  enlisted  the  sympathy  and  love  of  all  who 
knew  her,  her  patience  and  goodly  disposition  being  conspic- 


558  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

uously   manifested.      She   one   day   wrote    in    the  album   of  a 
friend  : 

"  Forget  me  not  when  death  shall  close 

My  eyelids  in  their  soft  repose 

And  evening's  breezes  gently  wave 

The  grass  upon  my  lonely  grave." 

Her  decease  took  place  July  12,  1858.  She  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  village  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners.  An  infant  child  soon 
took  to  itself  spirit  wings  and  followed  the  mother  heavenward. 
Her  husband,  William  Decker,  died  in  Cleveland,  O. ,  about  the 
year  1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Decker  left  but  one  child  that  sur- 
vived— a  son  named  Almeron. 

ALMERON  DECKER  was  born  in  Hartsgrove,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  December, 
1852.  He  had  not  yet  completed  his  sixth  year  when  he  was  deprived  of  maternal 
care  ;.  his  baby  brother  was  given  to  a  friend,  and  soon  died,  and  his  father,  though 
suffering  from  an  enfeebled  state  of  health,  assumed  the  entire  care  of  the  boy  ;  the 
attentions  his  situation  required  were  often  wanting.  The  two  remained  in  the  cot- 
tage-home very  much  alone,  and  when  the  father  was  called  away,  as  he  sometimes 
was,  the  child  frequently  remained  the  whole  long  day  entirely  by  himself.  Thus 
the  environments  of  his  early  years  were  full  of  sadness,  and  he  had  to  learn  some 
hard  things  about  living.  However,  his  happy  temperament  and  genial  good  nature 
always  cast  a  halo  of  sunshine  about  his  face,  which  he  retained  and  bore  through 
the  responsibilities  of  manhood's  years.  After  a  time  he  was  boarded  with  neigh- 
bors, and  attended  the  district  school  till  he  was  fourteen.  His  father  then  secured 
him  a  position  with  an  elderly  couple  in  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  was  given  a  fine 
opportunity  for  school  instruction.  With  his  natural  disposition  for  self-improve- 
ment, he  made  the  most  of  his  opportunity. 

At  an  early  age  Almeron  Decker  showed  striking  inventive  ingenuity  ;  his  boy 
ideas  and  experiments  were  original  and  practical.  With  some  hints  and  some  help 
he  learned  in  Cleveland  the  trade  of  gold  and  silver  plating,  at  which,  by  working 
during  spare  hours,  he  acquired  means  for  obtaining  a  liberal  education.  As  he 
grew  older  his  superior  natural  talent  and  genius  developed  more  and  more. 
Electricity  and  its  application  became  his  special  study,  and  in  time  he  found  him- 
self identified  with  the  leading  electrical  works  and  manufacturers  of  Ohio  and  the 
Eastern  cities.  He  became  a  successful  inventor  of  electrical  machines  and  appli- 
ances, upon  which  he  secured  two  valuable  patents.  These  he  sold,  realizing  hand- 
some sums.  His  upward  career  was  now  fully  established  and  his  future  was  full 
of  bright  promise. 

In  the  year  1878  Mr.  Decker  married  Delia  Case  of  Orwell,  O.  After  four 
years  of  lingering  consumption,  his  wife  died.  Three  years  later  he  married  Kate 
Lockhart  of  Cleveland.  Southern  California  opening  a  point  for  enterprise  in  elec- 
trical engineering,  and  Mr.  Decker's  health  showing  some  signs  that  the  same  fatal 
desease  that  made  him  a  motherless  child  was  preying  upon  his  system,  he  deemed 
it  expedient  to  make  an  entire  change  of  climate,  and  in  the  year  1891  removed 
with  his  family  to  the  Golden  State,  and  settled  in  the  charming  Sierra  Madre 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEYt\ST.  559 

country.  He  was  here  soon  found  introducing  to  the  various  companies  many  and 
important  electrical  features,  embracing  all  the  latest  improvements  in  the  "  science," 
and  endeavoring  to  induce  those  on  the  Western  coast  to  take  an  advanced  stand  in 
electrical  application,  as  fuel  was  high  priced,  and  fine  water  power  easily  obtained. 

He  it  was  who  furnished  plans  for  the  San  Antonio  Canyon  Electric  Light  & 
Power  Co.,  a  plant  utilizing  a  waterfall  of  four  hundred  feet  head,  then  the  longest 
distance  transmission  plant  (twenty-eight  miles)  in  the  United  States.  He  early 
became  identified  with  Professor  T.  S.  C.  Lowe,  in  his  remarkable  undertaking  and 
grand  enterprise  of  constructing  a  cable  and  electric  railroad  to  Mount  Wilson  and 
other  neighboring  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Madres — at  this  time  the  most  extensive  un- 
dertaking in  the  way  of  an  electric  mountain  railway  in  the  world.  Of  this  "  Lowe 
Mountain  Railroad,"  Mr.  Decker  was  the  consulting  and  supervising  electrical 
engineer.  He  lived  long  enough  to  see  the  construction  car  of  the  cable  division 
reach  the  level  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Echo,  thirty-five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea 
level. 

The  introduction  of  a  new  electrical  plant  at  Redlands,  Cal. ,  was  another  triumph 
for  Mr.  Decker.  This  plant  is  operated  by  a  waterfall  having  a  head  of  520  feet, 
and  the  methods  by  which  it  is  operated  were  considered  by  the  most  practical 
electrical  engineers  in  the  country  as  a  long  way  in  advance  of  any  then  in  use,  in 
points  of  simplicity,  range  of  application,  and  economy  in  cost  of  operation. 

But  all  human  calculations  concerning  Mr.  Decker's  combat  with  disease  were 
baffled.  Neither  the  salubrity  of  the  air  of  his  adopted  romantic  country,  nor  the 
pure  and  delightful  water  that  abounded  on  the  spot  where  he  established  his  new 
home,  nor  yet  the  unremitting  and  tender  care  of  wife,  physicians,  and  hospitable 
friends,  could  stay  the  inroad  of  the  destroyer  upon  his  vitals — he  sank  under 
that  dread  disease,  pulmonary  consumption,  passing  to  the  "  sleep  of  death" 
August  4,  1893. 

The  Pasadena  Crown  Vista  contained  the  following  obituary  notice  : 

"  Every  resident  of  Sierra  Madre  learned  with  deep  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Mr. 
Almeron  W.  Decker,  which  occurred  at  Altadena,  August  4.  It  was  not  entirely 
unexpected,  as  he  had  been  reported  very  low  for  several  days,  but  when  the  final 
announcement  came  it  caused  a  general  expression  of  deep  regret  that  a  life  so 
promising,  and  a  friend  and  neighbor  so  generous-hearted  and  beloved,  should  be 
called  hence  before  the  usual  time  allotted  to  man.  In  addition  to  those  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  that  command  the  respect  of  all,  Mr.  Decker  was  endowed  with 
marked  ability  in  the  lines  of  his  chosen  work,  electricity,  and  its  application  to  the 
business  wants  of  man.  While  in  the  East  his  work  as  an  electrical  engineer  was 
recognized  and  accepted  by  the  best  electrical  companies,  and  he  was  in  advance 
with  electrical  science.  Had  he  given  up  all  thoughts  except  of  his  restoration  to 
health,  he  would  no  doubt  be  with  us  to-day.  But  he  saw  work  to  do  here  that 
would  give  him  scope  for  his  advanced  ideas,  and  he  took  it  up,  and  remained  in 
service  to  the  last.  His  electric  plant  at  San  Antonio  Canyon,  Redlands,  and 
work  for  the  Lowe  Mountain  Railway,  speak  for  the  wonderful  genius  of  our 
deceased  friend,  who  deserved  to  live  and  wear  the  laurel  of  fame  he  so  truly  earned. 
Mr.  Decker  was  forty  years  of  age,  and  leaves  a  wife  and  child.  The  funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  at  the  family  residence  in  Sierra  Madre  on  Sunday,  the  6th,  at  4.30 
P.  M.,  Rev.  E.  E.  P.  Abbott  officiating.  There  was  a  large  attendance  of  friends, 


560  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

including  the  Pasadena  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  order  deceased  was  an 
honored  member.  The  ceremony  at  the  grave  was  the  funeral  service  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  a  closing  prayer  by  Rev.  Abbott." 


Continued  from  page  516. 

HOMER  HIGLEY,  the  twelfth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d.,  and 
the  seventh  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  Kinney,  was  born  at  the 
old  Higley  homestead,  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  January 
30,  1830.  His  birth  took  place  during  the  winter  that  his  father 
was  absent  at  Columbus,  O.,  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature, 
1829-30.  The  winter  was  one  of  unusual  severity,  and  the  infant 
boy  had  been  made  acquainted  but  a  few  days  with  this  "cold 
world  "  till  he  had  his  ears  frozen. 

His  early  life  was  uneventful.  He  remained  at  home,  as  did 
all  of  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley's  sons,  tilling  his  father's  farm 
till  he  was  near  twenty-one. 

He  married,  March  12,  1851,  Lydia  Clemens,  and  on  coming  of 
age  the  young  couple  had  a  good  start  given  them  by  Squire 
Higley  presenting  to  his  son  twenty  acres  of  farming  land,  to 
which  he  afterward  added  an  additional  fifty  acres. 

Here  in  May,  1851,  they  began  life  together,  and  resided  on  this 
farm  twenty-three  years. 

In  the  year  1873  Mr.  Higley  sold  this  property  and  purchased 
187  acres  lying  in  Windsor,  adjoining  the  old  homestead  farm 
where  he  was  born.  On  this  they  still  reside  (1896). 

It  was  on  this  land  that  the  small  log  building  stood  in 
1806  which  was  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  town  of  Windsor, 
the  teacher  being  Kesiah  Griswold,  the  first  wife  of  Homer 
Higley's  father. 

Homer  Higley's  life  has  been  an  even,  quiet  one.  He  has 
accumulated  property  and  is  "  sitting  under  his  own  vine  and  fig 
tree  "  in  thoroughly  comfortable  circumstances,  having  no  mort- 
gages and  "owing  no  man  anything."  In  politics  he  is  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  During  the  late  Civil  War  he 
evidenced  his  patriotism  by  contributing  about  nine  hundred 
dollars  in  funds  toward  defraying  the  expenses,  besides  lending 
personal  effort  in  various  ways  for  the  preservation  of  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  He  is  a  man  who  keeps  pace  with  the  progress  of  the 
day,  and  is  a  practical  agriculturist  from  the  economic  standpoint. 
Careful  in  fulfilling  his  obligations,  of  few  words,  possessing  a 
marked  proportion  of  the  agreeable  side  of  human  nature,  with  a 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  561 

good  sense  of  humor,  he  bears  the  respect  of  the  community,  and 
is  an  excellent  type  of  the  American  farmer. 

Lydia  (demons)  Higley  was  born  January  6,  1833.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Adrastus  W.  and  Mariva  (Rawdon)  demons  of 
Windsor,  who  were  among  the  courageous  band  of  the  early 
pioneers  who  came  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1818 
from  Geneseo,  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.  Her  mother  was 
brought  when  a  young  child  to  the  State  of  New  York  from  Tol- 
land,  Conn.,  where  she  was  born  in  1810. 

Mrs.  Higley  is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  Church,  which 
her  husband  also  attends,  and  to  which  they  give  their  liberal 
support.  They  are  also  prominent  members  of  the  Farmers' 
Grange.  Her  amiable  nature  and  excellent  spirit  gives  daily 
lessons  of  that  beautiful  charity  which  wins  the  love  and  good 
esteem  of  all  who  are  privileged  to  be  its  witnesses.  Surrounded 
by  her  flowers,  for  which  she  has  a  passionate  fondness, — and 
which  enhance  the  attractiveness  of  her  home, — as  well  as  gratify- 
ing her  liking  for  reading,  as  far  as  the  constant  domestic  duties 
of  a  farmer's  wife  will  permit  the  time,  she  lives  a  useful,  calm,  and 
blameless  life,  loved  for  her  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Homer 
and  Lydia  demons  Higley  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz. : 
Newton  H.  and  Will  G. 

NEWTON  H.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  January  4,  1855,  at  Windsor,  O. 
He  married,  July  3,  1875,  Jessie  Bugbee  ;  she  was  born  July  10,  1857.  After 
seven  years  of  happy  married  life,  and  well  beloved,  she  died  of  disease  of  the 
heart,  August  21,  1882,  leaving  no  children. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1884,  Mr.  Higley  married  Maud  L.  Wharfield  of  Aurora, 
O.  She  was  born  April  15,  1866.  Mr.  Higley  owns  a  small  farm  adjoining  his 
father's  in  Windsor,  where  they  reside.  They  have  two  children,  namely : 

Pearl  Mabel,  born  June  2,  1885,  and  Ned  Har land,  born  August  21,  1889. 

WILL  G.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  son  of  Homer  and  Lydia  (Clemons)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Windsor,  O.,  February  6,  1861.  He  married,  October  16,  1882,  Freelove 
Adeline  Hamblin,  and  resides  near  his  father,  upon  a  small  farm  in  Windsor,  O., 
which  he  owns.  His  wife,  Freelove  Adeline,  was  the  daughter  of  Andrew  M.  and 
Freelove  M.  (Clemons)  Hamblin.  She  was  born  November  23,  1861,  at  Plymouth, 
Jeneau  County,  Wis.  Her  father,  Andrew  M.  Hamblin,  served  in  the  Civil  War, 
entering  the  army,  Company  I,  2d  Wisconsin  Regiment  Volunteer  Cavalry,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1 86 1,  two  days  after  the  birth  of  his  babe.  He  died  in  the  service  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  6,  1864,  aged  twenty-two  years. 

Will  G.  and  Freelove  A.  Higley  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Clyde  Higley,  born 
September  9,  1884. 

OLIVE  HIGLEY,  the  thirteenth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d, 
and  the  eighth  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  Kinney,  was  born  Sep- 


562  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

tember  17,  1832,  at  Windsor,  O.  She  was  a  lovable  girl  of 
pleasing  ways,  and  won  the  personal  attachment  of  all  who  knew 
her.  The  newspapers  in  announcing  her  death  said  that  "  she 
was  one  of  the  most  promising  young  ladies  in  Windsor."  Her 
young  life  showed  a  good  deal  of  enterprise.  Ambitious  to  learn 
a  business,  she  pursued  her  purpose  with  self-denying  zeal,  par- 
tially attaining  her  object,  but  her  physical  constitution,  which 
was  never  robust,  gave  way  near  the  holidays  of  1856,  and  very 
early  in  the  following  year  there  were  unmistakable  signs  that 
pulmonary  consumption  had  laid  its  grasp  upon  her  vitals.  For 
more  than  a  year  and  a  half  she  dwelt  in  the  shade  of  physical 
weakness  and  suffering,  on  account  of  which  a  marriage  engage- 
.ment  to  a  worthy  young  man  ended  in  unrealized  hope. 

She  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  and  ten  months, 
August  i,  1858,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  surviving  her 
sister  Martha,  whose  decease  had  occurred  in  July,  only  nineteen 
days.  The  morning  of  the  same  day,  at  eleven  o'clock,  her  sister- 
in-law,  Mrs.  Jane  Higley,  the  wife  of  her  brother  Jonathan  Hig- 
ley  (4th),  passed  away  with  the  same  disease. 

The  funeral  services  of  the  two  were  held  at  the  Universalist 
Church  in  Windsor  Corners,  on  the  same  day  and  the  same  hour, 
the  Rev.  Charles  Shipman  preaching  the  funeral  sermon. 

"  Sweet  they  sleep  ! 
We  bid  no  angels  round  them  keep 
Their  solemn  watch,  for  safely  He 
Will  keep  them  to  eternity  ; 
And  never  weariness  or  pain 
Will  break  their  quiet  rest  again  ; 
There  lurks  no  strife,  no  toil,  no  loss, 
In  that  calm  shadow  of  the  Cross." 


Continued  front  page  516. 

HARRISON  HIGLEY,  the  fourteenth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley, 
3d,  and  the  ninth  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  Kinney,  was  born 
May  7,  1834,  on  the  original  homestead  estate,  lot  8,  range  7, 
secured  by  his  grandfather  on  coming  from  Granby,  Conn.,  to 
Windsor,  O.,  in  1804.  Here  he  has  spent  almost  his  entire  life. 
The  farm  came  into  Harrison  Higley's  possession  on  the  death 
of  his  mother,  partly  by  legacy  and  partly  by  his  purchase  of 
the  shares  belonging  to  the  other  heirs.  Like  other  descendants 
of  original  settlers,  he  is  as  proud  of  the  land  which  belonged  to 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  563 

his  forefathers  from  the  beginning  of  Windsor,  as  the  "oldest 
families  "  are  of  their  very  ancient  and  reputable  stock. 

The  old-fashioned  original  dwelling-house,1  which  is  well  pre- 
served from  decay,  and  which  was  the  first  frame  dwelling  built  in 
the  township,  is  now  his  residence.  The  nails  in  the  original 
building  were  all  wrought  by  the  hand  of  a  blacksmith,  and  its 
timbers  were  hewn  and  split  from  logs  in  the  forest  which  then 
surrounded  it.  These  old  beams  have  borne  the  tension  and 
sustained  the  burden  of  more  than  fourscore  sturdy  years. 

It  was  here  that  the  seventeen  children  of  Squire  Jonathan 
Higley,  3d,  were  born  and  reared,  and  where  he  and  his  two  wives 
and  four  of  his  children  died. 

Harrison  Higley  received  the  elements  of  a  common  school 
education  at  the  local  district  school  in  the  near  vicinity,  attending 
it  during  the  winter  months.  As  a  young  man  he  liked  young 
company,  was  a  "good  fellow,"  and  fond  of  jolly  good  times, 
attending  all  sorts  of  evening  gatherings — apple  parings,  husking 
bees,  sugar-camp  parties,  and  spelling  schools,  at  which  the 
object  was  to  have  fun  with  the  girls,  more  than  educational 
progress  or  improvement  in  spelling.  Thus  the  winter  evenings 
brought  to  him  occasions  for  plenty  of  unrestrained  and  uncon- 
ventional fun.  When  the  snow  was  in  good  condition,  he,  with 
other  young  companions,  would  hitch  a  pair  of  oxen  to  a  big 
sledge,  covered  with  straw  and  having  plenty  of  "coverlets," 
drive  to  the  next  house  and  get  a  girl  friend  or  two,  then  to 
another  and  another,  collecting  young  people  till  the  sled  was 
packed  more  than  full  of  beaux  and  sweethearts.  They  would  then 
drive  seven  or  eight  miles  away  to  another  settlement,  running 
over  stumps  and  roots,  upsetting  the  buxom  farmer  lassies  pell- 
mell  into  the  snow,  who,  with  shrieks  and  peals  of  laughter,  would 
pick  themselves  up  and  all  get  onward  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. Reaching  the  home  of  some  jovial  farmer,  they  stayed 
till  midnight  and  after,  playing  "kissing  plays,"  and  enjoying  the 
country  dance,  with  plenty  of  apples,  nuts,  and  hard  cider;  in- 
deed, they  thought  they  did  well  if  they  reached  home  at  daylight. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  July  23,  1857,  Mr.  Higley  married 
Juliette  Babcock  of  Orwell,  an  adjoining  township,  the  daughter 
of  John8  and  Lydia  Babcock.  She  was  born  April  16,  1834. 

1  This  house  was  built  by  Esquire  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  in  1812. 

'John  Babcock,  the  father  of  Juliette  (Babcock)  Higley,  came  with  his  father,  Benjamin  Bab- 
cock, from  Massachusetts  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  in  1822.  He  was  known,  when  a  young 
man,  far  and  wide  for  his  athletic  feats  and  great  activity,  as  well  as  for  being  a  famous  hunter. 


564  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Attracted  by  the  fields  of  the  great  West,  the  young  married 
pair  set  out  for  the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  and  finding  a  home 
in  a  healthy  rich  country,  though  unimproved,  in  a  rude  new 
settlement  on  Sand  Creek,  Scott  County,  they  remained  two 
years;  but  not  being  content  in  the  unsettled  new  regions,  they 
returned  to  Windsor,  O.,  and  settled  down. 

Harrison  Higley  has  always  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
manages  a  farm  with  excellent  ability.  He  is  an  arduous  worker, 
a  liberal  provider,  and  a  good  liver.  He  is  a  plain-looking 
farmer,  unassuming  in  his  manner  of  life,  pursuing  the  "even 
tenor  of  his  ways  "  in  peace,  industry,  and  content.  He  has  a 
good  mind  and  a  clear  head,  possesses  good  judgment,  and  is 
well  versed  in  general  information.  Free  from  all  narrowness  or 
prudish  ways,  he  does  not  bind  himself  to  social  formalities  and 
usages.  He  is  as  fond  of  wit,  and  as  appreciative  of  mirthful 
times  as  he  was  in  his  younger  days,  but  is  a  lover  of  his  home 
and  clings  closely  to  his  own  fireside.  Perhaps  it  is  the  jovial 
element  in  his  nature  which  has  led  him  sometimes  to  bear  from 
cynics  some  criticism. 

Naturally  sympathetic,  both  Mr.  Higley  and  his  wife  are  un- 
affectedly generous-spirited,  and  are  helpers  to  all  around  them. 
The  open-hearted  hospitality  of  their  home  has  well  kept  up  the 
reputation  of  the  old  hearthstone  of  his  father  in  this  respect. 

His  wife,  with  her  large  family,  has  known  the  constant  heavy 
weight  of  duties  of  the  farmer's  wife,  but  withal,  her  energetic 
spirit  and  active  temperament  dispels  the  stamp  she  might  other- 
wise carry  of  her  years  of  labor.  She  has  grasped  the  truths  of 
the  Christian  faith  since  reaching  middle  life. 

Harrison  and  Juliette  (Babcock)  Higley  are  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  viz. : 

Coloma  E.,  born  April  n,  1858;  Adeline  A., 'born  April  26,  1860; 
Gustie  Ella,  born  Novembers,  1862;  Jasper  P.,  born  May  28,  1865; 
Lucy  J.,  born  October  31,  1869;  Harrison  E.,  born  August  27, 
1871;  LydiaC.,  born  August  i,  1873;  Fred,  born  January  6,  1876; 
died  February  9,  1879;  Achsah,  born  April  31,  1880. 

His  private  account-book  shows  that  he  killed  in  twenty-three  years,  83  elk,  n  bears,  508  deer,  18 
wolves,  18  otter,  1^4  muskrats,  and  numberless  small  game. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Babcock's  family  numbered  fourteen  children;  Squire  Jonathan  Higley's  num- 
bered seventeen,  making  thirty-one  children  belonging  to  the  two  respective  families,  the  parents 
of  Harrison  and  Juliette  Higley. 

Mr.  Babcock  died  in .  His  widow,  Mrs  Lydia  Babcock,  married  a  second  husband,  a 

widower,  who  had  twelve  children.  When  these  brought  their  families  together,  the  united  num- 
ber of  children  in  the  household  was  twenty-six. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   I1IGLE  Y,  1ST.  565 

COLOMA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  married  first,  Samuel  Miles;  and  second, 
Cyrus  Chauncey  Stetson,  on  July  27,  1878.  Children  : 

Livia  Lydia,  born  December  2,  1879;  Spencer  Clyde,  born  March  21,  1881  ; 
Lettie  Grace,  born  October,  1882  ;  Harrison,  born  September  15,  1887. 

ADELINE  HIGLEY,  the  second  child,  married  Richard  Williams,  December  13, 
1878. 

GUSTIE  E.  HIGLEY,  the  third  child,  married,  June  16,  1881,  Deloss  Ritter. 
They  have  one  child,  May  Martha,  born  March  6,  1887. 

JASPER  P.  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child,  married,  January  29,  1889,  Eva  Chaffee, 
and  they  have  one  child 

LUCY  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child,  married,  December  28,  1887,  John  Tanner. 
They  reside  in  Windsor,  O. 

HARRISON  E.  STETSON,  the  sixth  child,  is  unmarried. 

LYDIA  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child,  married,  April  16,  1892,  William  Henry 
Comes. 

ACHSAH  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child,  resides  with  her  parents. 

AN  INFANT,  to  whom  a  name  had  not  yet  been  given,  the  fif- 
teenth child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d,  died  of  whooping  cough  in 
the  year  1836,  aged  about  five  months. 


Continued  from  page  516. 

LEWIS  HIGLEY,  the  sixteenth  child  of  Jonathan  Higley,  3d, 
and  the  eleventh  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney)  Lewis,  was 
born  at  the  Windsor  farm,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  May  16,  1837. 

He  resided  at  home  with  his  parents  till  he  was  nineteen,  attend- 
ing the  district  school, — No.  6, — and  working  on  his  father's  farm. 
The  year  1856  he  attended  a  select  school,  or  academy,  in 
Hartsgrove,  O.  The  following  year,  1857,  he  went  to  Minne- 
sota, which  was  then  a  Territory,  with  his  brother  Harrison 
Higley  and  his  young  wife.  Here  he  remained  two  years  in  a 
place  which  was  then  called  "Sand  Creek  Settlement,"  Scott 
County.  He  then  returned  to  his  parents'  home  in  Ashtabula 
County,  Ohio,  and  on  the  i5th  of  July,  1860,  married  Letice  Ste- 
phens of  Monteville,  Geauga  County,  O.,  where  her  parents,  Seth 
and  Emeline  Stephens,  resided,  and  where  she  was  brought  up. 
She  was  born  July  13,  1840.  Her  ancestry  was  of  the  old  Con- 
necticut  pioneers  who  emigrated  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio, 
among  the  first  who  came  to  the  then  forest  covered  country. 

After  their  marriage  Lewis  Higley  and  his  wife  began  life  to- 
gether in  the  township  of  Hartsgrove  on  lands  belonging  to  his 
father,  where  they  resided  three  years.     This  was  during  the 
early  part  of  the  Civil  War. 
37 


566  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  i77th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  Regiment  was  organized 
at  Cleveland,  October  9,  1864,  General  Thomas  commanding. 
In  this  regiment  Lewis  Higley  volunteered  his  services  to  his 
country,  August  23,  1864.  The  regiment  reported  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  was  assigned  to  the  24th  Army  Corps.  It  was  then 
transported  to  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  for  garrison  duty.  Higley 
was  with  his  regiment  in  its  engagements  in  Tennessee;  at  one 
time  reaching  Murfreesboro  after  a  hard  march  of  three  days, 
where  he  was  in  the  hottest  of  an  engagement  which  ended  with 
the  retreat  of  General  Hood.  After  serving  on  garrison  duty, 
and  in  several  sharp,  small  battles,  his  regiment  was  transferred 
with  its  corps  to  Washington,  D.  C. ;  thence  from  Alexandria,  Va., 
the  troops  were  conveyed  by  sea  to  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.,  to  join 
General  Sherman's  forces  on  his  arrival  at  the  Atlantic  coast, 
meeting  Sherman  at  Kingston,  N.  C.  Lewis  Higley  graphically 
describes  the  unusually  severe  ocean  storm  which  will  never  be 
erased  from  the  memory  of  the  suffering  soldiers,  which  occurred 
during  the  passage  to  the  North  Carolina  coast,  early  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1865. 

From  Fort  Fisher  the  march  was  begun  to  meet  Sherman's 
troops.  While  on  this  march  Mr.  Higley,  with  a  number  of  other 
soldiers,  was  seized  with  sudden  and  almost  fatal  illness.1 
Higley  was  conveyed  back  to  Fort  Fisher.  The  first  night  after 
his  arrival  he  was  placed  with  two  other  soldiers,  who  were  ill 
with  the  measles,  in  a  hospital  tent  on  the  beach.  During  the 
night  a  severe  coast  storm  came  up.  The  fury  of  the  wind  col- 
lapsed their  frail  shelter  and  the  beating  rain  deluged  its  occu- 
pants. The  lights  were  put  out  and  not  a  ray  came  from  the 
heavens.  Then  the  tent  pole  fell  across  his  comrades.  Higley 
was  too  weak  to  utter  a  sound  except  an  occasional  groan,  but  the 
two  soldiers  called  and  halloed  for  help  full  two  hours — then  they 
became  silent.  The  loud  roar  of  the  waves,  thundering  against 
the  shore,  and  the  high  sweeping  winds  stifled  all  sounds.  No  one 
came  to  their  relief.  At  early  daybreak  a  surgeon  with  a  nurse 
arrived,  and  pulling  off  the  drenched  tent  canvas,  they  lifted 
Higley  out  of  the  pool  of  water  that  stood  in  his  soaked  cot.  He 
was  clearly  conscious — his  comrades  were  both  dead.  Higley 
was  placed  on  a  boat  and  carried  to  Smithville,  where  he  was  put 

1  While  inarching  through  the  streets  of  a  small  hostile  town  in  North  Carolina,  the  hungry 
soldiers  found  bits  and  chunks  of  raw  salt  pork  lying  in  the  streets,  which  they  gathered  up  and  ate 
greedily.  Whether  this  meat  was  impregnated  with  a  poisonous  substance  or  not  cannot  be  stated  ; 
but  many  of  the  soldiers  after  eating  it  were  taken  violently  ill  with  symptoms  resembling  poisoning. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  \ST.  567 

over  night  in  a  church  which  was  used  by  the  Union  Army  as  a 
hospital.  His  cot  here  stood  in  a  corner.  Next  morning  seven 
men  in  the  same  ward  were  found  dead,1  some  of  them  belonging 
to  his  company  and  regiment.  Their  groans  during  the  night 
had  been  something  hideous.  That  day  he  was  forwarded  to 
Wilmington,  N.  C.,  where  he  lay  in  an  army  hospital,  at  the  lowest 
ebb  of  life,  for  several  weeks. 

Meanwhile  Sherman  was  progressing  with  his  "dash  and  dar- 
ing "  army  toward  the  heart  of  the  Carolinas.  The  country  was 
in  the  wildest  confusion.  The  sick  in  the  temporary  hospitals 
were  subjected  to  constant  changes. 

Lewis  Higley  found  himself  returned  to  Smithville  and  placed 
in  the  same  church  hospital  and  the  same  ward  in  which  he  had 
spent  such  a  distressing  night  once  before.  Upon  the  wall  he 
read  the  surgeon's  report  : 

"  Lewis  Higley,  Co.  C.  iffth  Rgt.  O.  V.  I.  died  Feb.  17  th." 

From  here  he  was  again  transported  to  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Meanwhile  his  family  had  no  tidings  of  him  for  two  months. 
Finally,  on  learning  of  his  serious  illness  they  sent  a  special  mes- 
senger from  Ohio  to  find  him  and,  if  possible,  bring  him  home. 
After  this  messenger  had  gone  they  learned  that  he  was  dead.  But 
the  messenger  tracing  him  about  for  some  time  through  the  vari- 
ous hospital  transfers,  at  last  discovered  him  alive  in  theSatterline 
hospital,  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  brought  to  Cleveland, 
O.,  where  he  was  honorably  mustered  out  after  the  close  of  the 
War — July  7,  1865.  When  he  entered  the  service  he  was  a  man 
of  exceptionally  fine  physique,  tall,  broad-shouldered,  and  of  fine 
proportions,  weighing  two  hundred  pounds;  when  he  received  his 
discharge  he  was  a  mere  skeleton,  never  again  to  enjoy  sound 
health,  weighing  one  hundred  and  nineteen  pounds,  including  his 
overcoat  and  heavy  clothing.  He  has  received  a  pension  since 
August  22,  1882. 

Lewis  Higley  has  never  recovered  the  effects  of  his  war  service. 
For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  suffered  more  or  less  with  a 
chronic  ailment,  induced  by  his  rough  experiences.  After  receiv- 
ing his  discharge  he  returned  to  Windsor,  O.,  and  resided  a  year 
with  his  mother,  during  which  time  he  was  a  partial  invalid.  In 
time,  however,  his  health  recruited.  His  father  gave  him  forty- 
five  acres  of  farming  land  in  the  east  part  of  Windsor,  which  he 

1  These  noble  soldiers  died  of  the  measles  and  exposure. 


568  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

sold,  and  made  purchase  of  a  tract  containing  ninety-two  acres,  a 
farm  upon  which  he  has  built  a  good  dwelling  and  other  improve- 
ments, and  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  man  of  agree- 
able bearing,  intelligent,  and  well  respected  in  the  community. 

Lewis  and  Letice  (Stephens)  Higley  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  viz.: 

Elmer,  Seth  D.,  and  Amy. 

ELMER  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Ash  tabula  County,  O.,  June 
I,  1861.  He  is  an  enterprising  young  man  who  was  made  familiar  in  early  life 
with  farming,  but  is  now  pursuing  his  trade,  that  of  a  builder. 

He  married  Hattie  Avery,  date  not  given,  who  was  born  January  30,  1 868. 
They  reside  at  Rome,  O. 

SETH  DUANE  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Lewis  and  Letice  (Stephens)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  July  16,  1869.  His  first  schooldays  were  spent  at  the 
district  school.  When  about  fifteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  New  Lyme 
Institute,  at  New  Lyme,  O.,  attending  several  terms.  His  principal  reported  him 
"  an  unusually  bright  pupil,  earnest  and  industrious."  During  an  interval  in  pur- 
suing his  course  of  study  at  New  Lyme — 1886-87 — he  engaged  in  teaching,  return- 
ing to  the  New  Lyme  Institute  the  spring  of  1887.  April,  1888,  he  entered  the 
Ithaca,  N.  Y. ,  schools,  pursuing  a  special  course  of  study  preparatory  for  Cornell 
University,  and  passing  through  the  high  school.  While  his  standing  was  good  in 
all  branches  of  the  college  course,  his  natural  partiality  was  in  favor  of  mathe- 
matics. In  this  science  he  took  an  extra  special  course  under  Professor  George  W. 
Jones,  securing,  in  the  spring  of  '90,  a  State  scholarship  valued  at  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  following  autumn  he  entered  Cornell,  taking  the  course  of  electrical 
engineering.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1890,  through  his  fine  physical  development 
and  excellent  qualifications,  he  was  unanimously  chosen  captain  of  Cornell's  Fresh- 
man eight-oared  crew.  The  following  June  his  crew  was  challenged  by  a  corre- 
sponding crew  of  Columbia  College.  The  two-mile  race  was  rowed  over  the 
Thames  River  at  New  London,  Conn.,  from  Winthrop  Point  to  the  Navy  Yard, 
June  22,  in  which  "Captain"  Higley  and  his  crew  gained  high  laurels,  proving 
easy  winners  by  three  and  one-half  lengths.  His  personnel  in  his  competing  crew 
was :  "  Position,  Bow  ;  Weight,  153  ;  Height  5  ft.  10  ;  Age  21." 

A  tumultuous  college  cheer  ascended  from  the  crowds  of  witnesses  at  the  end  of 
the  race,  and  high  encomiums  were  heralded  by  the  leading  New  York  daily 
journals,  together  with  the  honor  of  "  Captain"  Higley's  picture,  with  those  of  his 
crew,  appearing  in  Frank  Leslie's  Weekly. 

Seth  D.  Higley  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  of  Cornell  University. 

He  has  from  boyhood  shown  much  natural  aptitude  for  music  and,  though 
modestly  making  no  profession,  he  plays  the  violin  with  very  creditable  skill. 

During  his  senior  year  he  married,  January  n,  1894,  Julia  Francis  Casey  of 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.  They  reside  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

AMY  HIGLEY,  the  third  and  youngest  child  of  Lewis  and  Letice  (Stephens)  Hig- 
ley, was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  September  26,  1875.  She  is  now  pursuing  her 
studies,  and  resides  at  home  with  her  parents. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY, \ST.  569 

Continued  from  page  516. 

JANE  HIGLEY,  the  seventeenth  and  youngest  child  of  Jonathan 
Higley,  3d,  and  the  twelfth  by  his  second  wife,  Martha  (Kinney) 
Lewis,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  July  15,  1839. 

She  became  a  girl-wife  at  seventeen  by  marriage  with  Francis 
Barnard,  December,  1856.  They  resided  in  northwest  Windsor 
on  thirty-three  acres  of  land  presented  to  her  by  her  father. 

The  last  three  years  that  her  mother  lived,  Mrs.  Barnard 
administered  faithfully  to  her  in  her  declining  strength.  In  the 
simplicity  and  unostentation  of  the  surroundings  in  which  she 
lived  she  exemplified  the  beautiful  quality  of  a  cheerful,  happy 
temperament,  by  action  and  look,  seeing  the  bright  side  of  this 
careworn  world. 

For  some  years  her  life  was  made  unrestful  by  dark  and  per- 
plexing trials  ;  through  them  all,  her  happy,  vivacious  disposition 
endured  for  the  sake  of  her  loved  ones,  constantly  setting  a 
shining  example  of  a  priceless  spirit. 

She  died  in  childbirth,  March  9,  1873,  and  was  interred  in  the 
village  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners. 

Frances  and  Jane  Higley  Barnard  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  viz.  : 

Elva,  born  March  27,  1859;  Elverton  Allen,  born  March  4,  1861 ; 
Carlton  Henry,  born  December  18,  1863;  Margaret  _£".,  born 
April  25,  1865;  Fayette  B.,  born  August  9,  1867;  Emma  Z.,  born 
July  15,  1869. 

ELVA,  the  eldest  child,  was  educated  by  her  uncle,  Aaron  Higley,  and  became  a 
teacher.  While  teaching  in  Texas  she  married  J.  D.  Jones,  a  ranchman.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  and  reside  in  California. 

ELVERTON,  the  second  child,  married  Lula  McBride  of  Finley,  O.  He  is  an 
engineer,  and  resides  in  Dayton,  O.  They  have  two  children. 

CARLTON  H.,  the  third  child,  married  December  19,  1887,  Ida  A.  Heath  of 
Cherry  Valley,  Ashtabula  County,  O.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Slate  Roofing 
Co.  of  Butler,  Pa.,  where  they  now  reside,  owning  a  tasteful  home.  They  have 
one  child. 

MARGARET  E. ,  the  fourth  child,  married  William  Adams,  a  farmer  of  Windsor, 
O.,  where  they  now  live  in  prosperous  circumstances.  They  have  one  child, 
Howard  Dean  Adams. 

FAYETTE  B.,  the  fifth  child,  resides  with  his  brother  Elverton  in  Dayton,  O., 
where  he  is  engaged  in  business.  He  is  unmarried. 

EMMA  L.,  the  sixth  child,  resides  in  Ravenna,  O.,  unmarried. 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

Continued  from  Jonathan  Higley,  id,  chapter  Ix.  p.  491. 

MARY     HIGLEY    WHITE. 
Mary,  Jonathan,  2d,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

"  Inasmuch  as  the  past  is  chiefly  made  up  of  men  and  women  who  have  handed  down  to  us  so 
rich  an  inheritance,  it  can  hardly  be  questioned  that  we  owe  to  them  a  debt  of  gratitude,  which 
is  dishonored  by  scorn  or  neglect." 

WE  now  return  to  the  family  of  Jonathan,  Jr.  (or  ad),  and 
Rachel  Negus  Higley,  p.  478. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  their  fifth  child,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills 
parish,  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  13,  1783. 

On  the  removal  of  her  father's  family  to  the  Connecticut  West- 
ern Reserve  in  1804,  she  remained  behind  with  a  relative  of 
the  family.  On  the  i8th  of  February  following — 1805 — she  mar- 
ried John  White  of  Granby,  who  was  born  February  18,  1784. 
They  soon  afterward  emigrated  to  Windsor,  O.,  where  they  took 
up  their  residence  on  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  range  5,  lot  9, 
which  her  father  had  purchased  and  given  to  her.  Their  life 
together  in  the  West  was  but  for  a  few  brief  years. 

Mary  Higley  White  died  September  14,  1816,  after  giving  birth 
to  a  babe,  September  6. 

She  was  interred  in  the  Pioneers'  burial  ground,1  and  was 
among  the  first  placed  there.  John  White  lived  to  old  age.  He 
died  August  18,  1876. 

They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz. : 

John  J7.,  born  July  25,  1806,  who  died  an  infant;  Mary 
Corinthia,  born  February  28,  1808;  Henrietta,  born  September 
20,  1810,  died  September  22,  1811;  Wesley,  born  September  9, 
1812,  and  John  H.y  zd,  who  was  born  after  his  father's  death, 
and  died  November  4,  1816. 

MARY  CORINTHIA,  the  eldest  surviving  child  of  John  and  Mary  (Higley)  White, 
was   born  at  Windsor,  O.,  February  23,    1808.      She   resided  during   the  entire 
period  of  her  long  life  on  the  same  farm  which  her  mother  had  received  as  a  gift 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  and  on  which  she  herself  was  born. 
,    She  married,  March  15,  1822,  Bacchus  Grant,  who  was  born  in  East  Windsor, 

1  See  page  490. 
570 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  5?I 

Conn.,  May  6,   1800,  and  emigrated  to  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio.     He  died  May 

8,  1875.     She  died  June  21,  1890. 
They  had  the  following  children  : 

Mabel  E.,  born  February  12,  1823.    Hiram  and  Wareham,  twins,  born  October 

9,  1824 ;     Wareham   died   October   27,  1824,  Hiram   died  November   3,    1824. 
Wareham,  2d,  born  March  25,  1825,  died    December  5,  1825.     Mary  J.,   born 
February  3,  1840,  and  Wesley  J.,  born  September  30,  1844. 

MABEL  E.,  the  eldest  child,  married  Eli  Knapp,  April  16,  1841.  They  had 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 

MARY}.,  the  youngest  surviving  child,  married  James  Alexander,  and  resides 
in  Windsor,  O. 

WESLEY  J.,  the  only  son  who  lived  to  manhood,  married  Millie  Payne.  They 
had  two  children.  Wesley  J.  Grant  died  1876. 

WESLEY  WHITE,  the  second  surviving  child  of  John  and  Mary  (Higley)  White, 
was  born  September  9,  1812.  He  was  taken  into  the  home  of  his  uncle  upon  the 
death  of  his  mother  in  1816,  and  remained  with  the  family  till  he  reached  his 
twenty-first  birthday.  He  then  removed  to  Indiana.  In  this  State  he  married  and 
had  two  children.  He  was  a  man  possessing  ability,  force  of  character,  and  integ- 
rity. His  knowledge  of  law  was  thorough.  He  was  elected  and  served  for  some 
time  as  judge  of  the  county  court. 

Judge  White  met  his  death,  July  I,  1844,  by  accidental  drowning,  when,  during  a 
flood,  following  heavy  rains,  he  was  endeavoring  to  clear  the  debris  from  the  abut- 
ment of  a  bridge  to  save  it  from  being  washed  away,  missing  his  footing  he  fell  into 
the  river. 


THOMPSON    HIGLEY,    SR. 
Thompson,  Jonathan,  2d,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

THOMPSON  HIGLEY,  Sr.,  the  sixth  child  of  Jonathan,  Jr.  (or  2d), 
and  Rachel  (Negus)  Higley,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills  parish, 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  June  2,  1786.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  his  grand- 
mother, Mrs.  Mary  (Thompson)  Higley,  was  spending  the  last 
years  of  her  life  in  his  father's  family,  and  it  was  probably  she  who 
gave  the  boy  her  maiden  name.  He  was  one  of  the  legatees 
named  in  her  will,  by  which  he  received  a  portion  of  her  landed 
estate. 

From  a  child  he  was  especially  characterized  by  careful  thrift, 
a  natural  trait  that  in  his  after  life,  together  with  his  thorough  in- 
tegrity in  his  dealings,  brought  him  success  and  the  implicit  confi- 
dence of  the  entire  community  in  which  he  lived.  One  day 
having  lost  his  little  pocketbook  he  was  seen  going  about  search- 
ing for  it,  when  his  brother  Samuel  passed  by.  "What  are  you 
doing,  Thompson?"  said  Samuel.  "Hunting  my  pocketbook," 
was  the  reply.  "I  saw  it,"  said  Sam,  "lying  on  the  ground  out 


57 2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

yonder  " — pointing  toward  the  spot.  "  Why  in  the  d 1  didn't 

you  pick  it  up,  Sam  ?"  The  incident  is  an  expressive  type  of  the 
ways  of  the  two  men  in  later  years.  "Sam"  never  picked  up  or 
saved  anything,  and  possessed  but  a  moderate  competency,  while 
Thompson  "picked  up"  all  his  life  and  gained  a  considerable 
fortune. 

Thompson  Higley  was  but  little  past  eighteen  years  of  age 
when  he  emigrated  in  1804  with  his  parents  and  the  family  to  the 
Connecticut  Western  Reserve.  His  Connecticut  land  was  ex- 
changed for  land  in  this  Western  wild  forest  at  Windsor,  O.  He 
was  occupied  the  next  few  years  in  clearing  the  farm,  meeting 
stern  hardships  in  unfolding  a  better  civilization.  At  the  organ- 
ization of  the  township  in  1811,  he  was  appointed  supervisor. 

The  War  of  1812  was  declared  June  18.  In  less  than  two 
months,  when  the  demand  came  for  new  recruits,  Thompson 
Higley  found  himself  drafted  for  service.  He  was  now  twenty- 
six.  These  raw  soldiers  were  marched  to  Cleveland,  where  they 
went  into  camp  and  remained  several  weeks.  This  wave  of  war 
brought  unmistakable  anxiety  to  his  parents.  Hull  had  surren- 
dered, and  another  military  disaster  was  apprehended.  There  was 
a  tincture  of  discouragement  in  the  minds  of  the  Connecticut 
emigrants,  who  never  cordially  endorsed  the  steps  then  taken  by 
our  government,  believing  that  our  nation  was  in  no  wise  pre- 
pared to  enter  another  war,  and  that  further  negotiations  might 
possibly  have  brought  a  satisfactory  adjustment  of  difficulties 
with  Great  Britain. 

The  affectionate  heart  of  his  father,  "  Squire  "  Higley,  was 
deeply  solicitous  at  having  his  son  standing  exposed  to  the  dread- 
ful peril  of  starvation  on  the  British  prison-ships,  or  of  the  Indian's 
scalping  knife;  and  he  finally  thought  to  procure  a  substitute. 
He  one  day  wrote,  after  Thompson  had  gone  into  camp: 


"  DEAR  CHILD,  in  a  great  hurry  I  write  :  we  want  you  to  write  us  for  what  you 
want,  for  we  cannot  hear  with  any  certainty  from  you.     Perhaps  a  man  might  be 
hired.     Some  think  that  James  Alderman  might  be  hired.  .  .    Do  write  particu- 
larly requesting  all  that  you  want  to  have  done,  and  how  your  health  is. 
"  I  am  your  Afflicted  Parent, 

"JONA.  HIGLEY. 
"  August  27,  1812. 
"  We  have  sent  a  thin  rug  by  Mr.  Cook." 

Young  Thompson  wrote  home  as  follows: 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL   HIGLEY,  \ST.  573 

"  CLEVELAND,  August  29,  1812. 

"One  company  of  men  has  been  formed  out  of  Col.  Edwards'  Regiment  to 
march  to  Huron,  under  Capt.  Dull.  All  present  who  were  drafted  when  Sam  was 
had  to  go.  We  shall  remain  here  till  further  orders  ;  perhaps  be  dismissed  imme- 
diately. I  have  been  tolerable  healthy  since  I  left  home.  Ben  Cook  brought  me 
the  blanket.  I  shall  come  home  as  soon  as  I  can.  .  .  I  sent  Jonathan  ten 
dollars  by  Russel  Loomis.  .  .  The  last  half  of  the  militia  are  dismissed.  I  will 
write  what  to  have  done  with  my  affairs  at  home  if  I  cannot  come  myself.  Some 
of  you  will  write  to  me  every  opportunity. 

"  THOMPSON  HIGLEY." 

Again  he  writes  under  the  following  date: 

"  CLEVELAND,  6th  of  September,  A.  1).  1812. 

"  I  remain  yet  in  this  place,  and  am  in  as  good  health  as  can  be  expected.  I  be- 
gin to  think  that  we  shall  not  be  dismissed,  and  am  very  much  afraid  that  we  shall 
have  orders  to  march  to  Huron  before  long.  About  four  hundred  have  already 
gone  to  Huron.  We  have  provisions  enough  ;  'tis  bread  and  fresh  beef  principally, 
which  is  not  very  agreeable  to  live  upon  all  of  the  time.  Brooks,  Garvy  Sackett, 
Elias  Spring,  and  Alfred  Hill,  volunteered  to  go  to  Huron  ;  Andrews  and  young 
Shubeul  went  by  draft ;  'tis  a  very  disagreeable  life  to  me  as  well  as  to  many 
others.  I  wish  you  to  write  every  opportunity.  I  believe  the  head  Officers  don't 
know  yet  themselves  what  they  shall  do,  but  are  waiting  for  an  Express  from  the 
City  of  Washington. 

"  I  am  in  a  hurry  and  hardly  know  what  to  write. 

"  THOMPSON  HIGLEY." 

Just  how  long  his  regiment  remained  in  camp,  or  whether  it 
was  ordered  forward,  we  cannot  state.  On  its  final  discharge 
Thompson  Higley  returned  home,  and  was  no  doubt  hailed  with 
great  joy.  For  his  soldiering  services  he  received  a  land 
warrant  and  a  pension  from  the  United  States  Government. 

After  his  return  from  military  duty,  he  resided  with  his 
parents  until  his  father's  decease  in  1817,  and  remained  with  his 
widowed  mother  till  his  marriage  at  thirty-four.  He  married 
Betsey  Hulbert  of  Austinburg,  O.,  April  n,  1821.  They 
removed  to  his  own  farm,  which  lay  adjoining  his  father's — a 
part  of  the  original  tract  secured  before  the  Higleys  left  their 
native  State.  A  frame  house  and  barn  was  built  in  1817. 

Cheese-making,  and  later  on  sheep-raising,  claimed  Thomp- 
son Higley's  especial  interests,  as  well  as  the  pursuit  of  the 
usual  agricultural  industries.  For  a  number  of  years  he  kept  a 
herd  of  twenty-five  cows.  The  manufacture  of  cheese  was,  in 
those  days,  brought  to  a  high  state  of  perfection  in  "the 
Reserve,"  and  dairying  was  its  principal  factor  for  a  quarter  of  a 


574  THE  HIGLEY S  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY. 

century  or  more,  yielding  to  the  farmers  a  most  profitable  in- 
come. For  a  few  years  in  the  thirties  Mr.  Higley,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Jonathan,  whose  residence  was  just  across 
the  road,  engaged  in  the  sale  of  dry  goods  and  general  country 
merchandise,  using  a  part  of  Thompson  Higley's  residence  as  a 
salesroom.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Betsey  Higley,  frequently  attended 
the  store  and  kept  the  books. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1826,  Thompson  Higley  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  township  of  Windsor,  and 
commissioned  for  the  term  of  three  years  by  Governor  Jeremiah 
Morrow.  To  this  office  he  was  repeatedly  re-elected,  serving 
year  after  year,  until  he  positively  refused  to  serve  longer.  He 
was  elected  township  trustee,  serving  successive  years,  till  he 
wearied  of  this  office  also.  Notwithstanding  his  refusal  to  be  a 
candidate,  he  was  again  nominated  and  induced  to  serve  from 
185010  1852,  because  of  a  strong  political  contention,  which  threat- 
ened unhappy  consequences  in  the  town,  concerning  the  laying 
of  the  "Lake  and  Trumbull  County  plank  road,"  as  he  could 
command  more  votes  than  any  other  citizen,  and  thereby  settle 
the  difficulty. 

Thompson  Higley  lived  during  the  times  when  to  be  an  Aboli- 
tionist or  in  outspoken  sympathy  with  the  slave  required  a  bold 
heart,  and  one  true  to  its  convictions  and  principles.  He  was  a 
radical  anti-slavery  man.  Though  he  strongly  supported  the  Hon. 
Joshua  R.  Giddings  in  his  championship,  in  the  United  States 
Congress,  of  the  rights  of  the  negro,  he  clung  to  the  old 
Whig  party,  owing  to  his  belief  that  there  was  no  prospect  of 
success  through  the  Abolition  party,  and  that  he  could  serve  the 
cause  to  better  purpose  by  remaining  with  the  Whigs.  He 
adhered  to  his  party  till  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party 
in  1856,  when  he  joined  heart  and  hand  in  its  measures.  His 
interest  in  politics  did  not  flag  till  the  day  of  his  death,  keeping 
full  pace  with  the  newspaper  records  of  the  times,  and  making 
public  questions  his  thorough  study.  It  is  stated  that  he  could 
name  all  of  the  United  States  Senators,  with  the  State  which  each 
one  had  represented,  for  a  period  reaching  back  a  great  many 
years. 

Mr.  Higley  accumulated  property.  His  acres  of  land  increased 
until  he  finally  owned  640,  being  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in 
the  township.  In  addition  to  his  landed  estate,  he  held  govern- 
ment bonds,  and  also  realized  a  considerable  amount  annually 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,\ST.  575 

from  the  loan  of  moneys.  In  this  latter  business  he  uttered  a 
practical  protest  against  the  acceptance  of  more  than  the  legal 
rate  of  interest,  six  per  cent.,  though  the  demand  for  money 
easily  commanded  ten  per  cent.  He  used  to  say  that  he  did  not 
think  that  any  agriculturist  borrower  could  really  afford  to  bear 
the  burden  of  more  than  six  per  cent.,  and  that  he  could  not  per- 
mit himself  to  be  governed  by  an  avarice  that  would  cause  him  to 
exact  more  than  the  lawful  amount. 

The  marked  characteristics  of  his  life  were  his  unvarying  and 
inflexible  integrity,  his  thorough  everyday  uprightness,  con- 
scientiously practiced,  and  his  burning  hatred  to  all  that  was  dis- 
honest, false,  and  mean.  He  bore  a  strong  dislike  for  sharp  or 
underhanded  practices  :  the  transactions  into  which  he  entered 
had  to  be  squarely  performed,  with  the  glare  of  daylight  shining 
through  them;  there  was  no  "  hiding  a  candle  under  a  bushel  " 
in  his  dealings. 

He  was  a  man  who  evidenced  the  spirit  of  benevolence  in  his 
own  way.  When  misfortune  overtook  a  neighbor,  or  illness  and 
trouble  came  to  an  acquaintance,  he  aided  them,  as  well  as  other 
deserving  people,  cordially  and  liberally;  but  he  was  not  given 
to  lending  assistance  to  every  applicant  who  might  approach  him. 
He  contributed  freely  to  the  expenses  of  the  late  Civil  War,  mak- 
ing frequent  liberal  donations  to  his  town.  At  one  time  he  gave 
five  hundred  dollars  to  free  it  from  the  necessity  of  a  draft. 

In  person  Thompson  Higley  was  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height, 
weighing  two  hundred  pounds,  and  was  light  complexioned.  He 
was  a  man  almost  void  of  pride  or  haughtiness,  and  caring  little 
for  his  personal  appearance  or  manner,  he  studied  his  comfort 
only,  though  he  was  neat  in  his  habits. 

He  was  of  rather  quiet  bearing  and  conversation,  but  sometimes 
liked  a  dry  joke. 

When  his  mettle  was  aroused,  which  could  not  be  said  to  fre- 
quently occur,  he  did  not  lack  the  power  of  wrath,  and  in  giving 
it  vent  he  couched  his  language  in  terms  that  made  it  hot  and 
heavy  for  his  hearers. 

The  arena  of  the  religious  world  he  did  not  enter — he  was 
never  a  church-goer.  Not  liking  creeds  or  sectarian  exclusive- 
ness,  he  was  rarely  ever  seen  inside  of  a  place  of  worship,  and  he 
was  quite  as  indifferent  concerning  his  Bible.  Yet  his  high 
moral  standard  and  strict  upright  dealings  with  his  fellow-men 
made  him  a  model  and  pattern  in  these  respects  for  many  a  pro- 


576  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

fessor  of  religion;  for  his  conduct  and  action  in  life  were  gov- 
erned by  the  eternal  principles  of  the  Golden  Rule,  and  he  was 
essentially  a  noble  man. 

While  his  was  the  plain  and  eminently  practical  life  of  the 
country  "squire"  and  a  leading  agriculturist,  busied  with  politi- 
cal matters,  planning  the  means  for  the  local  improvement  and 
welfare  of  his  town,  and  carrying  them  out,  which  brought  strik- 
ing change  to  the  wooded  new  country,  his  was  one  of  those  lives 
which  are  a  suggestive  study.  To  go  back  to  the  beginning  of 
this  century  and  consider  the  important  foundations  that  such 
men  laid,  think  over  what  they  put  into  operation  as  the  years 
ripened  under  their  exercise  of  brain  and  the  labor  of  their  hands, 
their  fair  dealing  and  purity  of  principles,  stamping  themselves 
"  instruments  of  God  to  bring  a  higher  civilization,"  we  hold  them 
as  noble  contributors  to  the  high  destiny  of  our  prosperous  land. 

Betsey  Hurlburt,  who  united  in  marriage  with  Thompson 
Higley  on  the  nth  of  April,  1821,  resided  in  Austinburg,  O. 
Goshen,  Conn.,  was  her  native  place.  From  here  she  emigrated 
to  the  Western  Reserve,  joining  a  married  sister,  and  making  the 
journey  of  six  hundred  miles  on  horseback.  Soon  after  her 
arrival  she  opened  a  school  in  a  neighboring  township,  which  was 
the  first  school  taught  in  that  town. 

She  was  a  sincere  Christian  woman,  following  with  true  fidelity 
the  dictates  of  a  conscience  which  was  guided  by  her  humble 
reliance  on  the  goodness  of  God  and  the  teaching  she  drew  from 
her  Bible,  which  she  read  a  great  deal  alone,  and  sometimes  with 
her  children.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Her  married  life,  busy  in  active  household  work,  was  no  excep- 
tion to  that  of  the  pioneer  women  of  her  day.  There  was  not  one 
moment  to  "  eat  the  bread  of  idleness."  No  hired  help  could  be 
obtained;  and  her  years  were  filled  with  the  toilsome  daily 
routine  of  an  almost  limitless  industry:  spinning,  churning,  bak- 
ing, making  cheese, — for  the  quality  of  which  she  excelled,  gaining 
a  very  considerable  reputation, — attending  to  the  family  sewing 
and  the  ordinary  cooking,  washing,  and  ironing.  But  on  Saturday 
evening,  according  to  the  old  Puritan  New  England  custom,  she 
ceased  all  the  domestic  duties  that  could  possibly  be  laid  aside 
preparatory  for  the  Sabbath,  and  faithfully  attended  her  church 
at  the  village  when  Sunday  came. 

From  their  infancy  she  taught  her  children  the  cradle  rhyme: 
"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,"  and  "  Our  Father  in  heaven  "; 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  1ST.  577 

and  as  they  grew  up  she  faithfully  trained  them  in  the  precepts 
of  the  gospel,  holding  up  before  them  by  her  own  example  a 
calm  and  quiet  manner  devoid  of  fretfulness  or  complaint,  and 
clothed  with  the  beautiful  garb  of  a  gentle  spirit.  Her  family 
government  was  guided  by  firmness  and  decision,  teaching  her 
children  obedience  and  reverence.  She  believed  that  to  "spare 
the  rod  was  to  spoil  the  child,"  and  while  her  husband  avoided 
its  use  for  punishment,  she  herself  took  in  hand  this  good  old 
housewife  remedy  for  misbehavior,  and  used  it  with  unflinching 
vigor  when  she  felt  that  discipline  and  good  order  essentially 
required  it.  To  her  church  she  was  strongly  attached,  devoting 
both  zeal  and  labor  to  its  interests.  When  a  movement  was 
made  in  1853  for  a  new  building,  she  donated  fifty  dollars,  an 
amount  in  those  days  considered  munificent  for  a  woman  to  give. 

The  illness  which  closed  her  earthly  life  was  a  long  wearying 
combat  with  consumption,  for  which  there  was  no  healing  balm. 
Her  departure  was  worthy  of  the  practical  Christian  life  she  had 
lived.  When  the  hours  immediately  preceding  her  death  came, 
she  knew  that  "the  enduring  substance  is  beyond  the  grave." 
"Prepare  to  meet  my  God,"  was  her  counsel  to  her  family;  "he 
has  been,"  said  she,  "  my  comfort  and  support  through  all  the 
trying  scenes  of  life,  and  is  with  me  now  in  the  hour  of  death," 
and  she  passed  from  the  life  that  now  is,  into  the  life  eternal.  It 
was  on  the  zath  of  September,  1854.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  church  to  which  she  had  been  so  closely  bound;  a 
sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Arnold.  It  was  the 
first  funeral  service  held  in  the  new  church.1  She  was  interred  in 
the  cemetery  at  Windsor  Corners. 

In  the  year  1860  Thompson  Higley,  Sr.,  married  Margaret 
Worthington,  who  survived  him. 

His  decease  took  place  February  27,  1874,  in  his  eighty-eighth 
year.  He  was  laid  beside  his  first  wife  in  the  village  cemetery. 

While  he  yet  lived  he  gave  to  his  three  daughters  340  acres  of 
land  which  lay  in  the  township  of  Hartsgrove,  which  was  equally 
divided  between  them.  To  this  he  added  three  hundred  dollars 
each  in  money. 

To  his  only  surviving  son,  Thompson  Higley,  Jr.,  he  bequeathed 
at  his  death  all  of  the  remainder  of  his  estate,  which  included  the 
original  home  farm  in  Windsor. 

1  This  church  was  some  years  afterward  sold  to  the  Universalists,  and  is  now  held  by  that  body 
and  the  Farmers'  Grange. 


578  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Thompson  Higley,  Sr.,  and  his  wife  Betsey  (Hurlburt)  had 
five  children,  viz. : 

Rachel,  Betsey,  Eunice,  Thomas,  and  Thompson,  Jr. 

RACHEL  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  January  29,  1822, 
and  married,  September  19,  1850,  Ebenezer  Nye  of  Windsor,  O.  On  the  occasion 
of  her  marriage  she  received  a  gift  from  her  father  of  113  acres  of  fine  farming  land 
in  Hartsgrove,  an  adjoining  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nye  afterward  removed 
to  Maryland.  They  have  one  child,  Alice,  who  married  Theron  Ludington,  and 
resides  at  Goshen,  Conn.,  with  whom  her  parents  now  live.  Mrs.  Nye  is  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Goshen. 

BETSEY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Thompson,  Sr.,  and  Betsey  (Hurlburt) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  May,  1825.  She  was  a  bright,  thrifty  girl, 
exceedingly  clever  in  business  matters,  and  always  ready  to  take  hold  of  a  measure 
that  would  increase  the  contents  of  her  purse.  She  married,  November  12,  1846, 
DeWitt  C.  Gridley,  and  received  a  wedding  portion  from  her  father  of  113  acres  of 
land  in  Hartsgrove.  Mr.  Gridley  was  one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  live  cattle  in 
Ashtabula  County.  He  followed  the  business  forty  years,  was  prosperous,  and  ac- 
cumulated a  comfortable  fortune.  His  life  was  marked  with  a  generous  liberality. 
He  died  June  22,  1885,  aged  sixty-four  years.  His  wife  died  of  consumption 
three  months  after,  September  27,  1885,  closing  a  life  which  had  in  a  quiet  way 
shed  a  luster  by  its  gentleness  of  temperament  and  kindly  disposition. 

They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz. : 

Florence,  who  married  Elisha  Stafford,  and  resides  in  Cleveland,  O. ;  Elva,  who 
married  Herman  Stafford  ;  Etta,  and  Armena,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

EUNICE  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Thompson  Higley,  Sr.,  and  Betsey  (Hurlburt), 
his  wife,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  of  her  father  at  Windsor,  O.,  September 
19,  1827.  Her  earlier  life  was  quiet  and  uneventful,  mainly  spent  devoting  her 
time  to  the  domestic  concerns  of  the  household. 

She  married,  May  I,  1850,  Albert  Bell,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  born 
January  18,  1828,  in  the  town  of  Georgia,  Franklin  County.  When  two  years  of 
age  he  was  brought  to  the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,  by  his  parents,  when  they 
emigrated  from  Vermont. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  resided  in  the  township  of  Hartsgrove,  Ashtabula  County, 
O.,  on  a  farm  of  165  acres  ;  of  this  113  acres  were  given  to  Mrs.  Eunice  Bell  by 
her  father,  Thompson  Higley,  Sr.,  on  the  occasion  of  her  marriage.  The  remainder 
was  purchased  by  Mr.  Bell.  It  is  a  fine,  well-improved  estate,  and  bespeaks  an 
intelligent  estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  practical  study  which  agriculture  and 
kindred  industrial  pursuits  require  in  these  days.  The  Bells  have  always  been 
substantial,  much  respected  citizens  of  Hartsgrove  Township.  Mr.  Bell  was 
elected  to  the  office  of,  and  served  several  successive  terms  as,  township  trustee. 
He  died  at  his  home,  September  3,  1895.  Albert  and  Eunice  (Higley)  Bell  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  viz. : 

Rollin,  born  May  21,  1851,  died  December  1 8,  iS66  ;  Thompson  Higley,  Fred- 
erick A.,  Ernestine,  Ella,  and  Mabel. 

THOMPSON  HIGLEY  BELL,  the  oldest  surviving  child,  was  born  at  Hartsgrove,  O., 
May  6,  1854.  He  married  Deette  Lampson,  December  4,  1879.  They  have  one 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  1ST.  579 

child,  named  Howard  F.,  born  June  I,  1884.  Mrs.  Deette  L.  Bell  died  Octo- 
ber, 1895.  Mr.  Bell  resides  in  Mesopotamia,  Trumbull  County,  O. 

FREDERICK  A.,  the  third  child  of  Albert  and  Eunice  (Higley)  Bell,  was  born 
April  22,.  1857.  He  married  Florence  Marsh,  June  30,  1887.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children  : 

Marian  £.,  born   May   17,   1888  ;   and  Remson,  born   November  2,  1889. 

They  live  in  Superior,  Wis. 

ERNESTINE,  the  fourth  child  of  Albert  and  Eunice  (Higley)  Bell,  was  born  in 
Hartsgrove,  O.,  June  10,  1859.  She  has  been  a  successful  teacher  for  a  number 
of  years.  Beginning  in  the  district  public  school,  she  gradually  advanced  to  the 
higher  grades,  and  has  filled  responsible  positions  in  Fargo  and  Lisbon,  N.  Dak., 
Nevada,  Missouri,  and  for  two  years  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Duluth, 
Minn. 

ELLA,  the  fifth  child  of  Albert  and  Eunice  (Higley)  Bell,  was  born  at  Harts- 
grove,  O.,  April  24,  1864.  She  married  June  9,  1885,  Clayton  L.  Lampson. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz.  : 

Vena  B.,  born  March  25,  1886  ;  and  Mabel,  born  February  29,  1890. 

They  reside  in  Windsor,  O. 

REUBEN  R.,  the  sixth  child  of  Albert  and  Eunice  (Higley)  Bell,  was  born  May 
II,  1866.  He  married,  June  15,  1887,  Emma  Fowler.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, viz.  : 

Harry  E.,  born  April  9,  1888;  Garland  A.,  born  February  7,  1890;  Lynn, 
born  October  26,  1891. 

They  reside  in  Hartsgrove,  O. 

THOMAS  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Thompson,  Sr.,  and  Betsey  (Hurlburt) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  September  25,  1829.  At  the  early  age  of  three 
years  he  was  one  day  at  play  underneath  the  trees,  when,  though  apparently  in 
sound  health,  he  was  suddenly  seized  with  paralysis,  and  ever  after,  as  long  as  he 
lived,  was  powerless  to  use  his  right  side.  This  affliction  stunted  his  growth,  leaving 
him  an  unfortunate  cripple  ;  nevertheless,  having  an  energetic  heart,  full  of  hope, 
together  with  increased  strength  in  his  left  side,  he  accomplished  a  considerable 
amount  of  physical  labor.  He  died  of  typhoid  fever,  March  25,  1853. 

THOMPSON  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  fifth  child  and  only  surviving  son 
of  Thompson,  Sr.,  and  Betsey  (Hurlburt)  Higley,  was  born  at  the 
home-farm  of  his  father  at  Windsor,  O.,  November  12,  1831. 
His  advantages  for  learning  were  received  in  the  schools  of  the 
neighboring  districts;  he  has,  however,  since  those  days,  by  virtue 
of  his  excellent  natural  abilities  and  reading,  continued  the  dis- 
cipline of  his  faculties,  and  is  able  to  make  the  most  of  his  acquire- 
ments. Mr.  Higley  is  a  man  of  thorough  principle  and  sterling 
integrity,  thoughtful,  and  possessed  of  quiet  strength.  Under  his 
quiet  demeanor  he  conceals  a  sympathetic  heart,  which  leads  him 
to  much  charitable  action;  this  he  practices  in  an  extremely 
unostentatious  way — few  men  excel  him  in  small  unseen  acts  of 
kindness.  He  is  one  of  those  true  and  steadfast  friends  born  for 
the  time  of  need,  whose  opportunity  answers  to  the  old  prov- 
erb, "A  friend  loveth  at  all  times  and  a  brother  is  born  for 
adversity." 


580  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

February  17,  1854,  he  married  Laura  McEwen,  who  entered  the 
home  of  her  husband  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  and 
where  he  has  spent  all  of  his  life,  and  which  came  into  his  full 
ownership  at  the  decease  of  his  father. 

Thompson  Higley,  Jr.,  is  the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres  of 
good  farming  land  lying  in  the  townships  of  Windsor  and  Harts- 
grove,  Ashtabula  County,  O.  He  received  by  legacy  the  larger 
proportion  of  his  father's  estate,  the  entire  balance  after  paying 
his  stepmother  and  sisters  certain  stipulated  amounts  which  were 
devised  in  Thompson,  Sr.'s,  will.  He  was  appointed  executor  of 
the  estate. 

Personally  unobtrusive,  Mr.  Higley  has  never  sought  public 
position,  yet  his  townsmen,  who  elected  him  trustee  in  1884,  have 
each  successive  year  continued  to  keep  him  in  the  office.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  well-kept  rural  cemetery  which  is 
located  at  Windsor  Corners.  Here,  among  other  citizens  who 
bear  an  honorable  record  for  studying  the  improvement  and  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  town,  his  name  was  fittingly  inscribed  on  the 
face  of  a  substantially  built  stone  vault  in  recognition  of  his 
valuable  public  services. 

Mr.  Higley  is  not  a  church  communicant;  he  lt  puts  his  creeds 
into  deeds,"  but  attends  the  Universalist  Church  with  his  wife, 
to  which  he  is  a  liberal  donor. 

Laura  McEwen,  the  wife  Thompson  Higley,  Jr.,  was  born  in 
Kemp,  Conn.,  October  10,  1832.  She  was  brought  by  her 
parents,  Charles  and  Aurelia  McEwen,  to  Ohio  when  they  emi- 
grated from  their  native  State  in  1838,  settling  first  in  Con- 
cord, and  afterward  in  Hamden,  Geauga  County.  In  1850  they 
removed  to  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County.1  In  February,  1854,  she 
married  Mr.  Higley. 

Thompson,  Jr.,  and  Laura  (McEwen)  Higley,  are  the  parents  of 
three  surviving  children,  their  daughter  Betsey,  born  November 
17,  1860,  dying  of  diphtheria  January  6,  1869,  at  the  age  of  eight 
years.  The  children  are  as  follows: 

REED  HIGLEY,  born  at  Windsor,  O.,  July  29,  1855,  who  is  unmarried  and 
resides  at  home  with  his  parents,  and  is  a  farmer. 

ERLIN  HIGLEY,  born  April  6,  1858,  who  is  also  unmarried,  and  lives  with  his 
parents.  He  is  a  farmer. 

1  Charles  McEwen  died  at  Windsor,  O.,  April  25, 1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  wife, 
Aurelia  McEwen,  was  known  as  a  woman  of  most  agreeable  temperament,  viewing  the  world  from 
its  bright  side,  and  making  life  happy  to  those  about  her.  She  died  November  16, 1886,  aged  seventy- 
nine  years. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  \ST.  581 

AUGUSTA,  born  August  17,  1863,  who  married,  November  23,  1881,  Maurice 
Warren,  and  resides  in  a  pretty  farm  home  in  the  close  vicinity  of  her  parents. 
They  have  two  children,  viz. : 

Leon  Thompson,  born  March  26,  1883  ;    Vern  Casper,  born  June  27,  1889. 


Continued  from  page  491. 

LYDIA  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Jonathan,  2d,  and  Rachel 
(Negus)  Higley,  was  born  in  Turkey  Hills  parish,  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  April  18,  1789.  She  was  a  girl  of  fifteen  when  she  emi- 
grated with  her  parents  to  Ohio.  She  married,  July  4,  1816, 
Elijah  Crandall.  He  was  born  December  i,  1792.  They  had 
two  children,  viz.: 

Franklin  and  Amariah. 

FRANKLIN  CRANDALL,  the  eldest  child,  born  May  8,  1817,  married  Salria 
.  She  was  born  1821. 


AMARIAH  CRANDALL,  the  second  child,  born  October  13,  1821,  married,  July 
4,  1853,  Mary  E.  Hale.  She  was  born  May  26,  1826.  Amariah  Crandall  died 
February  18,  1896.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  all  daughters,  viz.: 

Frances  T.,  born  April  4,  1854;  Gertrude  G.,  born  December  27,  1856;  Flora  E., 
born  September  28,  1859  ;  Amerett  S.,  born  September  8,  1863. 

FRANCES  T.,  married  Andrew  Zinger,  July  30,  1880,  and  has  two  children, 
J?oss  and  Bessie. 

GERTRUDE  G.,  married,  July  3,  1884,  Roscoe  White.  They  have  one  child — 
Grace.  They  reside  in  Middlefield,  Geauga  County,  O. 

FLORA  E.,  married,  January  22,  1879,  Clarence  C.  Lampson.  They  have  one 
child,  called  Lynn.  They  reside  in  Mesopotamia,  Trumbull  County,  O.,  and 
are  farmers. 

LAURA  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Jonathan,  2d,  and  Rachel 
(Negus)  Higley,  was  born  in  Turkey  Hills  parish,  Simsbury, Conn., 
September  7,  1792.  She  was  a  child  of  twelve  years  when  she  left 
her  native  State  and  came  with  her  parents  to  Ashtabula  County, 
Ohio.  She  married  Enoch  Hale,  June,  1830.  He  was  born 
September  12,  1786.  He  died  May,  1864.  She  died  October  8, 
1856.  They  had  two  children,  both  daughters:  Lucy  and  Emily. 

LUCY,  born  September  3,  1831,  married,  November  12,  1849,  Thomas  Perry. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons,  viz. : 

David,  born  August  7,  1852,  died  1856 ;  Edward  G.,  born  September  17,  1856  ; 
William  H.,  born  February,  1858  ;  Ernest,  born  December,  1860. 

EMILY  HALE,  born  March  15,  1833,  became  the  second  wife  of  Edward  Wiswell, 
November  12,  1856.  He  was  born  May  14,  1813.  They  had  one  son  and  two 
daughters,  viz.: 

Bert,  Laura  A.,  and  Anna. 
38 


582  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

BERT  WISWELL  was  born  April  16,  1858  ;  married,  October  31,  1882,  Nettie 
Hoskins. 

LAURA  A.,  born  November  27,  1859,  and  married,  July  3,  1881,  Luther  M.  Pres- 
ton. He  was  born  December  20,  1856.  Luther  Preston  died  1895.  They  had 
two  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  named  Ruby,  born  August  30,  1886.  They 
resided  in  Windsor,  O. 

ANNA,  the  third  child  of  Emily  Hale  and  Edward  Wiswell,  married  John  Good- 
ing.  She  died  June  2,  1889. 


Continued  from  page  491. 

FANNY  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  and  youngest  child  of  Jonathan,  2d, 
and  Rachel  (Negus)  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in 
the  year  1795.  She  died  in  1873  in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio, 
unmarried. 


CHAPTER   LXVI. 

DESCENDANTS   OF    NATHANIEL   HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxiv,  p.   139. 
I 
Abigail,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

he  does  not  feel  himself  a  mere  individual  link  in  creation,  responsible  only  for  his  own  brief 
term  of  being.  He  carries  back  his  existence  in  proud  recollection,  and  he  extends  it  forward  in 
honorable  anticipation.  He  lives  with  his  ancestry,  and  he  lives  with  his  posterity. — WASHINGTON 
IRVING. 

ABIGAIL  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  (Filer) 
Higley  whose  date  of  birth  is  found  upon  record,  was  born  at 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  November  i,  1723.  She  married,  November  8, 
1842,  Joseph  Holcombe,  who  was  also  of  Simsbury.  He  was 
born  1721.  They  always  resided  in  their  native  town.  She  died 
June  8,  1803.  Their  descendants  are  spread  into  the  numerous 
Holcombe  and  other  families. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  (Filer) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  early  in  the  year  1725. 
Her  life  was  prolonged  to  such  a  great  age  that  descendants  of 
her  brothers  who  were  living  since  this  book  was  begun  (1888) 
recollected  her  distinctly.  She  outlived  more  than  three  genera- 
tions. She  never  married.  An  old  Salmon  Brook  rate  book  for 
the  year  1774  shows  that  she,  together  with  her  brother  Daniel, 
were  put  on  the  list  for  that  year,  for  rates  of  one  penny  on  the 
pound  for  ;£6o  i6s.  At  the  distribution  of  her  father's  estate 
lands  were  "  set  out"  to  Mary,  August  13,  1778. 

The  date  of  her  mother's  death  is  not  known;  but  it  is  probable 
that  Mary  remained  with  her  at  Simsbury  as  long  as  she  lived, 
removing  early  in  this  century  to  Marlboro,  Windham  County, 
Vt.,  to  which  place  her  brother  Daniel  had  emigrated  in  1781. 
Here  she  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life. 

In  the  year  1810  she  conveyed  to  her  brother  Daniel  fifteen 
acres  of  land,  for  which  she  received  "  one  hundred  dollars  current 
money."  After  her  father's  decease  she  appears  to  have  re- 
mained in  the  home  of  this  brother  till  his  death,  which  took  place 

583 


584  THE  H  1C  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

in  1812,  and  was  afterward  cared  for  by  her  two  nephews,  Judah 
and  Pliny  Higley,  in  accordance  with  the  following  clause  in  her 
brother  Daniel's  will: 


"  And  further  my  Will  is  that  my  sister  Mary  Higley  shall  be  supported  out  of 
the  estate  that  I  have  herein  bequeathed  to  my  sons  Judah  and  Pliny,  and  that 
they,  the  said  Judah  and  Pliny,  shall  support  the  said  Mary  with  good  and  sufficient 
meat,  drink,  washing,  lodging,  nursing  and  physic,  and  every  way  maintain  her 
decently  during  her  natural  life,  and  likewise  pay  her  funeral  charges  if  she  has 
not  estate  of  her  own  to  do  it." 


Mary  Higley  died  in  the  year  1828,  aged  one  hundred  and  four 
years. 

THEOPOLIS  HIGLEY,  "y*  sone  of  Nat1  and  Abigail  (Filer)  Hig- 
ley," was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  "  March  ye  27th  1726." 

He  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  estate,  and  united  with  the 
old  church  of  the  Northwest  Society,  now  the  North  Granby 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  his  father  was  then  a  prominent 
and  active  supporter. 

June  7,  1757,  he  purchased  land  "on  the  east  side  of  Manatuck," 
a  mountain  on  the  north  edge  of  Simsbury.  This  was  probably 
the  site  of  his  home  farm.  He  married  Rhoda . 

On  the  i8th  of  March,  1762,  he  enlisted  in  a  Connecticut  militia 
regiment  commanded  by  Captain  Noah  Humphrey.  He  was 
made  corporal.  This  company,  which  "was  raised  chiefly  in 
Simsbury,  belonged  to  corps  sent  out  to  Havana  the  same  year, 
1762,  under  General  Lyman.  The  unfortunate  expedition  was 
signalized  by  great  loss  of  life,  resulting  from  sickness.  Less 
than  one-third  of  the  troops  returned  home."  ' 

Theopolis  Higley  was  among  those  whose  lives  were  sacrificed. 
He  died  while  on  the  expedition,  August  26,  i762,aaged  thirty-six 
years  and  five  months.  He  left  no  children.  By  his  will  he 
bequeaths  to  his  "beloved  wife  Rhoda,  all  my  Estate,  both  land 
and  moveable  estate,  and  dwelling  house,"  and  appoints  her  sole 
executor. 

The  inventory,  which  was  taken  December  31,  1762,  amounts 
tO;£n8,  and  includes,  among  other  articles,  "broadcloth"  cloth- 
ing, a  ring,  a  "chest  of  drawers,"  and  the  first  "cotton"  shirt 
found  in  the  old  Family  inventories. 

1  Phelps'  "  History  of  Simsbury,"  p.  93. 

*  Taken  from  original  muster  rolls,  State  Library,  Hartford,  Conn. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  585 

Continued  from  chapter  xxiv.  p.  142. 
Solomon,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

SOLOMON  HIGLEY,  "  ye  sonne  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  (Filer) 
Higley,"  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  "ye  8th  of  January  1728."  ' 
About  the  year  1749  he  married  Lydia,  the  daughter  of  Lieu- 
tenant David  Holcombe  and  his  wife  Mehitable  Bottolph  of 
Simsbury. a  Lydia  was  born  in  the  year  1730. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1751,  Solomon  Higley  purchased  land 
in  Salmon  Brook  parish,  within  a  few  miles  of  his  father's  farm. 
This,  no  doubt,  was  where  they  resided.  Here  six  of  their  ten 
children  were  born,  and  probably  the  seventh.  Two  years  later, 
February  18,  1753,  both  Solomon  Higley  and  his  wife  were 
admitted  on  profession  of  their  faith  to  the  old  North  Granby 
First  Church,  signing  the  church  covenant.  In  March,  1761,  he 
made  an  additional  purchase  of  land  at  Salmon  Brook  and  in  1763 
he  made  further  purchase  of  land  in  Simsbury.  The  year  follow- 
ing— 1764 — he  was  baptised  in  the  English  Church  of  St.  Andrew 
in  the  parish  of  Scotland  (now  Bloomfield).  This  ancient  church 
was  situated  but  a  few  miles  from  his  dwelling. 

But  notwithstanding  he  was  imbued  with  a  decidedly  religious 
bent  of  mind,  and  was  an  honest  truth-seeker,  he  seems  to  have 
found  little  churchly  comfort  in  his  Christian  connections.  He 
had  a  craving  for  a  self-revealing  God  of  peace  and  good  will,  the 
churches  in  the  neighboring  parishes  having  long  been  deeply 
tinctured  with  dissatisfaction  and  discord,  and  evidently  had 
ceased  for  the  time  to  fulfill  their  useful  mission. 

Soon  after  his  last  purchase  of  land  in  the  year  1763,  he  sold 
all  of  his  possessions,  and,  as  far  as  can  be  discovered,  was  the 
first  of  the  Higleys  who  swarmed  from  the  old  hive  at  Higley- 
town  and  emigrated.  No  trace  of  him  or  his  family  can  be 
found  upon  record  at  Simsbury  or  Granby  later  than  the  year  1765. 

Between  that  year  and  the  year  1780  there  is  some  obscurity 
as  to  just  where  he  and  his  family  were  located,  though  there  is 
good  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  in  or  near  the  Berkshire  Hill 
country  of  Western  Massachusetts,  at  Stockbridge,  or  at  Lebanon, 
on  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  of  New  York.  During  this 
period  four  other  children  were  born  to  them.  About  the  year 
1779  a  remarkable  revival  of  religion  took  place  in  Lebanon,  N.  Y., 
and  the  towns  adjacent,  which  spread  to  the  neighboring  towns 

1  Book  in.,  "Simsbury  Town  Records." 

a  The  Buttolphs  were  one  of  the  old  families  of  Granby,  Hartford  County,  Conn. 


586  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

in  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  and  Western  Connecticut. 
Many  souls  were  vivified,  and,  moved  by  this  Pentecostal  wave, 
there  were  some  who,  anxiously  grasping  for  a  higher  spiritual 
life  and  walk,  settled  into  new  beliefs  and  sects. 

On  the  i6th  of  August,  1774,  "Mother"  Ann  Lee  landed  with 
seven  of  her  followers  in  New  York  City.  Part  of  her  company 
went  to  Albany,  and  in  the  year  1776  a  tract  of  land  was  leased 
or  purchased  by  them  in  the  forests  of  Niskenna,  afterward 
called  Watervleit,  seven  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of  Albany. 
Here  the  little  colony,  with  a  few  friends,  settled,  and  till  1780 
were  scarcely  known  outside  of  the  woods  that  hemmed  them  in. 
They  builded  houses,  cleared  lands,  raised  grains,  and  stored  pro- 
visions. In  the  spring  of  that  year, — 1780, — and  during  the  period 
that  the  great  revival  of  religion  was  sweeping  over  that  section 
of  country,  two  men,  who  had  started  from  Lebanon  to  emigrate 
westward,  on  reaching  Albany  heard  of  the  new  doctrines  which 
were  then  being  preached  by  "  Mother  Ann"  at  Watervleit,  and 
visiting  the  colony,  embraced  the  teachings,  the  central  idea  of 
which  is  the  duality  of  God  in  "his  highest,  clearest,  complete, 
and  perfect  manifestation,  as  when  his  character  is  produced 
in  man  and  in  woman."  Abandoning  their  westward  journey, 
they  returned  to  Lebanon  and  spread  the  faith  abroad.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  town  appointed  a  committee  of  three  sub- 
stantial citizens  to  visit  the  newly  arisen  sect  and  make  inquiry 
into  their  origin  and  religious  tenets.  These  came  back  inspired 
with  the  belief  that  they  had  found  "a  reasonable  religion  that 
appealed  to  the  understanding,  and  that  its  fruits  were  the  works 
of  practical  righteousness."  They  agreed  to  the  example  ex- 
hibited by  the  little  colony  in  its  social  system  of  government, 
which  was  "that  of  a  family  life  of  religious  communism"  in 
imitation  of  the  primitive  founders  of  the  Christian  Church. 
They  also  assented  to  the  leading  doctrine  taught,  that  those 
mutually  sustaining  its  relationship  were  called  to  a  high  plane 
of  spiritual  life,  holding  absolute  purity  of  mind  and  body  in  dis- 
tinctive prominence  by  hating  all  unclean  desires,  entirely  sub- 
duing all  lust  and  physical  propensities  to  the  loftier  nature  of 
man,  and  "  living  a  continent  and  virgin  life." 

Though  the  Order  of  Shakers,  then  founded,  does  not  censure 
the  marriage  compact,  and  regards  it  good  in  its  place,  it  con- 
siders it  wholly  belonging  to  the  inferior  organization  of  mankind, 
and  sought  only  by  those  walking  the  commonplace  and  beaten 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  587 

track  of  life,  holding  that  it  is  a  state  not  to  be  entered  by  mortals 
of  this  world  of  clay  who  are  privileged  to  discover  and  rise  to 
the  beauties  and  fragrance  of  the  ever  progressive  spiritual 
realm. 

Manual  industry,  thrift,  plain  and  simple  living,  uprightness  of 
dealing,  and  fraternity  were  and  always  have  been  essential 
requisites  to  membership  in  the  community.  That  "  Godliness 
doth  not  lead  to  idleness  "  is  a  part  of  its  creed. 

From  that  time  onward  the  people  came  in  numbers  to  Water- 
vleit  from  many  townships  in  eastern  New  York  and  New 
England.  A  great  public  service  was  held  May  19,  1780,  at 
which  the  doctrines  were  publicly  preached,  and  one  year  later 
"  Mother  "  Ann  and  the  elders  journeyed  through  various  places, 
going  as  far  east  as  Boston,  promulgating  their  beliefs. 

In  the  year  1787  the  people  gathered  into  communal  order, 
and  the  church  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  was  organized  between 
Christmas  of  the  same  year  and  1792. 

It  is  known  that  Solomon  and  Lydia  Higley  were  among  those 
who  embraced  this  faith  very  early,  previous  to  1780,  and  they 
were  consequently  among  the  number  who  founded  this  thrifty, 
social,  and  highly  moral  sect. 

Why  they  took  up  with  the  customs  of  this  singular  people 
cannot  be  fully  understood,  unless  it  was  because  they  found  a 
religion  of  love  practiced — the  hearty  affection  and  sympathy  of  a 
happy  family.  They  were  possessed  of  a  good  property,  and 
were  both  in  the  vigor  of  middle  life, — he  fifty-one  and  his  wife 
forty-nine, — with  a  large  family  of  sensible  and  dutiful  children. 

Some  of  their  older  children,  however,  did  not  enter  the  com- 
munity, and  of  the  seven  whom  they  caused  to  enter  with  them, 
all  except  three  finally  left  the  Shaker  community. 

The  step  taken  by  Solomon  and  Lydia  Higley  caused  great 
trial  and  dissatisfaction  to  Solomon's  brother  Daniel,  who  made 
a  journey  from  Marlboro,  Vt.,  to  Mount  Lebanon  Village,  in  the 
hope  to  dissuade  them  from  their  new  theology  and  practices. 
His  coming  made  quite  a  rumpus  among  the  "gentle  ascetics," 
but  it  was  all  to  no  purpose;  Solomon  and  Lydia  were  not  to  be 
moved,  and  faithfully  adhered  to  the  sect  to  the  end  of  their  long 
lives,  and  were  placed  upon  the  records  as  having  been  "loyal 
members,  beloved,  useful,  and  respected." ' 

Their  three  children,  Dan,  Theopolis,  and  Lydia,  who  embraced 

1  From  the  Records  of  the  Shakers  of  Mount  Lebanon  Village,  N.  Y. 


588  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  religious  faith  of  the  Shakers  with  their  parents,  and  remained 
at  Mount  Lebanon,  lived  to  the  ages  respectively  of  eighty-nine, 
seventy-two,  and  fifty-one  years. 

It  is  said  that  Solomon  Higley  prepared  half  an  acre  of  ground 
and  planted  it  in  corn  after  he  had  reached  the  nineties,  and, 
when  he  was  within  six  years  of  his  one  hundredth  mile-stone,  he 
hoed,  and  finally  harvested  and  husked  it,  entirely  unassisted, 
making  it  ready  for  the  granary. 

He  died  June  2,  1821,  aged  ninety-five.  His  wife,  Lydia 
(Holcombe)  Higley,  died  February  27,  1822,  aged  ninety-two. 
Their  children  were  as  follows: 

Sarah,  Nathaniel,  Seth,  Roswell,  Dan,  Seba,  Theopolis,  David, 
Dudley,  and  Lydia,  born  1773,  who  lived  from  childhood,  and 
died,  in  the  Shaker  Community  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 

SARAH  HIGLEY,  the  first-born  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia 
(Holcombe)  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  8, 
1750.  As  there  is  no  allusion  to  her  to  be  found  after  the  record 
of  her  birth,  it  is  probable  that  she  died  in  childhood. 

NATHANIEL  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia 
(Holcombe)  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  October  2, 

I752- 

Tradition  has  it  that  at  the  time  Solomon  Higley  emigrated 
from  Simbury,  when  the  boy  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  he 
accompanied  his  parents,  and  on  reaching  manhood  went  to 
Cayuga  County,  New  York,  in  the  early  history  of  its  settlement. 
Here  he  married  and  had  a  family.  It  is  stated  that  one  of  his 
sons  resided  at  Sand  Lake,  N.  Y.  However,  we  have  so  little 
information  concerning  him,  or  his  descendants,  if  he  had  any, 
that  we  cannot  give  a  satisfactory  account  of  them. 

SETH  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Soloman  and  Lydia  (Holcombe) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  27,  1754.'  He 
was  a  child  of  eleven  years  when  his  parents  removed  from  Sims- 
bury  and  settled  in  the  country  contiguous  to  the  Berkshire  Hills. 
He  married  Lucy  Herod,  an  English  girl,  when  about  twenty- 
one. 

It  was  probably  very  soon  after  their  marriage  that  Seth 
Higley  and  his  wife  went  to  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  and 
located  in  the  vicinity  of  Ballston  and  Half-Moon,  towns  which 
were  founded  some  ten  years  later.  The  country  was  then  a 
primeval  forest.  Possessed  of  quick  intelligence  and  a  sturdy 

1  "  Simsbury  Records." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  $89 

character,  he  went  to  work  on  the  unimproved  lands  and  made 
himself  a  home. 

Soon  after  this  he  is  found  among  the  gallant  and  active 
volunteers  who  threw  themselves  into  the  battles  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. It  was  an  epoch  when  just  such  blood  was  needed.  Seth 
Higley  was  not  of  the  metal  to  be  cowed  by  dark  times  or  to  sit 
down  and  groan  when  the  struggling  colonies  required  true 
patriots. 

At  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Burgoyne's  army  from  the  north, 
in  1777,  Seth  was  residing  with  his  family  within  hearing  of  the 
battle  fought  on  the  heights  and  plain  of  Saratoga.  One  day, 
when  he  and  a  neighbor  were  on  a  furlough  at  their  homes,  and 
had  mounted  their  plow  horses,  and  were  taking  some  bags  of 
grain  to  a  neighboring  mill,  they  heard  the  roar  of  cannon. 
They  turned,  and,  hurrying  back,  quickly  secreted  their  families 
in  the  woods  nearby,  not  daring  to  leave  them  in  the  settlement 
for  fear  of  the  Indians  and  Tories,  then  shouldering  their  guns, 
rushed  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  entered  the  combat.  The  battle 
raged  furiously  from  three  in  the  afternoon  till  darkness  put  an 
end  to  the  bloody  day.  That  night  nearly  one  thousand  men  lay 
on  the  field  dead  and  wounded. 

In  the  autumn  of  1798  one  Philip  King,  who  owned  a  tract  of  sev- 
eral hundred  acres  of  land  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  made  a 
favorable  offer  to  Seth  Higley  of  fifty  acres  if  he  would  assist  him 
in  removing  there.  Cayuga  County  had  at  that  time  been  lately 
"  set  off "  from  Onondaga  County,  and  was  yet  an  unsettled 
wilderness.  In  spite  of  the  toilsome  hardships  involved,  he 
accepted  the  proposition,  with  the  end  in  view  of  the  removal  of 
his  own  family  to  the  central  part  of  the  State;  no  doubt  for  the 
reason  that  the  Dutch  titles  to  the  vast  tracts  of  lands  in  eastern 
New  York,  which  were  vested  in  the  holders  of  patents,  hampered 
the  independence  and  enterprise  of  the  lesser  landholders.  That 
winter  he  drove  a  team  and  wagon-load  of  household  goods,  as  ar- 
ranged for,  with  King,  to  the- point  chosen  for  the  new  settlement, 
and  again  went  to  work  in  a  rich  forest  country,  almost  outside 
the  circle  of  civilization,  cutting  away  the  rough  wild  growths, 
and  thus  again  becoming  one  of  the  foremost  in  making  way  for 
a  new  population  and  the  existence  of  a  prosperous  community. 

Building  a  log  cabin  in  the  clearing,  he  killed  a  supply  of  veni- 
son, hewed  out  a  trough  from  the  log  of  a  tree,  into  which  he 
put  his  meat,  and  then  made  a  journey  to  Syracuse  to  obtain  salt 


59°  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

to  preserve  it.  Having  thus  provided  and  put  in  a  safe  spot  a 
store  of  food,  he  returned  to  Saratoga  County  for  his  wife  and 
children,  bringing  them  in  the  month  of  February,  1799,  and  set- 
tling on  his  new-made  farm.  This  farm  was  located  in  the  town 
once  known  as  Mentz,  one  mile  west  of  the  present  village  of 
Port  Byron,  a  part  of  which  is  now  situated  on  his  original  estate. 
Here  they  resided  till  the  close  of  his  life. 

The  history  of  Seth  Higley's  connection  with  the  early  settle- 
ment of  this  county  is  but  too  imperfectly  known.  From  the 
earliest  period  of  which  we  can  gather  particulars  of  his  life,  he 
was  a  plain,  substantial  man,  always  a  man  of  action,  one  who 
did  not  forget  his  highest  obligations,  and  one  who  was  much 
respected. 

He  died  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  the  autumn  of  1829,  aged 
seventy-five  years. 

His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  receiving  in  her  old 
age  the  kind  and  thoughtful  care  of  her  youngest  daughter,  Mrs. 
Minerva  Durham.  On  the  removal  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durham  to 
Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  the  mother  accompanied  them,  and  there  she 
died. 

The  children  of  Seth  and  Lucy  Herod  Higley,  all  of  whom, 
except  probably  the  youngest,  were  born  near  Ballston,  Saratoga 
County,  N.  Y.,  were  as  follows  : 

Desire,  David,  Seba,  Sylvia,  Puella,  Aseneth,  Samuel  H.,  Enos 
Jonas,  and  Minerva. 

DESIRE  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born 
near  Ballston,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  27,  1777.  Her  birth  took  place 
scarcely  a  month  previous  to  the  encampment  of  the  British  Army  at  Ticonderoga. 
She  was  three  months  old  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  surrender,  her  life  beginning 
amidst  some  of  the  most  stirring  scenes  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  till  she  reached  old 
age  she  was  entertaining  in  her  conversations  relating  to  the  excitement  and  hap- 
penings which  tpok  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  her  father's  dwelling  during  that 
period,  as  she  had  heard  them  talked  about  from  her  infantile  years. 

On  the  3ist  of  December,  1797,  she  married  Peter  Husted.  He  was  born  March 
26,  1776.  They  settled  at  Ballston,  and  here  they  lived  till  after  the  birth  of  their 
first  child,  when  they  removed  to  the  center  of  the  State  of  New  York,  finally  tak- 
ing up  their  permanent  residence  at  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
brought  up  a  family  of  seven  children.  Mrs.  Husted  also  became  the  foster- 
mother  to  four  of  her  brother's  (Samuel  H.  Higley)  motherless  children,  devoting 
herself  for  many  years  to  their  care  and  training.  It  is  declared  by  those  who 
knew  her  best,  that  she  abundantly  merited,  for  the  excellencies  that  she  manifested 
in  her  life,  and  her  kindly  acts,  the  old-time  beautiful  commendation,  "She  hath 
done  what  she  could."  Her  worthy  husband,  Peter  Husted,  to  whom  she  was 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  591 

knitted  in  the  bonds  of  true  affection,  was  a  man  of  quiet,  unpretentious  life,  noted 
for  his  meek  and  gentle  spirit.  He  died  October  26,  1850.  Desire  (Higley) 
Husted  died  December  17,  1859.  Their  children  : 

Silas;  Lewis,  born  August  14,  1800,  died  March  22,  1812  ;  Louisa  (called  Lois), 
born  September  16,  1802  ;  Lucy  Herod;  Eliza  Ann;  Mary,  born  August  2,  1807, 
died  August  6,  1808  ;  David  H.;  Milton  and  Millicent,  twins ;  Mary  Ann,  born 
October  7,  1816,  of  whom  no  further  mention  is  made. 

SILAS  HUSTED,  the  eldest  child  of  Desire  Higley  and  Peter  Husted,  was  born 
at  Lee,  N.  Y.,  February  3,  1799.  He  married  Fanny  Dutton,  April  13,  1834. 
She  was  born  October  14,  1801.  They  resided  at  Lee,  N.  Y.  He  died  October 
17,  1877.  She  died  January  12,  1879.  Their  children  : 

Sarah  A.;  Lewis  M.;  and  Lois  D.,  who  died  November  27,  1844,  aged  one 
year  and  four  months. 

* 

SARAH  A.  HUSTED  was  born  December  3,  1835,  and  married  Byron  M.  Powell,  July  3,  1861,  in 
Portage,  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.  x 

LEWIS  M.,  born  May  16,  1837;  married  Destimony  F.  Crane  December  24,  i86a,  at  Arcade,  Wyo- 
ming County,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  December  13,  1840,  in  Freedom,  N.  Y.  They  reside  in  Eagle 
Village,  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.  Their  only  child  was  Dwight  L.,  born  July  21,  1864.  Desti- 
mony F.  Husted  died  May  20,  1867.  Lewis  M.  Husted  married,  second,  Louisa  J.  Fox,  October 
20,  1869,  in  Johnsburg,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  June  26,  1847.  Children  by  second  marriage  : 

Frank  W.,  born  December  13,  1871  ;  died  July  16,  1874.  George  C.,  born  September  2,  1873  ; 
died  September  4,  1873.  Frank  S.,  born  October  2,  1875. 

DWIGHT  L.  HUSTED  married,  November  25,  1885,  Lillie  E.  Piper  of  Freedom,  N.  Y. 

LUCY  HEROD,  daughter  of  Desire  Higley  and  Peter  Husted,  was  born  January 
16,  1804.  She  married  Wessel  B.  Van  Wagenen,  December  22,  1824.  He  was 
born  July  9,  1 802.  They  resided  at  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  Their  children  : 

Lois  C.,  born  March  4,  1826;  married,  April  18,  1849,  Jeptha  Brainard.     She  died  April  7,  1852. 

SARAH  ANN  was  the  second  daughter  of  Lucy  Herod  Husted  and  Wessel  Van  Wagenen. 

LEWIS  B.,  the  eldest  son  of  Lucy  Herod  Husted  and  Wessel  Van  Wagenen,  born  November  3, 
1829;  married,  1859,  Ann  S.  McMullen  in  Rome,  N.  Y.  They  had  children,  viz.: 

Leonora,  born  November  4,  1859;  Edwin  P.,  born  February  3,  1864;  Julia  D.,  born  November 
16,  1865;  Lewis  G.,  born  October  10,  1868;  Herbert  J.,  born  February  20,  1873 ;  Edith,  born 
August  4,  1879. 

JULIA  DESIRE,  the  fourth  child,  born  June  19,  1835;  married,  November  8,  1860,  Monroe  E. 
Hartson.  Their  children: 

Nellie  R.,  born  June  4,  1863;  married  Leonard  A.  Fox,  March  26,  1884;  they  have  one  child 
named  Marion.  Jessie  A .,  born  November  4, 1867.  Lewis  M.,  born  December  4, 1869,  Le  Roy  C., 
born  March  14,  1873.  An  infant  daughter,  who  died  August  25,  1875. 

MARY  JANE,  the  fifth  child,  born  July  29,  1839;  died  September  15,  1852. 

LUCY  ELIZABETH,  the  sixth  child,  born  July  16, 1841;  married  Ebenezer  Gould  Stevens,  March  8, 
1860.  He  was  born  February  10,  1839.  Their  children: 

Ebenezer,  Lewis,  Julia  Elizabeth,  Charles  Elton,  Clarence  Emory,  Nettie  Elvira,  Belle,  and 
Robert. 

ELIZA  ANN,  daughter  of  Desire  Higley  and  Peter  Husted,  was  born  August  14, 
1805.  She  married  Francis  L.  Fairbank.  She  died  February  27,  1881.  Their 
children  : 

Silas  Husted,  born  November  12,  1821;  married  Lydia  A.  Davenport.  He  died 
October  14,  1879.  Lucy  Ann,  born  February  I,  1834.  Sophronia,  born  April  2, 
1836;  died  April  29,  1841.  Lois  L.  A.,  born  .February  2,  1838;  married  Edmund 
Small,  August  12,  1857.  Francis  L.,  Jr.,  born  February  2,  1840.  Peter  Palmer, 


592  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

born  September  24,  1841;  died  April  17,  1861.  JV.  Stacey,born  March  2,  1843. 
Rhoda  K.,  born  August  29,  1845;  married  Nelson  J.  Meacham,  October  25,  1865. 
Ros-wtll  Lee,  born  July  31,  1848;  married  Emma  J.  Young,  December  2,  1874. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Stuart  J.  Fairbank,  born  December  10,  1875. 

DAVID  H.  HUSTEU,  the  seventh  child  of  Desire  Higley  and  Peter  Husted,  was 
born  May  6,  1809.  He  married,  September  24,  1835,  Julia  Ann  Young,  who  was 
born  in  1815.  David  H.  Husted  died  June  24,  1886.  Their  children  : 

Jane  Ann,  born  December  6,  1836;  married  Ira  Finster,  September  27,  1859. 
Margarette,  born  October  15,  1838;  married  George  Bentley,  March  8,  1859.  De- 
sire, born  October  30,  1840;  married  John  S.  Howe,  January  2,  1860.  He  \vas 
born  June  II,  1835.  Had  one  child,  Julia  A.,  who  died,  1864.  Julia  A.,  born 
September  19,  1842;  married  Newel  S.  Miller,  August  15,  1861.  Lois  M.,  born 
January  10,  1846;  married  Arther  G.  Newey,  September  12,  1865.  David  H., 
born  November  9,  1844;  died  May,  1845.  Clarissa,  born  August  15,  1848;  mar- 
ried Horace  M.  Barber,  March  14,  1872.  Cynthia,  born  August  15,  1848;  married 
Livingstone  Pruyn,  July  15,  1866.  Mary,  born  May  25,  1851;  died  January  9, 
1864.*  Emily,  born  January  4,  1853  ;  married  Delus  Finster,  November,  1802. 
Silas  S.,  born  October  17,  1854;  married  Mary  Miller.  Millicent,  born  January 
28,  1858;  died  September,  1866. 

MILLICENT  HUSTED,  the  eighth  child  of  Desire  Higley  and  Peter  Husted,  with 
his  twin  brother  MILTON,  was  born  July  17,  1811.  Milton  died  May  12,  1813. 
Millicent  married  William  Driggs.  Their  children  were  :  Charles,  Milton,  Henry, 

John,  Mona,  and  Mary.      Mona  married Hough.     Mary  married  

Williamson,  and  resides  in  Wautauga,  Knox  County,  111. 


Continued  from  page  590. 

DAVID  HlGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born 
near  Ballston,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.  He  was  accidently  crushed  to  death  in 
childhood  by  falling  rocks.  The  dates  of  his  birth  and  death  are  not  given. 

SEBA  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  third  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born 
on  his  father's  estate,  January  14,  1781,  near  the  present  location  of  the  town  of 
Port  Byron,  N.  Y.  He  married,  September  6,  1801,  Elizabeth  Mott,  in  the  town 
of  Aurelius,  Cayuga  County.  She  was  born  March  23,  1782. 

Seba  Higley  died  April  13,  1835.  His  wife  died  March  31,  1853.  Their 
children : 

An  infant,  born  January  18,  1803;  died  January  20,  1803.  Amanda,  born 
December  18,  1803;  died  August  3,  1804.  David  H.,  born  May  n,  1805;  died 
April  18,  1838.  Aseneth,  born  July  12,  1807;  died  June  19,  1816.  Squire  M., 
born  April  18,  1810.  Seth  H.,  born  September  14,  1812.  Chauncey  K.,  born 
May  27,  1815.  Frederick  W.,  born  March  6,  1819.  Elphonzo  and  Elmira,  twins, 
born  July  29,  1821. 

SQUIRE  M.  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  Mott  Higley,  was 
born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  April  18,  1810.  He  married  Ruth  Anna  Christian  of 
Mentz,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  October  27,  1831.  They  had  one  child,  John  M. 

Higley.     Ruth  Anna  Higley  died ,  and  on  the  4th  of  February,  1851,  Mr. 

Higley  married  Emeline  Morgan.  Of  this  second  marriage  one  daughter  was 
born,  Adeline  Higley.  They  resided  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.  Squire  M.  Higley  died 
March  25,  1891. 

JOHN  M.  HIGLBY,  son  of  Squire  M.  Higley  and  his  first  wife,  Ruth  Anna,  was  born  February 
9,  1833.  He  married  Helen  Lumsden,  November  26,  1857.  They  reside  at  Medina,  N.  Y.,  and  have 
children,  viz.: 

Alfred  M.,  born  September  4,  1867.  Marion  B.,  born  April  27,  1861,  who  married  Alvin  Freece, 
December  25,  1879. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  593 

ADELINE  HIGLEY,  daughter  of  Squire  M.  and  his  second  wife,  Emeline  (Morgan)  Higley,  was 
born  March  29,  1860.  She  married  L.  Hathaway  McLoud,  her  second  cousin,  December  20, 
1882.1  They  have  three  children,  Lewis  Edward,  Frank  Higley,  and  Charles  Emmons. 

SETH  HOKUM  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  Mott  Higley,  was 
born  September  14,  1812,  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  on  the  old  farm  which  his  father 
entered  February,  1799.  Seth  always  lived  in  the  home  of  his  birth.  He  married 
Maria  Polly  Finch  of  Waterbury,  Conn.,  in  1836.  She  was  born  October  16,  1818, 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  died  November  18,  1894.  Seth  Hokum  Higley  died  March 
2,  1895.  Their  children  were,  viz.: 

Elodine  Eugene,  born  January  17,  1840;  Gilbert  Adolphus,  born  April  20,  1844; 
Orlando  Elroy,  born  May  14,  1853,  died  February,  1895;  and  Levander,  born  June 
27,  1856. 

ELODINE  E.,  the  eldest  son,  resides  in  Dayton,  O. 

GILBERT  ADOLPHUS,  the  second  child,  married  Nettie  E.  Williams,  May  18,  1868.  They  reside 
at  Warners,  N.  Y. 

ORLANDO  E.,  the  third  son,  resided  at  Weedsport,  N.  Y. 

LEVANDER,  the  fourth  son,  married  Emma  L.  Cooper  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  December  i,  1875. 
They  reside  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  have  children  as  follows  : 

William  Franklin,  born  March  17,  1877,  at  Shelly  Centre,  Orleans  County,  N.  Y.;  Lee  Owen, 
born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  February  19,  1879;  Elodine  V.,  born  at  Port  Byron,  December  6,  1881. 

CHAUNCEY  KING  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  Mott  Higley, 
was  born  May  27,  1815.  He  married  Salina  Christian,  March  10,  1836,  at  Owasco, 

Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.  She  died .  His  second  marriage  was  to  Mary  A. 

Mintline.  No  children. 

FREDERICK  W.,  the  eighth  child  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  Mott  Higley,  was 
born  March  6,  1819.  No  further  account  of  him  has  been  furnished. 

ELPHONZO  and  ELMIRA,  twin  children  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  Mott  Higley, 
were  born  July  29,  1821.  Elphonzo  married,  in  1843,  Electa  R.  Ogden.  He 
died  April  4,  1892.  Their  children  :  • 

Frances,  born  September  26,  1848,  who  married  Alfred  Humphrey,  and  Myra, 
born  December  19,  1857. 

MVRA  HIGLEY  was  graduated  from  the  State  Normal  College  of  New  York,  and  was  principal  for 
some  time  of  the  high  school  at  Holland  Patent.  She  married  George  P.  Durham,  August  24, 
1881.  The  family  reside  at  New  Haven,  Conn. 

ELMIRA,  the  twin  sister  of  Elphonzo,  and  daughter  of  Seba  and  Elizabeth  (Mott) 
Higley,  married,  March  26,  1836,  Harrison  Scott  of  the  town  of  Mentz,  N.  Y. 

Continued  from  page  590. 

SYLVIA  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born  in 
Saratoga  County,  New  York,  about  the  year  1784.  She  married  Benjamin  Collins 
of  Cayuga  County  in  her  native  State.  She  died,  leaving  two  daughters,  Nancy 
and  Sylvia  Collins. 

PUELLA  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born  in 
Saratoga  County,  New  York,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Half-Moon,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1786.  Her  first  marriage  took  place  in  the  town  of  Mentz,  Cayuga  County, 

N.  Y.,  to  Partridge.  Mr.  Partridge  died  leaving  one  child.  Her  second 

marriage  was  to  James  Harker,  and  five  children  were  the  result  of  this  union. 

The  Harker  family  emigrated  to  Peoria  County,  Illinois,  leaving  Port  Byron, 
N.  Y.,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1829,  traveling  the  entire  distance  in  a  wagon 

1  See  pag«  597. 


594  THE  HIGLEYS  AND   THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

with  horses.  They  were  seven  weeks  and  three  days  on  the  journey.  Seba,  Mrs. 
Puella  Harker's  youngest  child,  was  an  infant  but  three  weeks  old  when  they  set  out. 

Puella  (Higley)  Harker  lived  to  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age,  and  died  at  Peoria, 
111.,  March  17,  1866.  Her  children  : 

By  first  marriage,  Hiram  W.  Partridge,  born  February  19,  1805. 

By  second  marriage,  James  Harker,  Jr.,  born  September  8,  1808  ;  Daniel,  born 
July  22,  1814;  Henry  S.,  born  July  10,  1820  ;  Jeremiah,  born  April  II,  1824; 
Seba,  born  September  2,  1829. 

HIRAM  W.  PARTRIDGE,  the  first  child  of  Puella  Higley  and  • Partridge, 

was  born  in  the  town  of  Mentz,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  February  19,  1805. 
Here  he  married,  and  had  three  sons,  the  eldest  two  born  in  Cayuga  County, 
New  York,  and  the  youngest  at  Peoria,  111.  Their  names  are  as  follows  : 

James  S.,  born  December  12,  1833;  Quail  H.,  born  October  30,  1835  ;  and 
Josiah,  born  September  12,  1837. 

Hiram  Partridge  resides  at  Smithville,  Peoria  Co.,  111. 

(The  descendants  of  Puella  Higley  Harker  by  her  second  husband,  James 
Harker,  have  not  been  furnished  for  these  pages.) 

ASENETH  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born 

in  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  March  15,  179-.     She  married Hornden 

in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  and  was  the  mother  of  five  children.  She  died  in 
Port  Byron  in  1826. 

Continued  front  page  590. 

SAMUEL  H.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod) 
Higley,  was  born  near  the  village  of  Half-Moon,  Saratoga  County, 
N.  Y.,  October  25,  1795.  He  was  a  child  of  scarcely  three  and  a 
half  years  when  his  father  removed  with  his  family,  in  the  year 
1799,  to  Cayuga  County,  New  York.  Here  he  grew  strong  among 
the  surrounding  forests,  becoming  familiar  from  an  early  age  with 
the  struggles  of  pioneer  life,  and  knowing  the  use  of  the  ax  and 
old-time  plow.  Never  "  destined  to  wither  in  the  hot  air  of  the 
towns,"  his  life  was  devoted  to  agriculture. 

He  was  yet  in  his  teens  when  he  became  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812-14.  His  children  recall  having  often  heard  him  relate 
his  interesting  experience  during  his  soldiery  while  on  the  fron- 
tier at  Lewiston  and  Queenstown  Heights. 

He  married  before  his  twenty-first  birthday,  January  2,  1816, 
Aseneth  Divine  of  Sterling,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  the  marriage 
ceremony  being  performed  by  Benjamin  Clark,  Esq.  Aseneth 
Divine  was  born  March  15,  1797.  The  young  couple  established 
their  home  on  land  near  the  spot  where  the  village  of  Port  Byron, 
N.  Y.,  is  now  located,  and  with  little  exception  always  resided 
there. 


CURTIS   DIVINE    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  595 

Samuel  H.  Higley  died  February  28,  1826.  His  wife  died 
April  5,  1834.  Their  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  at  Port 
Byron,  N.  Y.,  were  as  follows  : 

Curtis  Divine,  Seth  William,  Mary  Elvira,  Sylvia  Jane,  Martin 
Ephraim. 

CURTIS  DIVINE  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Samuel  H.  and 
Aseneth  Divine  Higley,  was  born  January  i,  1817.  His  son, 
Irving  Buell  Higley,  writes: 

"  When  my  father  was  eleven  years  of  age,  and  one  year  after 
his  father's  death,  he  went  to  reside  with  his  guardian,  Peter 
Husted,  at  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Husted  was  my 
father's  aunt.  He  remained  with  them  till  the  year  1844,  when 
he  removed  to  Metomen,  Fond  du  Lac  County,  Wis.,  purchasing 
there  directly  from  the  United  States  Government  the  land 
which  has  since  become  the  beautiful  estate — Oakwood  Planta- 
tion. He  was  also  the  purchaser  of  the  first  lot  sold  in  the  town. 
Returning  to  the  State  of  New  York  in  the  spring  of  1846  he 
married  Sarah  Catherine  Buell,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Oliver 
Buell,  Esq.,  of  Lee,  Oneida  County.  Miss  Buell  was  possessed 
of  a  nobleness  of  mind  and  heart  which  well  became  her  noted 
ancestry,  dating  far  back  through  a  long  line  to  the  days  of 
William  the  Conqueror.  She  was  a  lady  of  high  cultivation  and 
literary  attainments  of  no  small  degree,  with  a  charm  of  manner 
and  conversation  that  those  who  met  her  to  have  once  enjoyed 
could  never  forget. 

"She  was  born  at  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1824, 
and  was  married  to  Curtis  Divine  Higley  at  the  same  place  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodruff,  April  15,  1846. 

"She  died  at  the  family  residence,  Oakland,  Metomen,  Wis., 
June  23,  1869,  and  was  laid  in  the  family  tomb  on  the  estate. 
My  father  is  yet  living." 

The  children  of  Curtis  D.  and  Sarah  C.  Buell  Higley  were  as 
follows: 

Oliver  Samuel,  born  August  24,  1847,  died  May  4,  1865.  Melvyn 
Clarence,  born  December  20,  1851,  died  December  16,  1862. 
Irwin  Buell,  born  February  14,  1853.  The  two  eldest  children 
were  interred  beside  their  mother. 

IRVING  BUELL  HIGLEY,  the  only  surviving  child  of  Curtis  Divine  and  Sarah  C. 
Buell  Higley,  and  the  last  living  male  descendant  of  Samuel  H.  Higley,  was  born 
at  Oakland  Plantation,  Metomen,  Fond  du  Lac  County,  Wis.,  February  14,  1853. 


596  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

His  infancy  and  boyhood  were  spent  in  the  home  of  his  birth.  He  was  educated 
at  Ripon  College,  Wis. ,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  Upon  leaving  college  in 
1871  he  went  to  the  Southern  States,  taking  up  his  residence  in  New  Orleans,  La. 
Mr.  Higley  inherited  refined  tastes  and  intellectual  ability,  and  is  a  man  of 
culture.  He  shares  the  musical  faculty  which  has  been  common  to  the  Higley 
Family  from  its  remote  ancestry,  and  is  himself  a  musician  of  rare  talent.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  New  England  Conservatory  of 
Music  at  Boston.  He  has  also  entered  to  some  extent  the  literary  arena,  and 
won  some  reputation  as  a  writer  of  sketches  and  "  literary  portraits,"  among  many 
of  which  are  those  written  in  the  dialect  of  the  black  population  of  the  southern 
United  States.  Of  the  latter  were  his  "  Darkey  Sketch,"  "Aunt  Nancy's  Dinner 
for  Presiding  Elders,"  etc.,  followed  by  a  "  Vermont  Yankee  Sketch,"  and  other 
papers.  Mr.  Higley  now  resides  at  Birmingham,  Ala. 

Continued  from  page  594. 

SETH  WILLIAM  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Samuel  H.  and  Aseneth  Divine 
Higley,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  1818.  He  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  town,  and  developed  in  character  to  a  citizen  of  good  reputation. 
About  the  year  1839  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  there  married.  After  residing 
there  for  some  time,  he  removed  to  Council  Bluffs,  la.,  in  the  early  history  of  that 
town.  Here  all  trace  of  him  was  lost.  The  last  that  was  known  of  him  he  was  in- 
tending to  start  to  California  by  the  overland  route,  and  his  family  believe  him 
to  have  been  a  victim  of  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  which  occurred  about 
the  time  he  would  have  reached  there. 

MARY  ELVIRA  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  and  eldest  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  and 
Aseneth  Divine  Higley,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1820.  She 
married  Orin  Paddock  of  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  February  22,  1842.  Two 
years  later  her  husband,  accompanied  by  his  brother-in-law,  Curtis  D.  Higley,  was 
attracted  to  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin  by  the  cheap  and  rich  farming  lands  which 
a  wave  of  recent  land  speculation  had  disclosed  in  the  Northwest.  It  was  then  on 
the  frontier.  Soon  after  his  return  from  the  then  difficult  journey,  Mr.  Paddock 
died,  August  26,  1844,  leaving  his  wife  with  an  infant  son — Warren  O.  Paddock. 

Mary  Elvira  Paddock's  second  marriage  took  place,  October  26,  1847,  with 
Lewis  McLoud  of  her  native  town.  In  Mr.  McLoud,  "  who  is  one  of  those  men 
who  are  good  to  think  of,"  she  has  found  a  congenial  companion  of  solid  character, 
with  whom  she  has  happily  spent  the  years  since  her  youth  has  passed.  They 
reside  upon  the  original  McLoud  estate  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  that  has  been  in  the 
family  since  the  country  was  first  settled.  They  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  are  citizens  valued  for  their  excellent  worth. 

Mrs.  McLoud  is  a  person  bearing  the  qualities  of  womanliness  ;  she  has  an 
original  and  clever  mind,  endowed  with  a  genial  mood  and  spicy  vein  of  humor. 

Children  by  first  marriage  :  Warren  O.  Paddock.  By  second  marriage,  Lewis 
Hathaway  McLoud. 

WARREN  ORIN  PADDOCK,  the  eldest  child  of  Mary  Elvira  Higley  and  her  first 
husband,  Orin  Paddock,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  January  22,  1844.  He 
was  a  bright  scholar  and  received  a  good  common  school  education.  After  which 
he  entered  a  commercial  college  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  received  a  diploma 
and  was  offered  a  position  as  teacher. 


SARAH   C.    BUELL    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  597 

In  his  eighteenth  year  he  entered  the  Civil  War,  doing  steady  and  highly 
creditable  service  in  the  ranks  for  a  period  of  four  years.  He  enlisted  September 
16,  1861,  in  Company  B,  75th  New  York  Volunteers.  The  November  following 
his  regiment  was  ordered  on  the  steamer  Baltic  in  New  York  Harbor,  which 
landed  it  on  the  Island  of  Santa  Rosa,  Fla.  Mr.  Paddock  took  part  in  the  bom- 
bardment at  Fort  Pickens,  January,  1862,  and  in  May  of  the  same  year  the  troops 
crossed  the  bay  and  occupied  Pensacola.  In  September,  1862,  they  were  ordered  to 
New  Orleans,  and  later  on  assigned  to  General  Weitzel's  brigade  at  Donaldson, 
La.,  marching  to  Bayou  La  Forche  and  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Labadieville, 
afterward  wintering  at  Thibodeaux.  In  the  spring  of  1863  his  brigade  was 
assigned  to  the  igth  Army  Corps,  and  marched  to  Bayou  Leche,  where  it  fought  a 
two  days'  engagement  at  Camp  Bisland.  At  Port  Hudson,  May  27,  1863,  while 
gallantly  fighting,  Mr.  Paddock  was  wounded,  but  not  being  entirely  disabled  he 
stood  firm  with  his  regiment  in  the  siege  at  that  point  till  the  7th  of  June.  On 
the  latter  date  he  was  struck  in  his  left  arm  by  a  bullet  while  engaged  in  sharp- 
shooting  in  the  trenches.  He  was  now  confined  in  an  army  hospital  till  the 
autumn,  when  he  again  plunged  into  the  conflict,  joining  his  regiment  and  fighting 
several  skirmishes. 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1864,  his  term  of  enlistment  having  expired,  he  re-enlisted 
as  a  veteran  volunteer.  Later  on  he  was  prostrated  by  typhoid  fever,  and  lay  for 
many  weeks  in  a  hospital  at  Washington,  D.  C.  Having  in  time  gained  physical 
strength  to  again  enter  the  ranks,  he  was  detached  from  his  regiment,  and  detailed 
to  special  service  on  Bedloe's  Island,  New  York  Harbor,  where  he  served  as 
quartermaster's  sergeant  till  July,  1865,  when  he  resumed  his  place  in  his  regiment, 
which  was  then  doing  duty  at  Savannah,  Ga.  The  war  being  ended,  he  was  hon- 
orably mustered  out  by  general  order,  August  30,  1865. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.  Paddock  manifesting  a  strong  inclination  toward  the 
trade  of  machinist,  devoted  his  energies  to  making  his  ingenuity  take  practical 
shape,  and  became  a  proficient  workman.  He  also  taught  school  for  a  short  period. 

He  married  Jennie  Williams,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  containing  320 
acres  at  Riverside,  Clay  County,  S.  Dak.,  where  they  reside.  Warren  O.  and 
Jennie  Williams  Paddock  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.: 

Alerrit,  Cora,  Emma,  Orin,  and  Lewis. 

LEWIS  HATHAWAY  McLouo,  the  son  of  Mary  Elvira  Higley  by  her  second 
husband,  Lewis  McLoud,  was  born  April  30,  1852.  He  married,  December 
20,  i88»,  Adeline,  daughter  of  Squire  M.  and  Emeline  Morgan  Higley  of  Port 
Byron,  N.  Y.  He  resides  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm  near  the  village  of 
Port  Byron,  occupying  himself  mainly  in  agricultural  and  kindred  industrial  pursuits, 
making  wire  fencing,  etc.  Their  children  : 

Lewis  Edward,  born  December  13,  1883  ;  Frank  Higley,  born  March  2,  1888  ; 
Charles  Emmons,  born  March  27,  1893. 


Continued  from  page  594. 

SYLVIA  JANE  HIGI.EY,  the  fourth  child  of  Samuel  H.  and  Aseneth  Divine 
Higley,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  April  9,  1822.  She  married,  June  26,  1848, 
Daniel  Ufford  of  Lee,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  Seventeen  years  of  an  agreeable 
union  followed,  when  Mrs.  Ufford  experienced,  in  the  year  1882,  one  of  the  sever- 
est trials  that  could  fall  to  her  lot — that  of  her  husband  being  suddenly  "taken 
away  with  a  stroke."  His  death  was  caused  by  lightning. 

After  a  widowhood  of  seventeen  years,  during  which  she  devoted  herself  to  the 
discharge  of  her  duty  to  her  fatherless  children,  and  after  they  were  all  married 
and  settled  in  homes  of  their  own,  she  married,  May  2,  1882,  Edward  Darling, 
of  Lee  Centre,  N.  Y.,  at  which  place  they  resided.  This  marriage  bond  was 
one  of  unusual  congeniality,  contributing  much  happiness  to  their  later  years. 
They  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  decease  of 
39 


598  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Mr.  Darling  took  place  June  29,  1893.     Mrs.  Darling  has  since  resided  with  her 
married  daughter,  Mrs.  Oscar  F.  Hobart,  at  Kinsman,  O. 

The  fine  rendering  of  the  closing  words  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  poet  in  praise  of 
the  "excellent  woman  "  is  applicable  to  both  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  to  her 
estimable  older  sister,  Mrs.  McLoud. 

"  Her  sons  arose  and  congratulated  her  ; 
Her  husband  [arose]  and  praised  her  : 
'  Many  are  the  daughters  that  have  done  worthily, 
And  thou  thyself  hast  gone  up  above  them  all. 

A  woman  that  feareth  Jehovah,  she  shall  be  praised. 

Give  to  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands, 

And  let  her  deeds  praise  her  in  the  gates.'  " 

By  her  first  marriage  Sylvia  Jane  Higley  became  the  mother  of  the  following 
children,  viz.: 

Willard  Elphonzo,  Abby  Elvira,  and  Benjamin  Franklin. 

WILLARD  ELPHONZO  UFFORD,  the  oldest  child  of  Sylvia  J.  Higley  and  Daniel 
Ufford,  was  born  at  Lee  Centre,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  December  3,  1848. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  he  joined  a  colony  that  emigrated  from  his  native  town  to 
Kansas,  settling  at  the  point  where  the  flourishing  county  seat  of  Oberlin,  Decatur 
County,  is  now  located.  After  a  weary  journey  of  four  hundred  miles  by  wagon- 
trains  over  the  prairies,  they  reached  their  destination  and  began  building  their 
homes  in  the  virgin  soil  of  the  vast  prairie,  founding  a  settlement  in  a  hitherto  un- 
peopled country.  Although  the  experiences  of  these  pioneers  were  unlike  th  ose 
who  emigrated  to  the  wild,  wooded  sections  of  our  land,  yet  there  were  serious 
deprivations  and  vicissitudes  to  be  met  of  a  kind  incident  to  a  new  prairie  country, 
and  no  less  full  of  vexations  and  dangers,  which  sorely  tested  their  courage  and 
endurance. 

Mr.  Ufford  secured  a  desirable  "  timber  claim"  of  160  acres  from  the  United 
State  Government,  situated  on  a  lively  creek,  and  began  farming  operations. 
Among  other  trials  incident  to  the  lives  of  the  newcomers,  was  a  plague  of  grass- 
hoppers, which  destroyed  the  crops  and  well-nigh  stripped  the  colonists  of  their  liv- 
ing, and  which  lasted  two  successive  years.  The  raids  of  roving  bands  of  Indians 
and  repeated  skirmishes  with  them  often  filled  the  settlers  with  apprehension  and 
distress.  These  wild  redskins  burned  the  standing  timber  which  belted  the  little 
stream,  set  fire  to  the  inclosures  for  their  cattle,  which  they  drove  away,  besides  in- 
flicting all  sorts  of  damages  on  property.  In  one  of  these  skirmishes  thirty-three 
men  were  killed,  and  a  large  amount  of  property  destroyed.  Oberlin,  the  town 
founded  by  the  colony,  is  now  one  of  the  large  and  growing  towns  of  that  prosper- 
ous State. 

Willard  E.  Ufford  married,  March  5,  1876,  Myra  E.  Love,  of  Decatur  County, 
Kan.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children,  viz.: 

Daniel  W.,  Viola  J.,  Martha  Elizabeth,  not  living  ;  Amanda,  Sarah,  who  died; 
John,  Franklin  E.,  and  Richard. 

ABBY  E.  UFFORD,  the  second  child  of  Daniel  and  Sylvia  Higley  Ufford,  was 
born  May  9,  1851.  She  married,  March  7,  1872,  Oscar  F.  Hobart  of  Kinsman,  O., 
where  they  now  reside.  Their  children  : 

Idelma,  born  June  27,  1875,  and  Sylvia  J.,  born  August  4,  1877. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  UFFORD,  the  third  child  of  Daniel  and  Sylvia  Jane  Higley 
Ufford,  was  born  December  26,  1857.  He  married  Eudora  J.  Robertson,  Decem- 
ber 14,  1881.  They  reside  at  Zearing,  Story  County,  la.  They  have  one  child, 
Curtis  Benjamin  Ufford. 


IRVIN    BUELL    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  599 

MARTIN  EPHRAIM  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Samuel  H.  and  Aseheth  Divine 
Higley,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  June  24,  1824.  He  married  Betsey  Gould 
of  Cleveland,  O.,  in  which  city  they  took  up  their  residence,  and  where  their 
children  were  born.  Martin  E.  Higley  died  in  Cleveland,  March,  1885.  Their 
children : 

Armina  Jane,  Mary  Elizabeth,  z.K&John  Martin,  who  died  in  1874,  aged  seven 
years. 

ARMINA  JANE,  the  eldest,  married Snow,  and  resides  in  Cleveland,  O. 

MARY  ELIZABETH,  married Ellis  of  Pena  Colorado,  Tex.,  where  they 

reside  upon  an  extensive  ranch. 

Continued  from  page  590. 

ENDS  JONES  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  and  youngest  child  of  Seth  and  Lucy  (Herod) 
Higley,  was  born  near  Half-Moon,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  October  15,  1796, 
and  was  taken  with  his  parents  to  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  on  their  removal  there 
when  he  was  a  young  child.  He  married  Aseneth  Wilson,  whose  birth  took  place 
May  9,  1801.  They  resided  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y. 

The  family  tradition  is  that  he  served  in  the  latter  part  of  the  War  of  1812-14, 
but  no  particulars  are  known.  Enos  J.  Higley  died  June  13,  1868.  His  wife  died 
June  18,  1881. 

The  children  of  Enos  J.  and  Aseneth  (Wilson)  Higley  were  as  follows  : 

Alonzo;  Margaret,  born  September  28,  1822,  who  died  aged  three  months;  Elsie, 
born  November  15,  1824,  died  December  7,  1824  ;  Charles;  Elizabeth,  born  June 
3,  1828,  died  September  2,  1838  ;  Elmer,  born  August  13,  1837,  died  October  19, 
1838  ;  Albino. 

ALONZO  HIGLEY,  M.  D.,  the  eldest  child  of  Enos  J.  and  Aseneth  (Wilson) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  23,  1820. 

He  pursued  the  study  of  medicine  and  pharmacy,  taking  degrees.  The  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War  found  him  in  Salem,  O.,  the  owner  of  a  drug  establishment  and 
with  a  lucrative  practice  as  a  physician.  His  patriotism  prompted  him  to  enlist 
in  the  Union  Army.  He  was  mustered  into  service  October,  1862,  and  detailed  to 
recruit  for  the  loth  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry,  afterward  acting  as  quartermaster  to  his 
regiment.  Later  on  in  the  progress  of  the  war,  while  his  regiment  was  encamped 
at  Mansfield,  O.,  he  was  seized  with  a  serious  illness,  which  finally  resulted  in  him 
being  forced  to  accept  a  discharge.  With  broken  constitution  he  returned  to  his 
home,  never  recovering  from  the  effects  of  the  disease  he  had  contracted,  and  from 
this  time  to  the  close  of  his  life  endured  an  impaired  state  of  health.  During  the 
first  administration  of  President  Cleveland  Dr.  Higley  was  granted  a  pension  of 
seventy-five  dollars  a  month  by  special  act  of  the  United  States  Congress. 

His  first  wife,  whom  he  married  when  young  in  years,  scarcely  nineteen,  was 
Honor  Demming,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Fausta,  born  December  24,  1841. 

By  his  union  with  Emily  J.  Boynton  two  children  were  born  : 

Jennie  B.,  born  September  19,  1858  ;  and  Willis  Alonzo,  born  October,  1860. 
Emily  Boynton  died  in  1865. 

In  the  year  1866  Dr.  Higley  married  Emma  H.  White,  daughter  of  Andrew 
White  of  Philadelphia.  Seeking  change  of  climate  and  with  a  hope  of  benefiting 
his  health,  they  removed,  in  1888.  to  Benton  Harbor,  Mich.,  where  Dr.  Higley 
owned  a  fruit  farm  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  Here  they  resided  till  his 
death  took  place,  March  31,  1891. 

JBNNIK  B.  HIGI.EY,  the  eldest  child  of  Dr.  Alonzo  Higley  and  Emily  J.  Boynton,  was  born  at 
Sharpsburgh,  Allegheny  County,  Pa.,  September  19,  1858.  She  was  educated  at  Seminary, 


600  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Vermont.  She  is  possessed  of  a  bright,  active  temperament  and  an  attractive  manner.  After 
finishing  her  schooldays  she  went,  in  1880,  to  reside  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  She  married  in  that  city, 
April  20,  1881,  Orion  F.  Thomas,  the  assistant  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Democrat,  In  the  spring 
of  1886  they  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  they  now  reside. 

WILLIS  ALONZO  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Dr.  Alonzo  Higley,  was  born  October,  1860.  He 
is  engaged  as  a  fruit  culturist,  managing  the  fruit  farm  which  belonged  to  his  father  at  Benton 
Harbor,  Mich. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Enos  J.  and  Aseneth  (Wilson)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1825.  He  married  Eliza  North,  who 
was  born  1829.  Children  :  Lottie,  born  October  27,  1855;  Lora  Lena,  born  April 
21,  1865,  died  1871  ;  and  May,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Lottie  Higley,  the  eldest,  married  William  Munson.  She  died  in  April,  1881, 
leaving  a  daughter  named  Nettie. 

ALBINA  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  and  youngest  child  of  Enos  J.  and  Aseneth  (Wilson) 
Higley,  was  born  May  13,  1841.  She  married  James  M.  Treat.  They  reside  at 
Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  and  are  farmers.  Their  children  : 

Charles  Elmer,  born  March  10,  1863,  died  April  15,  1865  ;  Mary  Elizabeth, 
born  December  6,  1864  ;  Irene  Adel,  born  November  10,  1867  ;  Wallace  Enos  and 
Willard  Philo,  twins,  born  March  18,  1870;  Alice  Etta,  born  May  10,  1872,  died 
January  27,  1885. 

Continued  from  page  590. 

MINERVA  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  and  youngest  child  of  Seth  and 

Lucy  (Herod)  Higley,  was  born  .  She  married  Joseph 

Durham.  They  removed  from  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.,  to  the  town 
of  Waterloo,  in  the  same  State.  Here  she  died. 

Her  husband  married  the  second  time,  and  removed  to  a  West- 
ern State  where  he  died. 


CHAPTER  LXVII. 

ROSWELL    HIGLEY. 
Continued  from  page  588. 
Roswell,  Solomon,  Nathaniel,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Old  and  new  make   the  warp  and  woof  of  every  moment.    There  is  no  thread  that  is  not  a 
twist  of  these  two  strands. — E.MEKSON. 

ROSWELL  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia 
(Holcombe)  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  December  19, 
1756.  He  could  not  have  been  more  than  eight  or  nine  years  of 
age  when  his  parents  sold  their  possessions  in  his  native  town 
and  migrated  to  the  hill-country  of  western  Massachusetts.  There 
is  every  reason  to  believe  that  from  childhood  he  was  brought  up 
near  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  of  New  York,  though  the 
precise  place  where  his  father  established  their  home  is  not  yet 
made  clear  ;  it  was  probably  at  Stockbridge,  Mass. 

He  reached  his  twenty-first  year  during  a  period  of  religious 
agitation  when,  as  has  already  been  stated,  the  atmosphere  in  all 
that  part  of  the  country  was  stirred  with  enthusiasm  over  the 
new  doctrines  preached  by  some  strange  religionists  who  landed 
from  England  in  the  year  1774,  and  who  appeared  later  on  at 
Watervliet,  N.  Y.  The  spirit  of  the  sect  which  they  formed 
brought  pure  principle  in  the  inner  life  into  prominence,  exalting 
things  spiritual.  This  was  what  the  hearts  of  the  people  were 
craving  for;  they  had  "desired  a  something  which  they  had 
found  not."  The  religionists  gathered  disciples.  Among  these 
were  Roswell's  parents,  who  cast  their  lot  in  with  them,  found- 
ing the  community  of  Shakers  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  Roswell 
and  some  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  joining  with  them. 

But  if  Roswell  Higley  ever  was  a  true  convert,  there  was  still 
lingering  about  him  much  of  the  world  and  worldly  desires.  He 
appears  to  have  remained  with  the  community  but  a  brief  period — 
we  have  no  exact  knowledge  of  how  long.  Into  the  outside  world 
he  went  without  a  guide,  renouncing  the  constrained  and  limited 
life  of  the  ascetics,  and  entering  into  broader  social  methods. 

On  quitting  Mount  Lebanon  he  went  to  the  mountainous  hills 


602  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

and  picturesque  scenes  of  the  Susquehanna  country  of  southern 
New  York.  It  was  then  a  dark  wilderness.  The  part  in  which 
he  settled  is  now  Broome  County,  though  the  county  was  not 
organized  till  the  year  1806,  many  years  after  he  came  there. 

In  the  year  1780  he  married  Sarah  Garnsey  of  Dutchess  County, 
New  York,  who  was  born  early  in  the  year  1759.  The  Garnseys 
were  an  influential  family  who  had  obtained  a  grant  of  land  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Susquehanna  River  at  an  early  period,  but  not 
being  pleased  with  the  country,  returned  to  the  Hudson  River 
valley  about  the  year  1786.  Roswell  Higley,  acting  as  the  agent 
for  his  brothers-in-law,  sold  their  lands  and  executed  deeds, 
which  are  still  extant. 

The  land  upon  which  he  himself  settled  for  a  permanent  home 
lay  one  mile  west  of  the  spot  where  Windsor  village  is  now  located, 
on  the  road  to  Binghamton.  The  vicinity  was  subsequently 
known  as  "the  Higley  settlement." 

After  a  time  he  built  a  sawmill  on  Ocanum  Creek,  which  ran 
through  the  farm  he  had  opened,  and  manufactured  lumber. 

Here  he  and  his  wife  passed  through  the  rugged  school  of 
experience  and  self-dependence,  which  was  the  lot  of  the  poverty- 
stricken  young  nation  after  the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  here  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The 
time-honored  homestead,  in  which  they  resided  in  the  enjoyment 
of  peace  and  happiness  for  a  period  of  upward  of  fifty  years,  is 
still  standing  (1893),  and  is  preserved  pretty  much  what  it  was 
early  in  this  century.  The  house  is  without  pretension  outside, 
a  story  and  a  half  high,  red-framed,  with  cornices  painted  white 
as  they  have  always  been  ;  inside  'tis  simple,  old-fashioned,  and 
comfortable.  Just  away  from  the  door  is  the  old  well  with  its 
primitive  well  sweep,  now  gray  with  the  marks  of  time. 

Except  in  the  military,  Roswell  Higley  never  made  himself  con- 
spicuous for  activities  in  town  affairs.  Yet  he  did  his  full  part  in 
its  founding  and  organization,  and  was  always  actively  interested 
in  the  growth  and  welfare  of  the  community. 

He  and  his  good  wife  were  plain  country  people.  They  had 
good  intellects,  good  understanding,  and  sound  judgment.  They 
were  good  neighbors,  generally  beloved  and  esteemed  for  their 
own  sake.  Roswell's  personality  left  its  impress  upon  following 
generations. 

Possessing  the  spirit  of  his  ancestors,  he  was  a  thorough  mili- 
tary man.  Of  splendid  physique,  tall  and  erect,  he  was  in  person 


MARY   E.    H1GLEY   McLOUD. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  603 

commanding  in  appearance  and  manner,  and,  having  a  magnifi- 
cent voice  of  unusual  clearness  and  depth,  he  seemed  born  for 
the  military  vocation.  He  was  recognized  as  far  the  finest  train- 
ing officer  in  all  that  region;  on  training  days  he  never  failed  to 
stir  the  admiration  of  the  lookers-on.  These  fine  physical  powers 
he  retained  to  old  age,  thinking  nothing  of  taking  a  ten-mile 
walk  after  he  had  entered  his  seventies. 

The  voice  with  which  he  was  blessed  was  equally  rich  and  fine 
in  song.  To  his  latest  day  his  musical  strain  was  an  outstanding 
feature  of  his  life.  He  was  a  devout  Christian,  true  and  sincere. 
His  children's  children  have  heard  their  parents  recall  his  devo- 
tion to  his  Bible,  and  that  he  read  it  aloud  to  his  family  twice 
through  in  regular  course,  morning  and  evening,  always  ending 
the  reading  by  singing  one  of  Watt's  old  hymns  with  ardent  feel- 
ing, one  of  his  favorites  being: 

"  Lord  !  in  the  morning  thou  shall  hear 

My  voice  ascending  high  ; 
To  thee  will  I  direct  my  prayer, 
To  thee  lift  up  mine  eye. 

"  Oh  !  may  thy  spirit  guide  my  feet 

In  ways  of  righteousness  ; 
Make  every  path  of  duty  straight, 
And  plain  before  my  face." 

Among  the  organizers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  August  15, 
1799,  which  was  the  first  church  established  in  the  town,  Roswell 
Higley's  name  appears  as  one  of  its  early  founders.  But  to  the 
end  of  his  life  he  never  discarded  the  peculiar  garb  of  the 
Shakers,  the  long-tailed  coat  and  the  broad-brimmed  hat,  nor 
turned  aside  from  using  the  "  yea  "  and  "  nay  "  and  the  "  thee  " 
and  "  thou  "  in  conversation,  and  saying  "  farewell  "  when  biding 
adieu  to  his  friends. 

He  naturally  demonstrated  his  belief  in  the  brotherhood  of 
humanity  by  going  about  doing  good.  He  was  an  unusually 
skillful  nurse;  there  was  nothing  that  his  large  and  sympathetic 
heart  liked  better  than  visiting  the  sick,  not  even  sparing  him- 
self in  contagious  diseases,  and  with  softest  hand  and  tenderest 
touch  administering  to  the  relief  of  the  invalid.  It  was  no  un- 
usual thing  for  the  people  to  send,  for  him  to  come  in  extreme 
cases,  putting  as  much  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  treatment 
as  they  would  in  the  physician. 


604  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

It  was  by  the  act  of  "  the  merciful  man  who  is  merciful  to  his 
beast"  that  his  life  was  brought  to  a  sudden  close.  He  died  of 
blood-poisoning,  contracted  while  he  was  treating  a  diseased 
horse.  His  closing  days  were  a  fitting  ending  to  the  life  that  he 
had  lived,  his  mind  dwelling  upon  the  sacred  hymns  which  gave 
expression  to  his  faith  in  a  joyous  immortality.  In  his  delirium 
he  made  the  walls  of  his  bed-chamber  ring,  and  thrilled  his 
hearers  with  the  ministry  of  song,  singing  with  unbroken- voice. 
He  died  November  10,  1834. 

"  Sweet  singer,  thou  may'st  never  know  on  earth 
Thy  song  has  sped  along  the  work  of  God  ; 
But  after  earth,  in  the  eternal  choir 
Thou  yet  shalt  hear  its  echo  sweet  and  long." 

Roswell  Higley  and  his  wife  died  the  same  year.  She  died, 
February  14,  1834,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  her  age.  Their 
graves  are  found,  suitably  marked,  among  the  bushes  in  a  green 
inclosure  on  his  estate.  It  was  once  a  custom  prevalently  prac- 
ticed, to  make  a  private  resting-place  for  the  dead  in  the  near 
vicinity  of  the  family  residence. 

At  his  death  the  old  farm  was  divided  between  his  two  sons, 
Isaac  G.  and  Daniel  R.  Higley. 

Roswell  and  Sarah  (Garnsey)  Higley  had  the  following  named 
children: 

Azubah,  Elizabeth,  Sally,  Isaac  Garnsey,  Daniel  R.,  Caleb,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Roswell,  Jr.,  Orin,  Peter,1  and  Olivia,  born . 

AZUBAH  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Roswell  and  Sarah  (Garn- 
sey) Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
2,  1781.  She  married  Miles  Smith,  October  31,  1799.  He  was 
born  September  u,  1775.  They  resided  in  Windsor,  Mrs. 
Smith's  native  town;  here  they  brought  up  their  family. 

Miles  Smith  died  June  16,  1851.  Azubah  Higley  Smith  died 
August  18,  1856.  Their  children: 

David  Garnsey,  Eliza  Higley,  Polly  Amanda,  and  Norman  Buell. 

DAVID  GARNSEY  SMITH,  the  first  child  of  Azubah  Higley  and  Miles  Smith,  was 
born  August  6,  1800.  He  married  Esther  Darrah.  The  date  of  his  death  not 
given. 

ELIZA  HIGLEY  SMITH,  the  second  child,  born  June  28,  1802,  married  August 
15,  1822,  William  Watrous.  He  was  born  December  29,  1798.  They  settled  in 

1  The  name  of  this  son  was  probably  Peter  Rowe  Higley.    p.  619. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  605 

Windsor  Village,  where  they  lived  a  few  years,  afterward  removing  to  Colesville, 
N.  Y.  Here  Mr.  Watrous  purchased  a  farm  which  lay  on  the  Susquehanna  River, 
and  entered  largely  into  the  lumber  business.  Later  on,  the  lumber  having  become 
well-nigh  exhausted,  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  including  mill  property,  on  Pine 
Creek,  continuing  in  the  lumber  trade  there.  In  their  after  years  he  and  his  wife 
spent  considerable  of  time  in  travel.  William  Watrous  died  March  19,  1883,  at 
Marshfield,  Tioga  County,  Pa.,  where  they  then  resided.  His  widow  survives  him. 
Children  of  William  Watrous  and  Eliza  Higley  Smith  : 

Eliza  Maria,  born  October  28,  1823,  died  July  28,  1824;  Amanda  Melvina, 
born  February  10,  1825  ;  James  Smith,  born  May  4,  1826  ;  Eliza  Maria  (fid),  born 
March  5,  1829;  William  Miles,  born  January  22,  1831;  Sarah  Caroline,  born 
October  31,  1832;  Charles  Bouton,  born  October  13,  1835  ;  Eugene,  born  March 
18,  1838,  died,  aged  six  days;  Emma,  born  May  22,  1839— died  March  17,  1863; 
Marion  Adflia,  born  May  27,  1841. 

Of  this  family,  Amanda  M.  married,  March  I,  1843,  Franklin  Doolittle.  They 
reside  in  Lincoln,  Kan.  James  S.  married  first,  March  i,  1847,  Aneliza  Badger; 
second,  Kate  Hill.  They  live  in  Woodstock,  111.  Eliza  M.  (2cl)  married,  1848, 

D.  C.  Doolittle,   M.  D.,  and  resides  in  Woodstock,   111.     William   M.  married, 
1851,  Jane  Wilbur,   and  resides  in  Virginia  ;   place  not  given.      Sarah  Caroline 
married,  June  30,  1851,  D.  K.  Marsh,  and  is  living  in  Marshfield,  Tioga  County, 
Pa.     Charles  B.  married,  first,  Harriet  Hurd  ;  second,  Isabella  Brown.     He  is  a 
lumber  merchant  of  Marshfield,  Pa.     Marion  A.  married,  June  2O,  1859,  Walter 

E.  Marsh.     They  reside  in  Kansas. 

POLLY  AMANDA,  the  third  child  of  Miles  and  Azubah  Higley  Smith,  was  born 
September  5,  1805.  She  married  Peter  Pine,  who  was  born  December  30,  1803. 
He  died  September  29,  1884.  She  died  July  i,  1871.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  viz.: 

Sarah  Azubah,  born  October  29,  1829,  died  July  II,  1863.  Eliza  Jane,  born 
September  29,  1831,  married  Marcus  Freeman  and  had  four  children.  They  reside 
in  Jolly,  Calhoun  County,  la.  Nero  Pine,  born  June  II,  1833,  married  Samantha 
Crofoot,  March  8,  1857,  and  has  one  child — a  daughter.  He  practices  law  in  Bing- 
hamton,  N.  Y.  Mary  Amanda,  born  February  4,  1836,  married  W.  Smith ;  died 
January  24,  1868.  Emma,  born  August  9,  1837,  married,  June  II,  1856,  Theo- 
dore L.  Smith.  He  died  November  28,  1864.  Caroline  Cecilia,  born  May  15, 
1839;  died,  aged  seventeen.  David  Miles,  born  December  23,  1840;  diedini86i. 
He  was  among  the  early  volunteer  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War,  and  met  his  death  by 
drowning  while  serving  his  country.  Andrew  Jackson,  born  September  21,  1842, 
married  L.  A.  Round,  June  16,  1864. 

NORMAN  BUELL  SMITH,  the  fourth  child  of  Miles  and  Azubah  (Higley)  Smith, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  June  30,  1808.  He  married,  first, 
Eliza  Rexford  ;  second,  Anna  McCaffery.  Mr.  Smith  resided  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  where  he  held  a  responsible  position  in  the  United  States  Patent 
Office  for  more  than  thirty  years.  No  further  data  furnished. 

SALLY  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Roswell  and  Sarah  (Garn- 
sey)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.  She 
married  the  Rev.  Gaylord  Judd,  and  died  about  1820.'  They 
had  children,  viz. : 

Harry,  George,  Vesta,  Julius,  Hiram,  and  Althea. 

1  The  record  of  this  family  is  very  incomplete. 


606  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

HARRY,  GEORGE,  and  HIRAM  settled  in  Colesburg,  Potter  County,  Pa.  Higley 
Judd,  the  son  of  George  Judd,  now  resides  in  the  same  town. 

VESTA  JUDD  married Bailey. 

JULIUS  JUDD  married  Emily  B/rownson.  He  died  April  3,  1864.  They  had  six 
children,  viz.:  H.  B.Judd;  Huburt,  who  resides  in  Pittston,  Pa.;  Charles,  who 
was  killed  in  a  railway  accident ;  Anverne  and  Anvernetl,  twins,  one  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  the  other  resides  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.;  and  Fred  Judd,  the  youngest, 
who  resides  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

ALTHEA  JUDD,  born  1817,  on  the  death  of  her  mother  was  adopted  by  her  uncle, 
Isaac  G.  Higley.  She  married  Willis  Stringham,  who  died  August  4,  1879;  she 
died  May  14,  1880,  aged  sixty-two  years  and  ten  months.  They  had  one  son,  named 
Charles  IV.  Stringham. 

Continued  from  page  604. 

ISAAC  GARNSEY  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Roswell  and  Sarah 
(Garnsey)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y., 
December  29,  1788.  He  married  Aurelia  Smith.  She  was  born 
1795.  They  always  resided  in  their  native  township.  They  had 
no  children.  Isaac  G.  Higley  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  a  generous,  pious,  and  friendly 
man,  "of  whom,"  says  his  pastor,  "much  might  be  written." 
He  presented  to  his  church  the  parsonage  and  town  lot  on  which 
it  stands.  He  died  August  24,  1869.  His  wife  died  May  27, 
1864. 

DANIEL  ROSWELL  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Roswell  and 
Sarah  (Garnsey)  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County, 
N.  Y.,  September  27,  1794.  About  the  year  1819  he  married 
Polly  Widger,  who  was  born  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  May  12,  1795. 
He  died  about  the  year  1855.  Their  children  were  as  follows  : 

George  W.,  Isaac  M.t  Miles,  Elias  W.y  Minerva  G.,  Benjamin 
S.,  Lucy  G.  and  Lura,  twins,  Lewis  S. 

This  family  has  a  most  remarkable  war  record,  sending  to  the 
front  in  the  late  Civil  War  no  fewer  than  seven  noble  heroes,  who 
joined  the  great  reserve  force  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 
four  out  of  the  seven  sacrificing  their  lives. 

GEORGE  W.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  January  2,  1820.  He  married,  first, 
Nancy  Smith  (date  not  known).  His  second  wife  was  Esther  Barnettson.  Early 
in  the  year  1844  he  removed  with  his  young  family  from  his  native  town  to  East 
Hebron,  Potter  County,  Pa.,  while  that  county  was  yet  sparsely  settled.  Here 
nine  other  children  were  born. 

In  the  gloomy  days  which  came  to  this  nation  in  1861,  George  W.  Higley 
promptly  responded  to  the  call  for  soldiers,  making  no  hesitation  about  entering 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  607 

the  conflict  of  arms.  He  enlisted  in  the  8sth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Company  F,  and  faithfully  served  till  he  was  captured  and  made  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Plymouth  Rock,  N.  C.,  November  26,  1863.  He  was  confined  in  Ander- 
sonville  Prison,  South  Carolina,  where  he  died  April,  1864,  after  enduring  five 
months  of  untold  suffering. 

Children  by  first  marriage:  John  Rowe,  Ransom  F.,  Daniel,  Sarah  Minerva, 
Alfred  V.,  Cordelia  S.,  who  died  1863  ;  Senaca  F. 

By  second  marriage:  Miles  0.,  George  W.,  died  1863;  Esther  M.,  died  1863, 
and  Nancy. 

JOHN  ROWE,  the  eldest  child  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Higley,  was 

born  in  Broome  County,  New  York,  .  He  enlisted,  on  the  breaking  out 

of  the  Civil  War  in  1861,  in  the  72d  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  doing  noble 
and  continuous  service  till  the  conflict  was  ended  in  1865.  He  resides  in  East 
Hebron,  Pa.,  having  a  family  of  twelve  children  whose  names  are  not  given. 

RANSON  F.,  the  second  child  of  the  above  parents,  was  born  at  Windsor, 
Broome  County,  N.  Y.  He  early  entered  the  Civil  War — 1861 — joining  the 
46th  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  After  three  years  in  the  ranks,  during 
which  time  he  saw  hard  service,  which  he  bravely  performed,  he  died  in  an  army 
hospital  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  1864. 

DANIEL  was  the  third  child  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Higley  ;  no 
further  account  of  him  furnished. 

SARAH  MINERVA  married  in  1864  Robert  H.  Smith.  They  have  two  children — 
Huburl  and  George  R. 

ALFRED  V.  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Higley, 
was  born  in  East  Hebron,  Potter  County,  Pa.,  January  30,  1849.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Civil  War  in  the  spring  of  1864,  when  a  beardless  boy  but  turned  of  fifteen  ; 
he  was,  however,  tall  and  muscular,  and  appeared  older  than  he  was.  He  belonged 
to  Company  G,  46th  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  He  was  severely  wounded  on  the 
1 5th  of  June,  1864,  at  Dallas,  Ga.  After  lying  for  some  weeks  in  an  army  hos- 
pital, he  recovered,  and  went  with  Sherman's  army  on  its  march  to  the  sea,  con- 
tinuing in  the  ranks  till  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  when  the  war  ended. 

At  eighteen  he  married  Eliza  C.  Campbell,  December  25,  1866.  She  was  born 
April  14,  1837.  They  emigrated  to  Kansas,  settling  at  Ness  City.  Here  young 
Higley,  with  a  courage  that  could  not  be  questioned,  bent  his  energies  to  make  a 
beginning  in  life,  and  prospering  in  his  efforts  he  was  able  in  time  to  become  the 
proprietor  of  the  Ness  City  Flour,  Grain,  and  Feed  Mills.  His  wife,  Eliza  Camp- 
bell Higley,  died  September  10,  1888.  Their  children  : 

Edz  O.,  born  June  9,  1868,  died  March  24,  1869  ;  Orte  L.,  born  September  28, 
1870  ;  Susie  C.,  born  April  17,  1878,  died  April  24,  1888. 

Of  SENACA  F.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  George  W.  and  Nancy  Smith  Higley, 
and  MILES  O.,  the  first  child  of  his  second  marriage,  no  information  has  been 
furnished  for  these  pages. 

ISAAC  M.  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  was 
born  August  30,  1821.  No  further  information  has  been  furnished. 

MILES  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  was  born 
about  the  year  1823.  He  married  Polly  Felt.  He  married  a  second  time;  name 
not  given.  He  removed  to  Minnesota,  and  from  that  State  enlisted  for  the  Civil 
War  in  1861,  in  a  Minnesota  cavalry  regiment,  serving  the  term  of  his  enlistment 
and  receiving  an  honorable  discharge. 

Miles  and  Polly  (Felt)  Higley  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.: 

Frank,  Anson,  and  Tell  Higley. 

FRANK  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  son.  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the 
same  Minnesota  cavalry  regiment  with  his  father. 


608  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Of  ELIAS  W.  HIGLEY,  born  April  28,  1825,  and  MINERVA  G.,  born  January  21, 
1828,  the  fourth  and  fifth  children  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  no  account 
has  been  furnished. 

BENJAMIN  S.  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  was 
born  March  13,  1831.  He  removed  and  settled  in  East  Hebron,  Potter  County, 
Pa.  He  married  Milly  Franklin. 

When  the  trumpet  sound  of  civil  war  echoed  through  the  land  in  1861,  he  was 
among  the  first  to  enlist.  In  the  terrible  two  days'  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  Vir- 
ginia, while  the  troops  were  persisting  in  a  gallant  effort  to  hold  the  ground  on  the 
6th  of  May,  1864,  he  fell  dangerously  wounded.  As  the  Federal  troops  were  forced 
to  fall  back,  and  while  his  comrades  were  trying  their  best  to  get  him  to  the  rear, 
the  advance  Confederate  soldiers  set  fire  to  the  woods  and  thickets,  the  flames 
sweeping  the  ground  where  he  lay,  obliging  his  companions  to  leave  him  to  his 
fate.  Higley  without  doubt  perished,  as  no  trace  of  him  was  ever  found. 

His  widow  resides  at  Oswayo,  Pa.     They  had  three  children,  viz.: 

Lorenzo,  Daniel,  and  Roxy. 

LUCY  G.  and  LURA  HIGLEY,  twin  children  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley, 
were  born  September  9,  1836.  Lucy  married  Norman  Buck. 

LEWIS  S.  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Widger)  Higley,  was 
born  July  31,  1838.  He  resided  at  East  Hebron,  Potter  County,  Pa.,  and  never 
married.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  in  1861,  and  belonged  to  the  same  com- 
pany and  regiment  with  his  brother  George, — the  8 5th  New  York  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Company  F.  He  was  color-sergeant  of  his  regiment.  In  the  fight  at 
Plymouth  Rock,  N.  C.,  he  was  severely  wounded,  but  persisted  with  heroic 
bravery  in  holding  on  to  the  flag,  and  when  ordered  by  the  Confederates  to  give  it 
up,  with  sublime  courage  he  drew  his  revolver  and  refused  to  surrender  it.  He 
fell  dead  on  the  spot  with  seven  balls  in  the  breast. 

"  And  some  in  storm  and  battle  passed 
And  as  the  failing  life  ebbed  fast. 

Found  peace  at  last." 

CALEB  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Roswell  and  Sarah  Garn- 
sey  Higley,  died  in  infancy. 

ROSWELL  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  seventh  child  of  Roswell  and 
Sarah  Garnsey  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Brown  County, 
N.  Y.,  June  i,  1798.  He  married  Ann  McNamar  in  1821.  She 
died  November  24,  1824,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  leaving  a  young 
child.  His  second  marriage  was  with  Eliza  L.  Brownson,  May 
20,  1827.  He  was  a  man  of  solid  worth,  and  a  useful  member  of 
society.  He  died  April  2,  1864.  There  were  no  children  by  the 
second  marriage. 

ISAAC  G.  HIGLEY,  the  only  child  of  Roswell  Higley,  Jr.,  and  his  first  wife,  Ann 
McNamar,  was  born  July  19,  1823.  He  married,  December  30,  1847,  Louisa 
Hoadly.  She  was  born  August  8,  1826.  He  resided  at  Windsor,  N.  Y.,  his  native 
town,  and  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  a 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  609 

respected  citizen.  He  died  May,  1891.  Isaac  G.  and  Louisa  (Hoadly)  Higley  were 
the  parents  of  one  child,  [V.  B.  Higley,  born  February  23,  1849,  vvao  died  Febru- 
ary 29,  1857. 

ORIN    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  604. 

Orin,  Roswell,  Solomon,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

ORIN  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Roswell  Higley  and  his 
wife,  Sarah  Garnsey,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  23,  1800.  He  loved  country  pursuits,  and  was 
always  an  agriculturist.  Gifted  with  a  strong  brain,  he  was  one 
whose  courage  seemed  never  to  fail  amidst  difficulties.  It  is  said 
that  few  outward  lives  are  continually  prosperous.  This  is  true 
of  Orin  Higley.  Passing  through  a  business  misfortune  which 
hampered  his  worldly  affairs,  the  burden  which  it  entailed  was 
nobly  met  with  a  spirit  which  did  not  droop. 

He  was  one  of  those  men  described  by  George  Eliot,  "whose 
lives  have  no  discernible  echo  beyond  the  neighborhood  where 
they  dwelt,  but  you  are  almost  sure  to  find  there  some  good  piece 
ofj  road,  some  building,  some  improvement  in  farming  practice, 
some  reform  of  parish  abuses,  with  which  their  names  are 
associated  by  one  or  two  generations  after  them." 

His  friends  and  neighbors  held  him  in  personal  attachment  and 
esteem;  an  acquaintance  of  years  set  its  seal  upon  his  soundness 
of  character  and  high  integrity;  he  was  a  man  to  be  trusted. 
His  life  produced  in  effect  upon  the  lives  of  the  children  born  to 
him  the  direct  fruit  of  a  cheerful  industry,  courageous  hearts, 
and  practical  energy,  which  their  succeeding  years  illustrated. 

He  married  Pleiades  Badger,  September  12,  1823.  She  was 
born  August  31,  1805.  They  settled  on  a  farm  at  Osborne  Hol- 
low,1 a  few  miles  from  the  place  of  his  birth.  Their  married 
life  was  closed  by  the  death  of  his  wife,  which  took  place  June 
10,  1833.  His  second  marriage  was  with  Elvira  Frost,  September 
*3»  J835.  She  was  born,  March  15,  1810.  She  died  September 
10,  1863.  Orin  Higley  died  March  29,  1863. 

By  his  first  marriage  there  were  four  children,  viz. : 

Sarah,  Henry,  Emily  JB. ,  Roxanna.  By  second  marriage  :  Eliz- 
abeth J.,  Philo,  born  April  i,  1839,  died  October  i,  1843;  Ade- 
laide E.,  born  August  29,  1840,  died  November  6,  1844;  Ellen 
A.,  Julia  £.,  Louisa. 

1  The  name  of  this  village  was  changed  in  1893  to  Sanitaria  Springs. 


6 to  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

SARAH  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Orin  and  Pleiades  (Badger) 
Higley,  was  born  February  13,  1825.  In  her  early  life,  which 
moved  on  in  an  uneventful  channel,  the  resources  for  education 
were  slender  ;  the  people  had  not,  as  in  this  day,  developed  that 
desire  for  education  which  has  flung  open  a  schoolhouse  door  in 
every  district.  Little  opportunity  was  given  for  intellectual 
culture.  Yet  Sarah  made  the  most  of  her  opportunities,  and  fit- 
ting herself  for  teaching,  she  for  some  time  assumed  the  respon- 
sibilities of  this  position  previous  to  her  marriage. 

In  her  leading  characteristics  it  has  always  been  said  that  she 
is  very  like  her  father  ;  self-reliant  and  strong  in  moral  courage, 
of  indomitable  determination  to  conquer  obstacles,  with  an  active 
and  enlightened  intelligence,  and  a  kind  heart — these  are  among 
her  marked  traits. 

She  married  John  P.  Dye,  January  30,  1845.  Clinging  with 
warm  attachment  to  the  old  farm  home  of  her  childhood,  in 
which  she  grew  up  from  six  years  of  age,  she  early  cherished  the 
hope  that  time  might  some  day  bring  her  the  good  fortune  to 
become  its  owner,  and  after  the  death  of  her  father,  her  husband 
made  the  purchase,  the  estate  having  for  a  time  passed  out  of 
the  family.  Mr.  Dye,  having  been  in  failing  health  the  last  years 
that  he  lived,  died  February  9,  1876,  before  the  purchase  price 
was  closed,  leaving  the  estate  encumbered  with  a  mortgage. 
However,  possessed  of  the  faith  which  ruled  her  determined  soul, 
and  rising  up  with  renewed  strength  and  confidence,  Mrs.  Dye 
undertook  the  clearing  of  the  remaining  indebtedness.  By  her 
excellent  management  of  farm  affairs,  and  her  exceptional  busi- 
ness ability,  which  challenged  the  admiration  of  all  of  her  friends 
and  neighbors,  she  put  the  odious  encumbrance  out  of  existence. 

It  is  on  this  estate,  located  at  Osborne  Hollow  (now  Sanitaria 
Springs),  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  that  she  now  lives. 

Mrs.  Dye  has  known  nothing  of  fritting  away  her  energies  ; 
her  life  has  been  full  of  habits  of  action,  and  her  life-labor  has 
not  been  easy.  An  observer  would  find  that  she  is  not  a  woman 
to  esteem  busy  occupation  and  the  round  of  domestic  duties  a 
degrading  condition.  Her  comprehensive  mind  has  combined 
with  her  daily  activities  her  love  of  reading,  and  she  has  kept 
apace  with  the  current  topics  of  the  day  as  well  as  with  the 
progress  of  the  times.  She  is  a  woman  "whose  head  is  as  good 
as  her  heart,"  one  who  diffuses  "blessings  of  goodness," — for 
no  feebler  folk,  imploring  human  strength,  can  vainly  apply  to 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  6n 

her  and  not  find  succor  ;  her  name  will  ever  live  in  the  esteem 
of  those  who  have  been  privileged  to  know  her. 

John  P.  and  Sarah  Higley  Dye  became  the  parents  of  two 
children,  viz. :  Electa  P.  and  Emma. 

ELECTA  P.  DYE,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  May  12,  1849,  while  her  parents 
were  residing  near  Owego,  N.  Y.  Born  of  a  mother  gifted  with  unusual  force  of 
character,  who  was  her  first  and  best  teacher,  she  has  filled  no  ordinary  position  in 
life.  She  was  early  disposed  to  intellectual  pursuits  and  delighted  in  books.  After 
the  studies  of  her  earlier  years,  her  education  was  continued  at  the  academy  in  Bing- 
hamton,  N.  Y.  She  afterward  taught  school.  She  then  for  some  time  paid  special 
attention  to  the  culture  of  her  voice,  and  fitted  herself  for  teaching  vocal  music. 

On  becoming  a  professing  Christian  she  embraced  the  spirit  of  genuine  Christian 
charity,  and  consecrated  herself  to  a  new  life.  Inspired  with  the  needs  of  humanity, 
she  set  her  mind  at  once  that  when  opportunity  should  offer  she  would  take  upon 
herself  the  right  to  which  woman  is  peculiarly  adapted — the  right  to  comfort  and 
help  it.  However,  she  had  not  yet  found  an  opening  for  labor  away  from  the 
limited  circle  of  her  country  surroundings,  when,  a  few  months  after  the  death  of 
her  father,  one  day  in  1876,  while  on  a  brief  stay  in  the  city  of  New  York,  she 
called  at  the  rooms  of  the  New  York  City  mission,  and  here  made  known  her 
wishes  to  enter  the  field.  The  result  of  the  interview  was  that  she  began  labor 
with  the  society  in  January,  1877,  pursuing  her  mission  with  untiring  effort,  in 
relieving  the  sorrows  of  the  multitudes  immersed  in  physical  and  moral  distress, 
for  a  period  of  seven  years. 

In  company  with  her  cousin,  Alice  Freeman  (Palmer),  she  passed  the  summer 
months  of  1884  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales.  On  their  return  to  America 
Miss  Dye  made  a  notable  departure  from  the  ordinary  track  of  woman's  life, 
entering  a  sphere  not  usually  in  this  day  accorded  to  woman — that  of  accepting  by 
regular  appointment  the  position  of  "pastor's  assistant"  to  a  large  and  influential 
church,  the  Strong  Place  Baptist  Church  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  She  was  the  first 
woman  known  to  occupy  such  a  position  in  that  city.  Here  she  did  a  noble  work 
for  another  seven  years.  Into  the  work  she  threw  herself  with  thorough  earnest- 
ness and  devotion,  laboring  with  faith  and  perseverance,  conducting  Bible  classes, 
mothers'  meetings,  and  personal  visitation,  bringing  to  bear  an  elevating  spiritual 
power  upon  the  parishioners,  and  imbuing  them  with  a  spirit  of  religious  faith  which 
met  with  great  acceptance  and  yielded  excellent  fruits.  It  was  she  who  organized 
the  first  Junior  Christian  Endeavor  Society  that  was  sta'rted  in  Brooklyn,  and  to 
her  belongs  the  credit  of  the  first  organized  body  of  King's  Daughters  in  that  city. 

If  any  had  ever  doubted  that  women  of  modern  times  possess  capabilities  for 
public  usefulness.  Miss  Dye  has  proved  to  the  world  that  she  possesses  not  only  the 
ability,  but  the  natural  qualities  and  adaptation  for  the  loftiest  of  life's  service. 

In  the  year  1891  Miss  Dye  resigned  her  position  in  Brooklyn  to  accept  a  like 
position  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  having  received  a  regular  call  to  become  the  assistant 
pastor  to  the  Rev.  Nathan  E.  Wood,  D.  D.  Her  friends  in  the  Brooklyn  church 
field  strongly  questioned  whether  to  yield  their  claim  upon  her,  and  reluctantly 
submitted  to  the  severing  of  her  connection  from  a  service  which  she  had  pursued 
with  unselfish  interest  and  with  singular  purity  of  Christian  purpose,  leaving  a 
fragrant  incense  behind  it. 


6 12  THE  HIGLEY S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

She  now  entered  a  conservative  New  England  town,  in  which  many  of  the  good 
people  were  of  the  old-school  tinge,  and  were  scarcely  ready  to  accept  the  peculiar 
aspect  which  the  church  in  its  work  was  assuming  by  the  "  perversion  of  female 
talent,"  as  they  looked  upon  the  new  departure.  But  being  willing  to  suppress 
their  feelings,  their  prejudices  were  gradually  overcome,  till  as  co-laborers  and  asso- 
ciates they  now  stand  her  cheerful  and  substantial  supporters.  She  is  at  present 
(1896)  earnestly  engaged  in  aiding  the  pastor  in  the  work  of  the  various  organiza- 
tions within  the  church. 

Miss  Dye  is  essentially  woman-like,  gentle  in  voice  and  manner.  She  has  a 
vigorous  and  bright  discerning  mind,  possessing  wisdom  and  depth  of  originality, 
and  a  ready,  sympathetic  nature. 

"  A  gifted  woman,  nobly  planned, 
To  warn,  to  comfort  and  command  ; 
A  creature  not  too  bright  or  good 
For  human  nature's  daily  food, 
And  yet  a  spirit,  pure  and  bright, 
With  something  of  an  angel's  light." 

EMMA  HIGLEY  DYE,  the  second  child  of  John  P.  and  Sarah  Higley  Dye,  was 
born  near  Owego,  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.,  December  8,  1851.  From  the  time  she 
reached  the  years  of  young  womanhood,  especially  after  the  death  of  her  father, 
she  was  her  mother's  efficient  assistant  and  counselor  in  the  management  of  the 
household  and  farming  affairs.  Her  life  and  its  influences  have  deserved  and 
received  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  her.  She  married,  at  the  old  homestead  of  her 
grandfather  Orin  Higley,  August  27,  1890,  John  A.  Vaughn  of  Chester,  Pa. 
They  reside  in  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

HENRY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Orin  and  Pleiades 
(Badger)  Higley,  was  born  January  27,  1827.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  farm  in  the  township  of  Coleville,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
which  he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  has  made 
his  citizenship  profitable  to  the  community,  and  is  highly 
respected  for  his  excellent  characteristics.  He  never  married. 

EMILY  B.  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Orin  and  Pleiades  (Badger) 
Higley,  was  born  July  26,  1829.  She  married,  November  17, 
1848,  Charles  Webster,  and  gave  birth  to  two  children,  who 
died  in  childhood.  She  was  a  woman  of  marked  personal  beauty, 
clothed  with  a  charm  of  feminine  grace  which  few  women  pos- 
sess ;  she  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  denomination.  She  died 
May  26,  1852.  Mr.  Webster  died  May,  1886. 

ROXANNA  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Orin  and  Pleiades 
(Badger)  Higley,  was  born  September  17,  1831.  She  devoted 
herself  to  study  and  achieved  a  good  measure  of  success  as  a 
teacher,  pursuing  her  chosen  avocation  for  many  years.  She 
married,  February  15,  1866,  D.  C.  Wilbur,  a  farmer  of  Tioga 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL   HIGLEY.  613 

County,  N.  Y.  He  died  May  24,  1887,  aged  seventy.  Mrs. 
Wilbur  has  since  resided  at  the  old  farm  homestead  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  Dye.  She  is  a  devoted  Christian,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church. 


Continued  from  page  609. 

ELIZABETH  J.  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Orin  Higley,  and  the 
first  by  his  second  wife,  Elvira  Frost,  was  born  at  the  farm  home- 
stead, near  Osborne  Hollow  (now  Sanitaria  Springs),  Broome 
County,  N.  Y.,  June  16,  1837.  She  was  a  capable  girl,  possess- 
ing fine  administrative  ability  and  a  good  mind,  interesting  her- 
self in  intellectual  pursuits  as  far  as  in  her  rural  life  surroundings 
she  could  gratify  them. 

On  the  22d  of  March,  1854,  before  she  had  reached  her  seven- 
teenth birthday,  she  married  James  W.  Freeman,  the  son  of  a 
farmer,  "a  descendant  of  the  original  Scotch  owners  of  large 
landed  interests"  in  the  beautiful  Susquehanna country  of  Broome 
County,  N.  Y.  They  settled  upon  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Windsor  Village  in  their  native  county. 

Young  Freeman's  youthful  ambition  had  been  to  enter  the 
medical  profession,  but  his  father,  thinking  that  he  should  con- 
tinue the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  an  avocation  not  altogether  to 
James'  taste,  had  not  permitted  him  to  gratify  his  desire. 
Young  in  years  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  he  and  his  girl-wife 
set  about  to  accomplish  the  end  that  he  should  become  an  M.  D. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine,  preparing  under  an  able  pre- 
ceptor in  intervals  of  life  on  his  farm,  afterward  entering  the 
College  of  Medicine  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated, and  received  his  degree,  in  1867. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  young  wife  maintained  her  capacity  for 
going  on  with  household  work,  as  well  as  mentally  and  phys- 
ically developing  her  powers.  She  was  her  husband's  counselor 
and  assistant.  In  his  absence  from  his  home  during  the  period 
of  his  medical  study,  upon  her  devolved  the  management  and 
direction  of  the  farming  operations  and  home  affairs,  as  well  as 
the  oversight  of  the  primary  studies  of  her  children. 

In  the  year  1865  the  family  quit  the  farm,  removing  into  the 

village  of  Windsor.      Here   Dr.    Freeman,  on   his  return  from 

Albany,  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.     About  the  year 

1878  they  removed  to  East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  where  Dr.  Freeman 

40 


6 14  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

again  established  a  successful  practice,  and  where  they  now 
reside  (1894).  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
teriau  Church,  Dr.  Freeman  occupying  the  station  of  an  elder. 

James  W.  and  Elizabeth  Higley  Freeman  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  viz. : 

Alice  E.t  Fred  W.,  Ella  Louisa,  Roxy  Estella. 


ALICE  E.  FREEMAN,  the  first  child  of  James  W.  Freeman,  M.  D., 
and  Elizabeth  Higley,  was  born  near  Windsor,  Broome  County, 
N.  Y.,  February  21,  1855. 

With  an  excellent  inheritance  of  brain,  and  a  good  constitution, 
together  with  the  practice  and  example  of  her  parents  in  mental 
application  during  her  younger  and  impressible  years,  her  mind, 
no  doubt,  was  led  upward  and  inspired  with  the  passion  for  study. 
From  her  very  early  childhood  she  and  her  mother  stood  in 
closest  relations — they  lived  and  studied  together.  "  I  grew  up 
with  my  mother,"  she  was  accustomed  to  say  at  a  later  period, 
and  someone  hearing  the  remark,  replied,  "There  is  a  useful 
suggestion  in  the  intimacy  implied."  Her  mother  was  scarcely 
eighteen  years  her  senior. 

Alice  was  ten  years  of  age  when  her  parents  left  the  farm  and 
took  up  their  residence  in  the  village  of  Windsor,  N.  Y.  Here 
she  spent  seven  years  in  study  in  the  academy.  This  was  her 
first  stepping  stone  to  her  later  development.  During  this  period 
she  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  village.  It  is 
said  of  her  that  *'  she  was  an  eager  and  ambitious  student,  deter- 
mined by  the  forces  of  her  nature  toward  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge  and  the  building  up  of  a  symmetrical  character."1 

At  the  Windsor  Academy  she  was  prepared  to  enter  Vassar 
College.  The  same  narrator  says  :  "A  boy  in  her  class  who  was 
preparing  for  Amherst  was  accustomed  to  disparaging  the  admis- 
sion requirements  of  the  -woman's  college.  He  was  obliged  to 
know  more  of  Greek,  Latin,  and  mathematics,  in  order  to  become 
a  freshman,  than  his  classmate's  chosen  college  demanded  for  her, 
and  used  to  say,  '  Of  course  you  couldn't  expect  anything  else 
when  it  comes  to  educating  women  like  men.'  All  this  was  a  spur 
to  the  studious  maiden  who  had  come  out  from  among  her  girl- 
friends with  the  unusual  and  startling  announcement  that  she 

1  From  a  paper  by  Minne  Caroline  Smith. 


ALICE    FREEMAN    PALMER,   PH.D. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  615 

meant  to  have  a  college  education;  at  that  time,  and  in  that 
quiet  corner  of  the  world  an  almost  unheard-of  thing. 

"About  this  time  she  learned  that  the  Michigan  University  had 
opened  its  doors  to  women,  and  she  also  learned  from  its  circular, 
with  delight,  that  here  just  as  much  of  Greek  and  Latin  and 
mathematics  were  required  of  women  students  as  of  the  men,  and 
that  she  would  even  have  to  be  somewhat  advanced  of  her  boy- 
friend, the  Amherst  candidate,  in  order  to  become  a  freshman  in 
the  vigorous  Western  University. 

"  Her  parents  consented  that  she  should  enter  the  university, 
and,  accompanied  by  her  father  in  1872,  when  seventeen  years 
old,  she  went  to  Ann  Arbor.  Quite  a  new  world  was  now  opened 
to  her.  The  idea  of  any  opposition  to  her  single-hearted  desire 
of  acquiring  knowledge  was  most  surprising  to  her.  Some 
of  the  younger  professors  in  the  university — Eastern  college 
men — were  decidedly  against  co-education,  but  the  president  and 
most  of  the  elder  men  of  the  faculty  were  of  the  progressive 
future,  and  made  the  college  life  of  those  difficult  days  as  pleasant 
as  possible  for  the  twelve  young  women  who  were  the  pioneer 
college-women  of  the  class." 

Miss  Freeman  was  graduated  in  1876.  During  her  junior  year, 
from  January  to  June,  she  taught  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  high 
school  in  Ottawa,  111.,  keeping  her  college  course  of  study  unin- 
terrupted. For  a  time  she  engaged  in  teaching  in  Geneva  Lake, 
Wis.  From  1877  to  1879  she  was  principal  of  the  high  school 
at  East  Saginaw,  Mich.  During  this  period  her  parents  removed 
to  that  town.  She  received  about  this  time  a  call  to  the  chair 
of  mathematics  at  Wellesley  College.  In  the  year  1879  she 
accepted  the  chair  of  history  in  that  popular  institution  of  learn- 
ing. This  appointment  took  her  to  Boston.  At  Wellesley  she 
held  the  position  of  professor  of  history  till  the  year  1881.  In 
the  latter  part  of  that  year  she  became  the  acting  president  of 
the  college,  and  in  1882  she  accepted  the  presidency.  She  was 
then  twenty-six  years  of  age.  The  college  had  been  six  years 
established. 

"  Her  work,"  says  Miss  Smith,  "  has  been  strong  and  success- 
ful; she  has  shown  the  rare  quality  of  executive  force,  and  has 
proved  what  a  woman  can  do  as  a  college  president."  One  who 
knew  her  well,  writes  : 

"As  in  the  days  when  she  was  a  student  at  Ann  Arbor,  her  popularity  was 
unbounded  in  her  new  field  of  labor.  Possessing  infinite  tact,  a  masterly  executive 


616  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ability,  a  clear  and  keen  intelligence,  and  above  all  a  nobility  of  nature  which  is 
supplemented  by  deep  religious  inspiration,  it  was  not  strange  that  her  corps  of 
teachers  and  professors  cherished  in  common  with  her  pupils  as  profound  a  love 
and  respect  for  the  young  college  president  as  has  ever  perhaps  been  vouchsafed  to 
one  in  such  a  position.  For  six  years  she  enjoyed  the  honors  and  discharged  the 
arduous  duties  of  her  office,  seeing  in  the  meantime  the  college  of  her  love  waxing 
constantly  in  popularity  and  usefulness." 

The  Rev.  Lyman  Abbott  relates  that  he  observed,  as  he  was 
one  day  walking  in  the  corridors  with  Miss  Freeman,  at  a  time 
when  she  had  five  hundred  students  under  her  charge,  that 
she  not  only  smilingly  saluted  one  after  another  as  she  met 
them,  but  promptly  called  each  one  by  her  name;  and  could  tell 
who  she  was,  the  names  of  her  parents,  and  just  what  station  in 
life  they  occupied.  She  knew  personally  every  student  in  the 
college,  "/couldn't  do  that,"  remarked  Dr.  Abbott;  "I  never 
could  individualize  each  one  as  you  do."  "Yes,  you  could," 
replied  Miss  Freeman.  "What  is  right  to  do,  that  one  can  do." 

"  Miss  Freeman's  work,  however,  was  not  confined  to  her 
duties  as  President  of  Wellesley.  She  has  always  been  a  close 
student  of  history  and  of  political  science,  and  her  reading  in 
these  is  wide  and  continued.  She  also  reads  Italian  regularly; 
her  knowledge  of  the  modern  languages  is  as  good  as  that  of  the 
classics.  'And  I  used  to  think  I  should  spend  my  life  teaching 
Latin  and  Greek,'  she  said  one  day  after  the  announcement  of 
her  engagement  to  Professor  Palmer."  : 

The  degree  of  Ph.  D.  was  conferred  upon  Alice  Freeman  by 
the  University  of  Michigan  in  1882,  and  that  of  Doctor  of  Letters 
by  Columbia  College  at  its  centennial  celebration  in  1887.  The 
same  year,  1887,  she  resigned  from  the  presidency  of  Wellesley 
to  marry  Professor  George  Herbert  Palmer  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. During  the  year  following  her  marriage  she  traveled 
with  her  husband  in  Europe.  On  their  return  Professor  and 
Mrs.  Palmer  established  their  home  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where 
they  now  reside  (1896). 

Mrs.  Alice  Freeman  Palmer  lays  special  emphasis  on,  and  is  an 
earnest  advocate  of,  co-education.  She  has  proved  a  notable 
factor  in  breaking  down  the  old  conservative  notion  imposed  upon 
the  past  generations,  that  the  intellectual  standard  and  achieve- 
ment of  woman  is  unequal  to  that  of  man,  and  must  remain  on  a 
lower  plane.  Her  devotion  as  a  wife,  or  her  duties  in  presiding 

1  From  a  paper  by  Minne  Caroline  Smith. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  617 

over  her  pleasant  home,  have  not  diminished  her  appetite  for 
work  in  the  educational  field,  nor  contracted  the  scope  of  her 
occupation.  She  carries  off  honors  by  her  addresses  before  the 
Chautauqua  assemblies,  and  is  obliged  to  decline  many  invita- 
tions before  different  influential  public  gatherings. 

In  the  year  1889  she  accepted  a  position  on  the  Massachusetts 
State  Board  of  Education,  and  is  the  youngest  member  of  the 
Board,  but  is  one  whose  experience  and  rare  ability  are  universally 
acknowledged  as  commanding  fullest  confidence  in  the  measures 
she  proposes.  She  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Wellesley  College, 
President  of  the  Massachusetts  Home  Missionary  Association, 
President  of  the  Association  of  Intercollegiate  Alumnae,  President 
of  the  Woman's  Education  Association,  and  a  member  of  several 
important  benevolent  committees.  Her  latest,  and  perhaps  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  appointments  she  has  received,  is  the 
position  of  Advisory  Dean  of  the  Woman's  Department  in  the 
University,  College,  and  Graduate  Schools  of  Chicago,  which 
brings  her  to  that  city  for  the  fulfilment  of  her  duties  at  frequent 
intervals  during  each  year. 

The  reader  who  has  thus  far  followed  the  career  of  Alice  Free- 
man Palmer  finds  in  it  a  striking  contrast  with  the  imperfect 
means  open  to  the  education  of  woman  a  century  ago.  Woman 
has  gradually  and  surely  extricated  herself  from  the  limitations 
that  restricted  her  educational  boundary,  and  has  stepped  out 
upon  a  wider  and  richer  plain,  which  is  ennobling  her  life  and 
inspiring  her  to  fulfil  a  higher  destiny. 

The  recent  remarks  of  President  Timothy  Dwight  of  Yale 
University — "an  honored  vehicle  of  sound  judgment" — are 
especially  applicable: 

"  Education  is  for  the  purpose  of  developing  and  cultivating  the  thinking  power. 
It  is  to  the  end  of  making  a  knowing,  thinking  mind.  The  higher  education  is  for 
the  realization  of  broad  knowledge  and  wide  thinking.  When  we  know  this,  we 
know  that  the  sister  in  a  household  should  be  educated  as  her  brother  is  educated  ; 
that  the  mother  should  have  the  power,  by  reason  of  her  own  serious  thought  on 
literature,  history,  art,  the  varied  good  things  of  life,  to  guide  and  train  the  thought 
power  of  her  children  ;  that  the  wife  should  be  in  intellectual  oneness  with  her 
husband.  It  is  too  late  in  the  world's  history  to  think  that  a  woman's  mind  is  not 
of  as  much  consequence  as  a  man's  mind,  or  that,  whatever  may  be  her  peculiar 
sphere,  she  is  not  to  be  richly,  broadly,  and,  if  we  may  use  the  word,  thoughtfully 
educated,  as  well  as  he."  ' 

1  From  "  The  Forum,"  May,  1893. 


6i8  THE  If  1C  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

FRED  W.  FREEMAN,  M.  D.,  the  second  child  of  Dr.  James  W.  and  Elizabeth 
Higley  Freeman,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  November  22, 

1857- 

He  chose  the  medical  profession,  and  is  at  present  a  successful  physician  and 
surgeon,  associated  with  his  father  in  practice  in  the  town  of  East  Saginaw,  Mich. 
He  is  unmarried. 

ELLA  LOUISA  FREEMAN,  the  third  child  of  James  W.  Freeman,  M.  D.,  and 
Elizabeth  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  December  II, 

1859- 

She  is  a  practical  woman  of  combined  mental  ability  and  unusual  talents.  She 
married,  August  9,  1878,  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Talmadge,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Talmadge  continued  his  studies  after  their  mar- 
riage, and  was  graduated  from  a  college  in  one  of  the  Eastern  States. 

Endowed  with  peculiarly  fitting  gifts  for  a  clergyman's  wife,  Mrs.  Talmadge  is  in 
her  true  sphere.  She  is  the  inspiration  and  support  of  her  husband  in  whatever 
concerns  the  work  of  the  Church,  and  is  of  the  greatest  service  and  consequence  to 
its  success.  Thoroughly  sincere,  energetic,  and  possessed  of  invincible  courage, 
she  permits  nothing  to  turn  her  aside  from  her  earnest  purpose. 

"  Calm  in  the  depth  of  one  desire 
And  strong  in  one  design." 

Such  a  woman  commands  much  influence  and  engraves  her  name  on  many 
hearts. 

They  reside  in  Leominster,  Mass.,  in  which  town  the  Rev.  Mr.  Talmadge  is  pastor 
of  a  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Roy  and  Ralph,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

ROXY  ESTELLE,  the  fourth  and  youngest  child  of  James  W.  Freeman,  M.  D., 
and  Elizabeth  Higley,  was  born  December  28,  1861.  Soon  after  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  pulmonary  consumption  began  its  fatal  inroads 
upon  her  vitals,  and,  after  a  few  months  of  languishing,  she  died,  June  20,  1879, 
closing  her  young  and  promising  life  at  eighteen. 

Her  parents  do  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  intellectually  she  was  their  brightest 
child  ;  her  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  being  superior.  She  was  also  graced  with 
striking  personal  beauty — her  large  dark  eyes,  finely  cut  features,  and  exquisite 
complexion,  with  a  face  expressive  of  rare  intelligence,  rendered  her  countenance 
a  mirror  of  loveliness,  and  caused  her  to  be  so  much  admired  that  even  in  the 
midst  of  her  last  long  illness  it  was  no  unusual  thing  to  happen,  for  friends  and 
strangers  to  come  to  the  house  and  beg  the  privilege  of  only  looking  upon  the  fair 
and  living  picture.  It  was  fitting  that  her  departure  from  earth  took  place  in  the 
month  of  roses. 

Continued  from  p»ge  609. 

PHILO  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Orin  Higley,  and  the  second  by  his  second  mar- 
riage with  Elvira  Frost,  was  born  April  I,  1839,  and  died  October  i,  1843. 

ADELAIDE  E.,  the  seventh  child,  born  August  29,  1840,  died  November  6,  1844. 

ELLEN  A.  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Orin  Higley,  and  the  fourth  child  by  his 
second  wife,  Elvira  Frost,  was  born  near  Osborne  Hollow  (now  Sanitaria  Springs), 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  619 

Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  June  26,  1844.  She  was  faithful  to  study,  acquiring  the 
contents  of  her  books  with  great  ease,  and  having  many  qualifications  she  would 
no  doubt  have  taken  a  leading  place  in  scholarship  or  in  the  literary  field  had  she 
had  opportunity,  but  the  current  of  her  existence  and  her  obligations  to  humanity 
were  confined  within  the  environments  of  a  country  life.  She  had  a  strong 
instinctive  love  for  teaching,  and  was  a  successful  instructor  for  several  years. 

She  married,  April  4,  1865,  Simon  A.  Parsons.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  had  one  child,  a  son,  who  died  young.  She 
died  December  13,  1870. 

JULIA  E.  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Orin  Higley  and  the  fifth  by  his  second 
wife,  Elvira  Frost,  was  born  at  Osborne  Hollow,  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  March 
II,  1846.  Like  her  next  older  sister  she  engaged  in  teaching  several  school  terms 
previous  to  her  marriage.  She  married  Victor  Gillet,  March  14,  1868.  They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.: 

Francis  F.,  born  March  2,  1869;  Allie  Lenna,  born  November  3,  1870,  died 
December  5,  1870;  Henry  L.,  born  May  8,  1872  ;  Genevieve  Estelle,  born  Septem- 
ber 5,  1875;  Ida  Louisa,  born  April  18,  1878. 

LOUISA  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  and  youngest  child  of  Orin  Higley,  and  the  sixth  by 
his  second  wife,  Elvira  Frost,  was  born  in  the  old  homestead  at  Osborne  Hollow, 
Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  March  10,  1855.  She  was  the  companion  and  schoolmate 
of  her  niece,  Alice  Freeman  (Palmer),  at  the  Windsor  Academy,  there  being  but 
two  weeks  difference  in  the  age  of  the  two  giris.  She  attended  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  from  which  she  was  graduated,  after  which  she  became 
a  successful  teacher,  holding  a  responsible  position  in  a  training  school  for  teachers 
in  East  Saginaw,  Mich.  Her  power  for  government,  and  yet  retain  the  high 
respect  and  love  of  her  pupils,  was  extraordinary.  This  applied  as  well  to  country 
schools  which  were  attended  by  half-grown  men  and  rude  lads  known  to  the  com- 
munity to  be  most  difficult  to  manage. 

She  married,  August  12,  1886,  Charles  Oliver  Dewey,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  Cortland  State  Normal  School  and  from  the  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  University. 
They  resided  for  some  time  in  Englewood,  N.  J.,  where  Mr.  Dewey  held  the 
position  of  principal  of  the  high  school.  During  his  residence  at  Englewood  Prof. 
Dewey  took  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

Prof,  and  Mrs.  Dewey  now  reside  (1894)  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Dewey 
is  successfully  engaged  in  business. 

Of  PETER,  the  ninth  child  of  Roswell  and  Sarah  Garnsey 
Higley,  we  have  no  further  account,  but  among  the  few  Higley 
families  in  America  whose  lineage  cannot  be  clearly  given,  the 
editor  not  having  been  able  to  reach  its  record,  is  that  to  which 
PETER  ROWE  HIGLEY  *  belongs,  together  with  his  brother  PHILAN- 
DER CASE  HIGLEY,  born  about  1816,  sheriff  of  Belleville,  Ontario, 
Canada. 

While  there  is  no  actual  trace  in  line  of  descent,  there  is  well 
grounded  belief  that  the  family  descended  from  Nathaniel,  the 

1  See  children  of  Roswell  Higley,  p.  604,  chapter  IrvIL 


620  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

eldest  son  of  Captain  John  Higley  and  his  second  wife,  Sarah 
Strong-Bissell — founded  principally  on  the  fact  that  the  youngest 
son  of  Roswell  Higley  was  named  Peter,  whose  descendants 
as  stated  above,  have  not  been  accounted  for.  Also  that  Roswell 
had  grandsons  who  bare  the  name  of  "  Rowe." 

The  children  of  Peter  Rowe  Higley,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Canada,  are  as  follows  : 

Charles  Edivin,  born  1844  ;  Mary  Maud,  born  1848  ;  Georgianna 
Maria,  born  1854  ;  John  Albert,  born  1856. 

CHARLES  EDWIN  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son,  resides  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  owns  an  attractive  home.  He  is  a  commercial 
traveler  ;  a  man  of  hearty  genial  ways,  versatile,  energetic  in 
character,  and  held  in  high  esteem. 

OLIVIA  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  and  last  child  born  to  Roswell  and 
Sarah  Garnsey  Higley,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Broome  County, 
N.  Y.  She  was  twice  married;  her  first  husband  was  Edward 
Hazard.  By  this  union  there  was  born  one  son,  Roswell  Hazard, 
who  married  Julia  Peters. 

She  married,  second,  Lewis  Hutchinson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hutchinson  had  two  sons,  Isaac  and  Lewis  Hutchinson.  The 
family  reside  at  Milerton,  Conn. 


CHAPTER  LXVIII. 

FAMILY   OF   SOLOMON    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  588. 
Seba,  Solomon,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

The  actual  experience  of  even  the  most  ordinary  life  is  full  of  events  that  never  explain  them- 
selves, either  as  regards  their  origin  or  their  tendency. — HAWTHORNE. 

DAN  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia  Holcombe 
Higley,  was  born  in  the  year  1759.  He  had  early  reached  ma- 
turity when  his  parents  joined  the  Shaker  community  at  Mount 
Lebanon,  N.  Y.  Embracing  the  faith,  he  here  spent  his  life  amid 
the  charming  and  picturesque  scenery  of  that  region  which  lies 
contiguous  to  the  foothills  of  the  Housatonic  and  Hoosac  River 
country,  living  in  simplicity  of  habit  and  in  religious  communism 
with  the  well-conducted  set  whom  he  took  for  his  people. 

According  to  the  religious  tenet  of  the  Shakers,  he  remained  in 
celibacy.  He  died,  June  20,  1848,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 

SEBA  HIGLEY  (ist),  the  sixth  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia 
(Holcombe)  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  October  20, 
1762,  and  was  but  a  youth  when  his  parents  joined  the  Shaker 
community  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.  There  is,  however,  no 
authentic  evidence  that  he  was  associated  with  that  people. 

He  joined  the  army  of  the  Revolution,  probably  as  soon  as  his 
years  would  admit,  and  was  with  the  patriot  troops  when  they 
were  compelled  to  abandon  Ticonderoga,  July  5,  1777.  Three 
years  later,  when  the  American  troops  were  at  Tappan,  N.  Y., 
and  the  British  spy,  Major  Andre",  was  discovered  by  a  scouting 
party,  court-martialed  and  sentenced  to  suffer  death,  Seba 
witnessed  the  scene,  standing  close  at  hand  in  the  door  of  his  tent 
when  the  execution  took  place. 

At  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  February  22,  1782,  when  not  yet. 
twenty,  he  married  Sylvia  Dickinson,  who  was  born  May  12,  1762, 
and  was  five  months  his  senior.  They  lived  at  New  Lebanon, 
N.  Y.,  till  1783  or  1784,  and  then  went  to  Stockbridge,  Mass.  It 
is  stated  that  Seba  Higley  was  noted  as  a  weaver,  no  doubt  having 
been  taught  the  trade  by  the  Shakers.  He  was  very  skillful  in 

6*1 


622  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

manufacturing  the  home-made  cloth  then  in  use,  into  the  popular 
patterns — "  huck-a-buck  "  and  "barley-corn." 

Very  early  in  this  century,  but  later  than  the  year  1801,  for 
he  was  then  living  at  Hebron,  N.  Y.,  he  secured  a  fine  tract  of 
land  in  the  valley  of  the  beautiful  Schroon  Lake  on  the  Totten 
and  Crossfield's  Purchase,  Chestertown,  Warren  County,  N.  Y. 
Until  this  time  he  had  not  been  able  to  own  land  of  his  own:  his 
parents  no  doubt  had  put  their  property  into  the  common  lot  with 
the  Shakers,  as  they  do  not  appear  to  have  aided  their  children  in 
setting  out  in  life. 

In  1810  all  of  Chester  township  was  a  dark  wooded  wilderness, 
thinly  populated.  Seba  Higley  made  a  clearing  in  a  charming 
location  among  the  mountainous  hills  overlooking  a  grand  sweep 
of  forest,  lakes,  and  ponds,  a  part  of  the  great  Adirondack  range, 
put  up  a  log  house,  and  did  some  planting  the  first  year.  The 
following  winter  he  brought  his  family  from  Hebron,  and  here 
they  settled.  It  was  his  home  about  fifty  years,  and  until  his 
decease. 

He  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Chester,  when  it  was 
organized,  of  which  he  was  always  afterward  a  faithful  member. 
He  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  township  in  1813,  and  again  in 
1814,  and  filled  the  same  office  in  1829.  It  is  probable  that  he 
held  a  number  of  official  relations  to  his  town,  but  the  facts  can- 
not now  be  correctly  stated.1 

Seba  Higley  was  a  firm,  honest  man,  possessing  more  than 
ordinary  abilities.  He  was  methodical  and  precise  in  his  habits; 
it  was  a  rule,  rigidly  enforced,  that  there  must  be  "  a  place  for 
everything  and  everything  in  its  place."  He  was  strong  in  his 
opinions  of  people  and  measures,  and  full  of  set  notions;  nor 
could  he  be  induced  to  swerve  from  a  position  that  he  considered 
right  and  proper  to  assume;  oftentimes  his  manner  seemed 
abrupt  and  brusque.  He  abhorred  hypocrisy. 

At  what  date  he  entered  the  profession  of  law,  and  when  he 
became  judge  of  the  county  court,  is  not  certainly  known. 
When  he  took  his  seat  upon  the  bench  at  his  first  court,  he 
appeared  in  his  usual  garb,  a  red  flannel  shirt  and  a  white  linen 
collar.  Judge  Buell  remarked  to  him,  "  Higley,  you  should 
wear  a  'dicky' — it  won't  do  to  come  to  the  bench  in  a  flannel 

1  The  early  town  records  having  been  destroyed  in  a  burning  building,  we  find  it  impossible  to 
procure  many  historical  facts  and  dates  concerning  Seba  Higley  which  would  interest  the  reader. — 
THE  EDITOR. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  623 

shirt  bosom."  This  irritated  him  exceedingly.  To  his  way  of 
thinking,  a  "dicky"  was  something  akin  to  false  pretentions,  and 
he  abhorred  the  article;  however,  upon  reflection  he  yielded  his 
prejudice,  and  afterward  appeared  clad  as  was  considered  becom- 
ing the  dignity  of  the  position. 

On  the  pth  of  August,  1824,  he  met  with  a  severe  shock  and 
bereavement  by  the  instantaneous  death  of  his  wife,  who  was 
killed  by  lightning. 

The  lowering  sky  and  an  approaching  thunderstorm  caused 
her  husband,  who  was  in  the  field,  to  take  shelter  in  the  house, 
and  he  was  in  the  room  when  the  bolt  entered  the  apartment 
from  the  chimney,  shattering  the  walls  and  furniture,  doing  great 
damage,  and  creating  much  confusion  and  consternation  in  the 
family.  Judge  Higley  received  little  injury. 

Judge  Seba  Higley  married  the  second  time,  when  in  advanced 
years.  He  died  April  14,  1849,  aged  eighty-six  years  and  six 
months,  and  was  interred  in  the  old  original  cemetery  on  Landon 
Hill  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  Pottersville,  N.  Y.,  is  the  village 
now  nearest  the  site  where  stood  the  homestead  he  founded. 

Seba  and  Sylvia  Dickinson  Higley  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  viz. : 

Clarinda  and  Charles. 

CLARINDA  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  February  5, 
1783.  She  married,  September,  1801,  at  Hebron,  N.  Y.,  Richard  Duel.  They 
resided  at  Chestertown,  N.  Y.  Their  children  : 

Jonathan,  born  May  9,  1802  ;  Martin,  born  August  22,  1804  ;  Liva,  born 
January  25,  1807  ;  Hersila  Minerva,  born  July  5,  1812  ;  Jacob,  born  December 
7,  1808;  Warren  Higley,  born  August  9,  1810  ;  Sylvia,  born  September  26, 
1814  ;  Patty  Alenia,  born  August  15,  1817  ;  Seba  Charles,  born  August  15,  1820; 
Lydia,  born  April  10,  1823. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Seba  and  Sylvia  Dickinson  Higley,  was 
born  at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  October  23,  1784.  He  came  with  his  father  to 
Chestertown,  N.  Y.,  and  aided  in  making  the  family  farm  and  homestead  in  the 
wild  forest,  hewing  with  his  own  hands  the  logs  from  which  the  house  was  built. 
The  farm  was  divided  about  the  year  1826,  and  a  new  residence  was  built  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road,  into  which  his  parents  removed. 

He  married  Patty  Knapp,  June  30,  1813,  who  became  the  mistress  of  the  orig- 
inal Higley  homestead.  She  was  born  November  26,  1789,  at  Canaan,  N.  Y. 

Charles  Higley  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Plattsburg,  but  did  not  reach  the  scene  of  action  till  just  after  the  battle  was  over. 

He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  based  on  principle,  a  lover  of  truth,  and  scrupu- 
lously honest.  He  was  often  urged  to  secure  a  pension,  his  comrades  in  the  war 
having  obtained  them,  but  thinking  the  length  of  time  he  served  his  country  did 
not  justify  making  a  demand  upon  our  government,  he  persistently  refused. 


624  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Charles  Higley  became  a  professor  of  religion  when  quite  a  young  man,  and 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but,  probably  through  the  influence 
of  his  Baptist  wife,  he  always  sympathized  with  the  religious  tenets  of  the  Baptist 
denomination  so  far  as  to  entertain  a  full  belief  in  baptism  by  immersion  as  the  only 
true  method.  He  was  a  class-leader  in  his  church  for  many  years,  as  well  as  hold- 
ing the  office  of  steward. 

His  wife  Patty  Knapp  died  October  28,  1821,  leaving  a  young  daughter,  Maria 
Louisa.  Charles  Higley  married,  April  14,  1822,  Pamelia  Knapp,  cousin  to  his  first 
wife.  She  was  born  February  II,  1800.  This  union  was  also  soon  broken  by 
death,  his  wife  dying  and  leaving  a  motherless  infant,  called  Susan  Amanda.  He 
married,  third,  Margaret  Weddle,  August  20,  1824. 

He  died  July  29,  1873,  aged  eighty-nine  years  ;  his  wife  Margaret  died  October 
17,  1878,  aged  eighty.  Their  graves  are  to  be  found  by  neatly  marked  tombstones 
in  the  cemetery  on  Landon  Hill,  Pottersville,  N.  Y.  By  his  wife  Margaret,  Charles 
Higley  had  six  children,  viz.:  Charles  Wesley,  Mary  Jane,  Hugh" W.,  Helen 
Kathleen,  Margaret  Matilda  and  Martha  Minerva,  twins. 

The  first-born  child  by  his  wife  Patty  Knapp,  named  SARAH  MINERVA,  born 
April  15,  1815,  died  May,  1817  ;  MARY  JANE,  the  second  child  by  his  wife  Margaret 
Weddle,  born  June  21,  1829,  died  in  childhood:  and  HUGH  WEDDLE,  his  sixth 
child,  born  March  8,  1831,  died  unmarried,  aged  thirty.  MARGARET  and  MARTHA, 
twins,  born  May  17,  1834,  died  August  of  the  same  year. 

M.  LOUISA,  the  oldest  surviving  child  by  his  first  wife,  Patty  Knapp,  was  born 
in  the  old  homestead  near  Pottersville,  N.  Y.,  November  9,  1818.  She  never 
married,  and  resided  with  her  father.  She  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and 
began  teaching  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  continuing  till  the  year  1859,  a  period  of 
twenty-three  years.  A  number  of  these  school  terms  were  taught  near  her  own 
home.  She  was  a  teacher  whose  heart  was  in  her  work  ;  she  did  honor  to  her 
calling,  living  with  a  profound  purpose,  possessed  of  excellent  faculties,  sensible 
and  practical,  she  enjoyed  the  love  and  esteem  of  her  patrons  and  friends.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  she  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Pottersville. 

SUSAN  AMANDA,  the  second  daughter  of  Charles  Higley,  of  whom  his  second 
wife,  Pamelia  Knapp,  was  the  mother,  was  born  June  25,  1825.  She  married, 
November  26,  1855,  Martin  Wendell.  They  reside  in  Chestertown,  N.  Y.  Their 
children  : 

Jane  Pamelia,  born  September  15,  1856;  Sabrina  Agard,  born  September  II, 
1857  ;  Charles  Higley,  born  July  4,  1859. 

CHARLES  WESLEY  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Charles  Higley,  and  the  first  by 
his  wife  Margaret  Weddle,  was  born  near  Pottersville,  N.  Y.,  September  6,  1827. 
He  married,  February  28,  1856,  Gertrude  C.  Mead. 

He  volunteered  for  three  years'  service  in  the  late  Civil  War,  and  was  mustered 
into  the  ranks  August  30,  1862,  Company  D,  n8th  Regiment,  New  York  Infantry. 
This  regiment  was  called  the  "  Adirondack  Regiment."  It  left  Plattsburg,  N.  Y., 
for  the  scene  of  contest  September  I,  1862.  "The  regiment  immediately  began 
a  series  of  active  and  incessant  duties.  It  formed  a  part  of  Peck's  force  in  the 
memorable  defense  of  Suffolk,  Va.,  and  was  employed  in  many  arduous  raids,"  as 
well  as  in  warm  action  under  heavy  fire  of  shot  and  shell.  "  Its  military  glory  is 
attested  by  the  inscription  upon  its  regimental  flag  :  ''Suffolk — South  Anna — Cold 
Harbor — Fort  Harrison — Bermuda — Swift  Creek — Petersburg — Fair  Oaks — 
Drury's  Bluff— Crater — Richmond.'  "' 

"  This  was  the  rainbow  of  hope  to  the  nations, 
Torn  from  the  storm-cloud  and  flung  to  the  breeze  !  " 

1 "  History  of  Essex  County,"  by  H.  P.  Smith. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  625 

Owing  to  illness  contracted  in  camp,  Sergeant  Higley  was  sometimes  laid  aside 
from  active  duty  and  could  not  participate  in  all  of  the  engagements.  On  the  27th 
of  March,  1863,  he  was  appointed  fifth  sergeant,  and  on  December  I,  1863,  he 
was  promoted  for  merit  to  fourth  sergeant.  Early  in  May,  1864,  his  regiment 
marched  upon  the  expedition  which  was  terminated  by  the  fatal  results  at  Drury's 
Bluff.  "  The  march  from  its  commencement  was  a  constant  scene  of  fighting  and 
skirmishes.  The  coolness  and  bearing  of  Company  D  was  conspicuous."  On  the 
morning  of  the  i6th  the  battle  of  Drury's  Bluff  was  fought.  While  exposed  to  a 
crushing  fire,  Sergeant  Higley  was  struck  in  the  knee  by  a  ball.  Not  abandoned  \,y 
his  comrades,  he  was  borne  to  the  rear,  and  later  on  was  carried  from  the  field  and 
sent  to  the  military  hospital  at  Hampton  Roads.  His  wound  proved  mortal.  He 
languished  in  great  suffering  till  June  22,  1864,  when  death  came  to  his  relief.  He 
was  interred  at  Hampton  Roads,  Va. 

His  wife,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Mead  Higley,  is  still  living.     Their  children  : 

Lydia  Adeline.  Gertrude  Mead,  born  May  14,  1857  I  married  Eugene  H. 
Smith,  and  resides  at  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.  George  Franklin  Higley,  born  September 
29,  1859,  married,  October  17,  1885,  Annie  Andrews,  and  resides  at  Pottersville, 
N.  Y.  They  have  a  family  of  bright  children.  Julia  Elizabeth,  born  April  9, 
1862,  married  William  D.  West,  November  27,  1888 ;  resides  at  Caldwell,  N.  Y. 

HELEN  KATHLEEN,  the  fourth  surviving  child  of  Charles  Higley  and  his  third 
wife,  Margaret  Weddle,  was  born  near  Pottersville,  N.  Y.,  September  3,  1833. 
She  attended  the  district  school,  and  was  unusually  clever  in  her  studies.  She 
taught  her  first  school  in  her  native  town,  afterward  teaching  in  other  localities. 
At  Starbuckville,  while  teaching,  she  became  acquainted  with  Franklin  Burge, 

whom  she  married .  They  resided  one  year  in  Starbuckville,  and  removed 

to  Shoreham,  Vt.,  where  Mr.  Burge  purchased  a  beautiful  farm  lying  in  the  close 
vicinity  and  amid  the  attractive  views  of  Lake  Champlain.  Here  they  have  since 
resided,  in  due  process  of  time  becoming  prosperous  in  circumstances,  making  a 
bright  and  hospitable  home.  The  main  feature  of  the  farm  is  the  dairy.  Mr. 
Burge  is  the  owner  of  valuable  herds  of  fine  stock  ;  his  career  as  an  agriculturist  is 
marked  with  success,  and  he  possesses  many  of  the  very  best  qualities  of  the  New 
England  citizen.  They  have  three  children,  viz.: 

ADELAIDE  HELEN,  born  October  24,  1855,  at  Chestertown,  N.  Y.,  married  Francis  E.  Douglass. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children  :  Bernice  Neva,  born  February  22,  1883,  and  Malcolm 
Burge,  born  March  5,  1871.  They  reside  at  Shoreham,  Vt. 

HOWARD  HIGLEY,  born  September  9,  1859,  at  Shoreham,  and  married  September  12,  1889,  Ger- 
trude Ellen  Fowler,  daughter  of  John  Fowler  of  Plainfield,  Vt.  They  reside  at  Shoreham,  Vt.  • 

MARGARET  GERTRUDE,  born  October  12,  1867,  married,  September  12,  1893,  Bernard  B.  Pearson 
of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  at  which  place  they  now  reside.  They  have  one  son,  Everett  L,  Pear- 
son, born  August  23,  1894. 

Continued  from  page  588. 

THEOPOLIS  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  seventh  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia 
Holcombe  Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  September  i, 
1765,  and  was  baptized  the  same  day  at  the  parish  church  of  St. 
Andrew  (now  in  Bloomfield,  Conn.).  He  was  evidently  named  in 
honor  of  his  Simsbury  uncle,  Theopolis  Higley,  ist,  who  died  in 
the  year  1762,  on  the  war  expedition  to  Havana. 

It  was  about  the  time  of  his  birth  that  his  parents  removed  from 
Simsbury  to  the  vicinity  of  the  eastern  State  line  of  New  York  in 
the  hill  country  of  Berkshire.  Theopolis  was  but  a  half-grown 
boy  when  his  parents  became  members  of  the  social  organization 
at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  known  as  Shakers.  On  reaching 
maturity  he  chose  for  his  future  life  the  high  spiritual  profession 


626  THE  HI G LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

in  common  with  this  people,  and  the  practice  of  celibacy,  remain- 
ing with  the  community  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a  member 
in  good  standing.  He  died  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  February 
2,  1838,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

DAVID  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia  Hoi- 
combe  Higley,  was  born  in  the  year  1769,  and  met  his  death  by 
accident  in  childhood. 

Continued  from  page  588. 

DUDLEY  HIGLEY,  2d,  the  ninth  child  of  Solomon  and  Lydia  Hoi- 
combe  Higley,  was  born  May  17,  1770,  after  his  parents  had  taken 
up  their  residence  in  the  Housatonic  and  Hoosac  River  coun- 
try, bordering  the  east  line  of  the  State  of  New  York.  When  he 
was  about  ten  years  of  age  he  was  taken  with  the  family  to  reside 
with  the  Shaker  community  at  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  and  there 
he  lived  till  he  was  seventeen.  He  then  severed  himself  from 
membership  in  the  community,  leaving  the  neat  village  of  Mount 
Lebanon,  and  going  to  Quemons,  N.  Y.,  where  about  the  year 
1792  he  married  Esther  Davis.  Becket,  Mass.,  was  her  native 
place.  She  was  born  in  1777.  They  resided  for  a  time  at  Middle- 
town,  also  at  Granville,  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  and  from  the 
latter  place  removed  in  1808  to  Richmond,  Vt.  In  the  year  1817 
they  settled  at  Jay,  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  Adirondack 
region.  Dudley  Higley  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812-14. 
He,  with  his  eldest  son,  fought  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg,  N.  Y., 
which  occurred  the  summer  of  1814. 

His  wife,  Esther  Davis,  died  during  their  residence  in  Chester- 
field, Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  April,  1843,  aged  sixty-six  years,  leav- 
ing eleven  children — eight  sons  and  three  daughters.  She  had 
been  a  professing  Christian  for  fifty  years,  having  been  baptized 
by  Elder  Mudge,  and  uniting  with  the  Baptist  Church  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  one  year  after  her  marriage. 

Dudley  Higley's  second  marriage  was  with  Eunice  Presson,  a 
widow,  whom  he  survived  a  number  of  years. 

The  unusual  longevity  for  which  this  branch  of  the  Higleys  has 
been  noted  belonged  essentially  to  this  particular  family.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  five 
months,  and  seven  days.  He  was  a  hale  old  man,  retaining  his 
vital  forces  remarkably  during  his  later  years,  the  infirmities  of 
age  bringing  little  rust  upon  his  faculties.  At  the  age  of  ninety 
he  refused  to  believe  that  "the  sands  of  life"  were  almost  run, 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  627 

and  wanted  to  contract  a  third  marriage.  Persisting  in  the  desire 
to  carry  out  his  wishes,  his  children  were  forced  to  rise  up  and 
sternly  oppose  him.  At  the  time  of  his  decease  he  still  retained 
not  only  his  faculties  but  little  impaired,  but  had  a  full  set  of 
perfect  teeth,  and  could  read  without  glasses. 

In  the  year  1840  he  went  to  reside  with  his  son,  Jerry,  in  Chit- 
tendon  County,  Vermont.     During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he 
was  administered  to  by  his  daughter  Esther  Estes,  at  whose  home 
at  Port  Kent,  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  he  died,  October  23,  1863. 
The  children  of  Dudley  and  Esther  Davis  Higley  were  : 
Joel,    Jerry,  Esther,  Anson,  Annis,  Almon,  Charles   D.t  Harry, 
Ranson,  Clarissa,  Erastus. 

JOEL  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
February  14,  1792.  He  joined  the  American  forces  in  the  War  of  1812-14,  ar>d 
served  in  the  engagement  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.  He  married,  about  1816,  Sally 
Esterbrook,  in  Jay,  Essex  County,  N.  Y.  They  emigrated  to  Fredonia,  Licking 
County,  O.,  in  the  year  1840,  where  they  brought  up  their  family.  Joel  Higley  was 
a  tanner  by  trade.  He  died  at  Fredonia,  O.,  in  1848,  aged  fifty-six.  The  date  of 
the  decease  of  his  wife  has  not  been  ascertained.  Their  children  were  : 

Elvira^  Eton,  Edwin,  Artnini,  Darwin,  Julian,  Oswin,  Perley. 

ELVIRA,  the  eldest  child,  born  January  7,  1817,  married  J.  F.  Rich  of  Potsdam, 
N.  Y.  They  reside  in  Barnum,  Minn.  Mr.  Rich  is  a  farmer. 

ELON,  the  second  child,  married  Mary  Tipton.     He  is  a  farmer. 

EDWIN,  the  third  child,  married  Catherine  Lown.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade. 
He  died  1891.  They  resided  in  Iowa. 

ARMINI,  the  fourth  child,  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 

DARWIN,  the  fifth  child,  married,  first,  Susan  Reed,  and,  second, Sheldon. 

He  was  a  farmer.  He  died  at  Highgate,  Vt.,  February  14,  1893. 

JULIAN,  the  sixth  child  of  Joel  and  Sally  Esterbrook  Higley,  was  born  April  27, 
1828,  in  the  Adirondack  region  of  eastern  New  York.  In  1851  he  emigrated  to 
Fredonia,  Licking  County,  O.,  joining  his  father  who  had  gone  thither  about  ten 
years  previous.  Early  in  the  year  1853,  at  Fredonia,  he  married  Selvina  M.  Cur- 
rier, daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mehitable  (Stevens)  Currier.  She  was  born  May  9, 
1826.  After  removing  from  Fredonia,  O.,  to  Springfield,  111.,  Julian  Higley  re- 
turned with  his  family,  in  March,  1861,  to  his  native  State,  New  York,  and  for  two 
years  lived  near  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence  County,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  pearlash  and  saleratus.  In  1863  they  removed  to  Plain  City,  Union 
County,  O.,  and  from  there,  in  October,  1864,  to  Monroe,  Wis.  March,  1872,  found 
him  again  settled  near  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  resided  near  Crary's 
Mills,  following  agricultural  pursuits. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  with  all  of  their  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  Their  children  will  always  recall  the  fact  of  their  parents 
having  ever  been  careful  to  instil  high  moral  principles  into  their  minds,  teaching 
them  that  "  the  main  riches  after  which  to  seek,  is  the  priceless  wealth  that  enriches 
and  purifies  the  heart." 

As  a  citizen  Julian  Higley  stands  with  those  who  hold  the  respect  of  the  commu- 
nity, and  who  "though  unknown  to  fame,  nevertheless  possess  the  sturdy  virtues 
that  go  to  make  up  the  completest  character." 

Their  children  : 

Eva  M.,  Lellie  C.,  George  0.,  Frank  J.,  Charles  A. 


628  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

EVA  M.  the  eldest  child  of  Julian  and  Selvina  M.  Higley,  was  born  in  Potsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y.,  November  8,  1853.  She  married,  December  31,  1878,  at  Potsdam,  Leslie  P. 
Severance,  who  is  a  successful  farmer.  They  reside  at  Crary's  Mills,  N.  Y.  They  have  three 
children,  viz.  :  Herbert J.,  Frederick  H.,  and  Wilmer  F. 

LELLIE  C.,  the  second  child  of  Julian  and  Selvina  M.  Higley,  born  at  Springfield,  111.,  February 
25.  '855,  died  April  5,  1856. 

GEORGE  O.,  the  third  child  of  Julian  and  Selvina  M.  Higley,  was  born  at  Jersey,  O.,  August 
19,  1858.  He  applied  himself  to  his  studies,  following  which  he  was  elected  principal  of 
the  Gibbon  High  School  at  Gibbon,  Neb.,  resigning  his  position  to  take  a  college  course  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich.  He  was  graduated  from  the  University  Class,  '91,  and  is  .at  present  professor  of 
chemistry  in  Ann  Arbor  University.  He  married,  December  28,  1880,  Alice  L.  Wood  of  Potsdam, 
N.  Y.  They  reside  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.  :  Irvin  J., 
Frank  C.,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  Bertha  L. 

FRANK  J.,  the  fourth  child  of  Julian  and  Selvina  M.  Higley,  was  born  at  Potsdam,  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  June  16,  1861.  He  married,  August  25,  1886,  Hattie  E.  Bailey  of  Pots- 
dam. They  have  no  children.  Mr.  Higley  is  the  general  agent  of,  as  well  as  a  director  in,  the  Na- 
tional Deposit  Safe  Company  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  has  traveled  extensively  in  the 
business  interests  of  his  firm  since  the  year  1881.  He  is  enterprising  and  is  pursuing  a  successful 
career,  sustaining  an  excellent  reputation  in  business  circles.  Cordial  and  genial  in  all  of  his 
associations  with  men,  he  is  popular  because  of  his  good  qualities.  His  residence  is  Canton,  N.  Y. 

CHARLES  A.,  the  fifth  child  of  Julian  and  SeWina  M.  Higley,  was  born  at  Monroe,  Green 
County,  Wis.,  July  29,  1865.  After  graduation  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Ilion, 
Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.  He  married  Ethel  Wendell.  They  had  one  child,  who  is  not  living. 

OSWIN,  the  seventh  child  of  Joel  and  Sally  (Esterbrook)  Higley,  was  born  about 
the  year  1830  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  wagons.  He  married 
Mary  Holler.  Resides  in  Iowa. 

PERI.EY,  the  eighth  child  of  Joel  and  Sally  (Esterbook)  Higley,  was  born . 

He  married  N.  W.  Parker.  The  date  of  his  death  not  given. 

Continued  from  page  627. 

JERRY  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
March  3,  1794.  He  married  Hannah  Austin,  September  4,  1819.  She  was  born 
March  22,  1799.  They  resided  at  Richmond,  Chittendon  County,  Vt.  Jerry  Hig- 
ley lived  to  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-one,  and  died  April  14,  1875.  His  wife,  Hannah 
Higley,  died  August  31,  1888.  They  had  eight  children,  viz.  : 

Austin,  born  May  28,  1820,  who  died  in  childhood  ;  Nathan  ;  Lucy  ;  Hannah 
M.,  born  June  18,  1826,  died  young;  Elvira;  Caroline,  born  June  21,  1832  ; 
Austin,  2d,  born  July  24,  1834,  died  in  childhood  ;  Carlos. 

NATHAN  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  surviving  child  of  Jerry  and  Hannah  Austin  Higley, 
was  born  at  Richmond,  Chittendon  County,  Vt.,  February  23,  1822,  where  he  has 
always  resided,  following  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married  Ellen  Obrien,  October 
4,  1852.  They  were  the  parents  of  one  child — Albert,  who  was  born  March  22, 
1855.  He  died  November  28,  1874. 

LUCY,  the  second  surviving  child  of  Jerry  and  Hannah  Austin  Higley,  born 
April  19,  1824,  married  Cyrus  Allen. 

ELVIRA,  the  fourth  surviving  child,  born  June  29,  1830,  remained  unmarried. 

CARLOS,  the  eighth  and  youngest  child  of  Jerry  and  Hannah  Austin  Higley,  was 
born  April  21,  1838.  He  married,  December  13,  1857,  Betsey  Jane  Sherman. 
Carlos  Higley  died  December  19,  1882.  They  had  children  as  follows  : 

Fred ;  Frank,  born  September  13,  1862  ;  Jerry,  born  February  16,  1864  ;  Carrie, 
born  November  7,  1866;  Lida,  born  October  10,  1868  ;  Royace,  born  October  26, 
1870 ;  Lulu,  born  July  4,  1872  ;  Varney,  born  January  13,  1874. 

FRED  HIGLKY,  the  oldest  child  of  Carlos  and  Betsey  Jane  Sherman  Higley,  born  January  6,  1859, 
married,  November  8,  1876,  Nancy  Wright.  They  have  three  children. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  629 

Continued  from  page  627. 

ESTHER  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
at  Richmond,  Vt.,  June  29,  1796.  On  the  I7th  of  November,  1817,  she  married 
Benjamin  Hall  Estes,  who  was  born  January  i,  1796.  They  resided  the  greater 
part  of  their  married  life  in  Chittenden  County,  Vermont. 

Benjamin  Hall  Estes  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  belonging  to  Captain 
Beman's  Company,  nth  Regiment,  United  States  New  York  Infantry,  and  fought 
in  the  conflict  at  Plattsburg  in  1814.  Mrs.  Esther  Higley  Estes  was  possessed  of 
good  intellectual  faculties  and  an  active  mind.  She  was  a  woman  observant,  taking 
a  lively  interest  in  the  passing  affairs  of  life,  both  public  and  private,  and  during 
the  protracted  period  of  her  lengthened  career,  which  reached  to  upward  of  ninety- 
four  years,  she  was  the  witness  of  many  varied  and  important  events  of  which  she 
took  note.  Possessing  a  remarkable  memory  for  historical  dates,  she  could  give 
them  to  her  latest  day  with  the  utmost  readiness  and  precision.  After  she  had 
passed  her  four  score  and  ten,  her  recollections  of  prominent  people  and  happen- 
ings, covering  a  period  of  more  than  seventy-five  years,  were  both  striking  and 
valuable.  Her  eyesight  at  ninety-two  was  clear,  and  she  enjoyed  rare  good 
health.  She  never  lost  pleasure  in  reading,  and  at  this  advanced  age  she  would 
write  an  occasional  letter.  It  was  her  habit  to  rise  early  in  the  morning  and  spend 
some  time  in  reading  her  Bible  before  the  breakfast  was  served. 

The  later  years  of  her  life  were  spent  in  the  home  of  her  son,  Elihu  B.  Estes,  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  She  died  January,  1892,  aged  ninety-four  years  and  six  months. 
Benjamin  Hall  Estes,  her  husband,  died  December  n,  1866.  He  was  a  pensioner 
of  the  War  of  1812.  Their  children  : 

Koxie,  Annin  Elizabeth,  Emeline,  Benjamin  Whiteman,  Ranson  Henry,  Elihu 
B.,  Norman  F.,  Esther  Louisa,  Cyrus  H. 

ROXIE,  the  eldest,  born  November  9,  1818,  married  Lorenzo  Dow  Winter.  ANNIS, 
E.,  born  March  16, 1820,  died  an  infant,  May  n,  1820.  EMELINE,  born  February 
13,  1822,  was  burned  to  death  by  accident,  March  31,  1826.  BENJAMIN  W.,  born 
November  8,  1823,  married  Hester  Jane  Johnson  ;  he  died  March  10,  1883.  RAN- 
SON HENRY,  born  February  28,  1826,  married  Huldah  M.  Prindle ;  died,  leaving 
no  children. 

ELIHU  B.,  the  sixth  child,  born  January  23.  1828,  married,  first,  Hannah  Smith 
Meeker,  and  second,  Louisa  Hulbert.  He  conducts  a  successful  business  at  45 
John  Street,  New  York  City,  and  resides  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  has  a  family, 
names  not  given. 

NORMAN  F.,  the  seventh  child,  born  December  31,  1833  ;  married  Lurena  Dickin- 
son. ESTHER  LOUISA,  born  December  23,  1831  ;  married  Charles  D.  Frampton. 
CYRUS  H.,  born  May  13,  1836,  married  Jennette  E.  Carl  ;  he  died  December  28, 
1886. 

ANSON  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
April  18,  1799.  He  died  at  Williston,  Vt.,  in  the  year  1813. 

ANNIS  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
January  20,  1802.  She  married  the  Rev.  Cyrus  W.  Hodges,  a  Baptist  minister, 
October,  1824,  in  Chester,  N.  Y.  She  died  January,  1889,  aged  eighty-eight. 
The  date  of  his  death  not  given. 

ALMON  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born 
April  19,  1804.     He  married  in  1825,  in  Chester,  N.  Y.,  Nellie  Robinson.     He 
died  in  Fairfax,  Vt.,  1830. 
41 


630  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

CHARLES  D.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was 
born  in  Williston,  Vt.,  April  n,  1806.  He  married,  first,  in  Chester,  N.  Y., 
Eudocia  Doud,  July  i,  1826.  His  wife  died  May  12,  1832,  leaving  two  children. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  Eliza  E.  Denio.  She  died  August,  1862,  leaving  six 
children.  His  third  wife  was  Susan  Reynolds  Brundage.  There  were  no  children 
of  this  marriage.  For  many  years  Charles  D.  Higley  resided  at  Pottersville,  N.  Y. 
He  was  hale,  hearty,  and  cheerful  in  old  age,  with  his  powers  of  mind  and  body 
well  preserved,  after  a  life  of  varied  activities.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  sixty-nine  years.  He  died  September  3,  1892,  and  was  interred 
with  Masonic  orders. 

Children  by  first  wife  :  Charles  Wesley,  Rosaline  E.  By  second  wife  :  Emily  E., 
Roxy  Adelia,  Julius,  Albert  E.,  Esther  Maria,  Lorenzo  S.  H. 

C.  WESLEY  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Charles  D.  and  Eudocia  Doud  Higley, 
was  born  December  17,  1828.  He  married,  first,  February  18,  1849,  Harriet  V. 
Waller  of  Hartford,  N.  Y.  She  had  four  children,  George  H.,  who  died  in  infancy, 
Georgianna,  Rosaline  E.,  and  Charles  A.  She  died  January  26,  1862.  The  same 
week  the  three  remaining  children  all  died  of  diphtheria. 

Mr.  Higley  married,  second,  Calesta  B.  Avery.  She  was  born  June  17,  1840. 
Their  children  are  as  follows : 

Lucy  P.,  born  April  15,  1863,  who  married  James  McDowell  March  n,  1883, 
has  two  children,  Rosaline  and  James  W.  William  Henry,  born  February 
7,  1876,  died  February  13,  1878.  Eudocia  J.,  born  October  8,  1878.  James  R.t 
born  August  23,  1880.  The  family  resides  in  Pottersville,  N.  Y. 

ROSALINE  E.,  the  second  child  of  Charles  D.  and  Eudocia  (Doud)  Higley, 
born  April  25,  1831,  died  May  21,  1843,  at  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  aged  twelve  years. 

EMILY  E.,  daughter  of  Charles  D.  and  his  second  wife,  Eliza  (Denio)  Higley, 
was  born  March  3,  1834.  She  married  Sidney  R.  Brown,  March  16,  1854.  She 
died,  January  17,  1855. 

ROXY  ADELIA,  daughter  of  Charles  D.  and  Eliza  (Denio)  Higley,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1836.  She  married  Otis  J.  Martin.  They  reside  in  Skyborough,  Wash- 
ington County,  N.  Y.  Their  children  : 

Charles,  Levi,  Emma,  and  William. 

Captain  JULIUS  HENRY  HIGLEY,  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Eliza  (Denio)  Higley,  was 
born  March  19,  1838  ;  married  in  1866,  Lydia  Duell,  in  Granville,  N.  Y.  His 
occupation  is  that  of  farmer  and  dairyman.  True  to  his  country,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Civil  War,  August  12,  1862,  Company  E,  I23d  Regiment  New  York  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  July,  1864.  His  gallantry  gained 
him  the  rank  of  captain,  June,  1865.  He  was  transferred  to  the  logth  Regiment, 
United  States  Colored  Infantry,  and  served  in  Texas  from  June  I,  1865,  to  March, 
1866,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  service  with  his  regiment  at  Louisville, 
Ky.,  March  15,  1866.  He  now  resides  in  Hartford,  Washington  County,  N.  Y. 

ALBERT  E.,  the  second  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Eliza  (Denio)  Higley,  was  born 
August  8,  1841.  He  enlisted  for  two  years  in  the  Civil  War,  on  the  first  call  for 
soldiers,  April,  1861,  Company  H,  22d  Regiment  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Not  yet  having  reached  his  twentieth  birthday,  his  health  suffered  from  the 
hardships  and  exposure,  and  he  was  discharged  for  physical  disability  just  as  his 
term  of  service  closed — May,  1863.  The  following  November  he  re-enlisted  "  for 
the  war  "  in  the  i6th  Regiment,  New  York  Heavy  Artillery.  He  fought  in  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  battles  of  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  and  Chan- 
cellorsville,  and  continued  in  active,  faithful  service  till  just  as  the  war  closed,  when 
he  was  seized  with  typhoid  fever  at  Fort  Fisher,  and  died  in  a  military  hospital  at 
Wilmington,  N.  C.,  April  29,  1865.  He  was  not  married. 

ESTHER  MARIA,  daughter  of  Charles  D.  Higley  and  his  wife  Eliza  Denio,  was 
born  December  14,  1846.  She  married,  September  9,  1876,  Marcus  U.  Mitchel. 
They  reside  in  Pottersville,  N.  Y.  Their  two  children  are  Thomas  and  Emily. 

LORENZO  S.  HERBERT,  the  youngest  son  of  Charles  D.  Higley  and  his  second 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  631 

wife,  Eliza  Denio,  was  born  March  14,  1848.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War 
when  a  mere  stripling  as  to  age,  not  having  reached  his  sixteenth  year,  but  being 
a  strong,  tough,  overgrown  boy,  and  well  proportioned,  he  easily  passed  for 
eighteen.  He  joined  Company  G,  l6th  Regiment  New  York  Heavy  Artillery. 
The  regiment  of  which  his  company  became  a  part  engaged  in  numerous  conflicts, 
among  which  were  Dutch  Gap  Canal,  Deep  Bottom,  Signal  Hill,  and  other  battles. 
Though  he  fought  till  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out  of 
service  with  his  regiment,  August  21,  1865,  his  youthful  constitution  had  not  been 
equal  to  the  endurance  of  the  fatigue  and  exposure — his  health  was  shattered  by 
disease  that  he  contracted,  which  doomed  him  beyond  succor.  He  never  recov- 
ered. After  many  years  of  suffering  he  died  May  15,  1888,  and  was  buried  with 
Masonic  honors  in  the  cemetery  on  Landon  Hill,  near  Pottersville,  N.  Y.  He 
received  a  United  States  pension  of  twenty-four  dollars  a  month.  He  married 
Harriet  M.  Jenks.  Their  children  : 
Lilly,  Sara,  Eunice,  Hannah,  Rosaline,  Herbert,  and  Emory. 

Continued  from  page  627. 

HARRY,  the  eighth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born  July  u> 
1811.  He  died  in  Williston,  Vt.,  1813,  aged  two  years. 

RANSOM,  the  ninth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born  April  13, 
18 — .  He  was  accidently  killed  at  Chester,  N.  Y.,  by  a  falling  tree. 

CLARISSA,  the  tenth  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis)  Higley,  was  born  at 
Williston,  Vt.,  April  10,  1814.  She  married  in  Keesville,  N.  Y.,  April  19,  1832, 

Whitehead  K.  Morris.  He  was  born  December  4,  1804.  He  died  .  She 

is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Morris  resides  at 
Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.  Their  children: 

Henry  D.,  Mary  J.,  John  A.,  Alfred  W.,  Charles  W.,  Watson  Dudley. 

HENRY  DECATUR,  the  eldest  son,  born  in  Peru,  Clinton  County,  N.  Y.,  August 
23.  1833,  married  Sophia  Armstrong,  October  25,  1861.  She  died  1863.  His 
second  wife  was  Annie  Lawrence  of  Westday,  N.  Y.  She  died  March  27,  1878. 
He  married,  third,  Grace  Beatty  of  Salem,  N.  Y.  He  had  one  child — a  daughter. 
Mr.  Morris  is  a  local  Methodist  preacher. 

MARY  J.,  the  second  child,  was  born  Junes,  1835,  and  married  W.  J.  Morehouse, 
May  13,  1858. 

JOHN  ALMON,  the  third  child  of  Whitehead  K.  and  Clarissa  Higley  Morris,  was 
born  September  7,  1836,  at  Peru,  N.  Y.  He  married,  May  10,  1858,  Agnes  P. 
Winter,  at  Keesville,  N.  Y.  John  A.  Morris  died  September  27,  1893,  aged  fifty- 
six.  They  have  six  children — all  sons. 

ALFRED  WALLACE,  the  fourth  child  of  Whitehead  K.  and  Clarissa  Higley  Mor- 
ris, was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  December  3,  1840  ;  married  May  26,  1875, 

Lee.  He  resides  at  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.  Of  this  marriage  there  was  one 
child  born,  June  16,  1878,  named  Robert  L.  Morris. 

CHARLES  WESLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Whitehead  K.  and  Clarissa  Higley  Morris, 
was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  November  12,  1843.  He  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1862,  in  the  late  Civil  War,  joining  the  I23d  New  York  State 
troops  of  Washington  County.  He  did  valiant  service  in  a  number  of  battles  and 
numerous  skirmishes,  fighting  among  other  battles  at  Chancellorsville,  the  bat- 
tle of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  under  General  Joseph  Hooker  at  Lookout  Mountain,  at 
the  siege  of  Atlanta,  Gettysburg,  and  finally  marching  with  General  Sherman  to 
the  sea.  At  Goldsboro,  N.  C.,  he  found  himself  without  hat  or  shoes.  He  nobly 
continued  in  the  ranks  till  the  last  bugle  sounded  at  the  close  of  the  conflict,  1865, 
when  he  returned  with  an  honorable  discharge  to  the  home  of  his  parents. 

Mr.  Morris  is  a  printer,  and  now  resides  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.  His  wife,  Kate 
M.  Prentiss,  died  December  23,  1874.  He  married,  second,  Fannie  W.  Bradford 
of  Dalton,  Mass.  She  died  March  21,  1878.  He  has  one  child. 


632  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

WATSON  D.,  the  sixth  child  of  Whitehead  K:  and  Clarissa  Higley  Morris, 
was  born  at  Peru,  N.  Y.,  August  27,  1848.  He  married,  May  16,  1872,  Adeline 
Budlong  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  which  city  they  now  reside. 

Continued  front  page  627. 

ERASTUS  D.,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  Dudley  and  Esther  (Davis) 
Higley,  was  born  in  Williston,  Vt.,  March  14,  1816.  He  married  at  Westport, 
N.  Y.,  and  went  to  Poultney,  Vt.,  to  reside  ;  but  being  of  a  restless  temperament  he 
made  several  changes  in  residence,  finally  settling  at  Galesburg,  111.  It  was  here 
that  his  wife,  and  the  children  born  to  them,  all  died. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  living  in  Galesburg,  and  was  a 
practicing  physician,  in  prosperous  circumstances.  He  received  from  Governor 
Yates  authority  to  raise  a  company  of  volunteers  for  the  war.  When  the  regiment 
was  mustered  in  Dr.  Higley  accepted  a  commission  as  assistant  surgeon,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  four  years  and  four  months  in 
the  service.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  General  Sterling  Price  at  Lexington,  Mo., 
and  now  has  a  carefully  preserved  parole  signed  by  General  Price,  which  permitted 
him  to  go  home. 

He  was  actively  engaged  in  practicing  medicine  until  a  few  years  ago,  and  was 
well  preserved  physically  and  mentally,  to  an  age  far  beyond  his  three  score  years 
and  ten.  He  resided  at  Troy,  Pa. 


DUDLEY    HIGLEY,    1ST. 
Continued  from  chapter  xxiv.  p.  142. 
Dudley,  ist,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

DUDLEY  HIGLEY,  ist,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Filer  Higley, 

was  born  about  1730.  He  married  Eunice in  the  latter 

part  of  the  year  1754. 

Early  in  the  year  1756  the  names  of  Dudley  and  his  wife  appear 
on  the  old  First  Congregational  Church  records  of  North  Granby, 
Conn.,  as  having  "owned  ye  covenant"  and  been  received  into 
full  membership. 

Some  years  later  Dudley  Higley  passed  through  a  protracted 
period  of  physical  disability.  It  cannot  be  explained  why  the 
selectmen  of  the  town,  in  the  month  of  December,  1768,  took 
action  in  behalf  of  his  personal  needs,  appointing  an  investigat- 
ing committee,  unless  it  was  an  act  of  neighborly  kindness  and 
attention.  He  was  then  the  owner  of  a  farm,  and  possessed  as 
full  a  supply  of  household  goods  as  was  customary  for  household 
furnishings  in  those  times.  Besides  this,  his  parents  and  brothers 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  all  of  whom  were  well-to-do; 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  633 

however,  the  good  town  fathers,  at  one  of  their  regularly  held 
meetings,  enacted  the  following  : 

"Voted,  that  Dudley  Higley  being  reduced  by  long  lameness  and  sickness,  his 
situation  be  investigated  and  he  be  assisted  if  the  Committee  find  it  necessary  to  give 
relief  and  judgement  is  wanted  ;  not  to  exceed  Ten  pounds."  l 

There  is  no  report  of  the  committee  upon  record. 

He  died  in  1771.  His  "Relict,"  Eunice  Higley,  was  ap- 
pointed "  Administratrix  "  to  his  estate,  August  5,  1771.  The 
inventory  '  of  the  estate  included  a  full  list  of  household  effects, 
amounting  to  forty-three  pounds.  At  the  court  of  probate  held 
at  Simsbury  November  n,  1779,  his  administratrix  exhibited  some 
additions  to  the  inventory  "as  follows — A  Quarter  of  a  part  of 
a  Grist  Mill  and  14  acres  of  land  lying  on  Salmon  Brook." 

His  heirs  had  moneys  paid  to  them  April  2,  1776,  by  Daniel 
Higley,  the  administrator  to  Nathaniel  Higley's  estate.  Dudley 
Higley's  widow,  Eunice  Higley,  afterward  married  Nathaniel 
Messenger. 

Dudley  and  Eunice  Higley  were  the  parents  of  two  children, 
viz. : 

Lois  and  Hannah. 

Lois,  the  eldest,  born  January  28,  1756,  married,  July  16,  1772,  David  Gris- 
wold.  They  were  members  of  the  old  First  Church  at  Turkey  Hills.  Their 
children  were : 

David,  born  March  22,  1773;  Lois,  born  May  4,  1775:  Ira,  born  May  31,  1777; 
Olive,  born  January  3,  1780;  Huldah,  born  January  8,  1782;  Pliny,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1785;  Chauncey,  born  February  II,  1797. 

HANNAH,  the  second  daughter,  born  April  27,  1758,  married  in  1780  or  1781, 
David  Messenger.  They  resided  at  Turkey  Hills,  now  Granby. 

\ 

Continued  from  page  142. 

SAMUEL  HIGLEY,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Higley,  was  born 
about  the  year  1734. 

He  enlisted  in  Captain  Nathaniel  Holcombe's  company,  to- 
gether with  his  cousin  John  Higley,  April  15,  1758,  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  serving  with  the  Connecticut  State 
troops  till  the  i4th  of  the  following  November.  In  the  settle- 
ment of  his  father's  estate  in  1776  he  is  mentioned  as  "one  of 
the  heirs."  He  was  then  a  man  of  fifty-two  years.  This  is  all 
that  is  known  of  him,  there  being  no  trace  of  him  upon  record 
after  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  If  he  was  ever  married  no 
descendants  are  living. 

»  Book  i.  "  Simibury  Probate  Record*,"  p.  107. 


634  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

SOLDIERS   OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

The  record  of  the  children  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Higley, 
after  the  year  1730,  is  broken  and  fragmentary.  There  is  no 
question  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  but  that  Nehemiah  Higley  and 
Noah  Higley,  who  were  soldiers  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
were  the  sons  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Filer  Higley,  and  were 
probably  born  in  the  seventeen-thirties,  though  there  is  no  au- 
thentic evidence  to  establish'  the  fact.  They  enlisted  from  Con- 
necticut towns  in  which  some  of  their  Higley  cousins  had  taken 
up  their  residence,  and  where  they  may  have  resided. 

NEHEMIAH  HIGLEY  joined  the  4th  Continental  Regiment, 
Colonel  Hinman,  ''a  regiment  which  was  raised  on  the  first  call 
for  troops  in  April  and  May,  1775."  One  company  was  made  up 
at  Salisbury,  Conn. 

"Upon  the  surprise  of  Fort  Ticonderoga,  May  10,  1775, 
Governor  Trumbull  ordered  this  Regiment  to  march  as  soon  as 
possible  to  secure  that  post  and  Crown  Point  against  recapture. 
The  regiment  reached  Ticonderoga  in  June.  It  took  part  in  the 
operations  of  the  North  Department  until  the  expiration  of  its 
term  of  service,  December,  1775,"'  at  which  time  Nehemiah 
Higley  received  his  discharge.  This  is  the  last  that  is  known 
of  him. 

NOAH  HIGLEY  enlisted  July  10,  1780,  in  the  7th  Connecticut 
Regiment,  State  troops,  Colonel  Heman  Swift.  "  This  regiment 
served  during  the  remainder  of  the  summer  with  the  main  army 
on  the  Hudson,  and  wintered  that  year  at  '  Camp  Connecticut 
Village,'  near  the  Robinson  House,  upper  Hudson." '  Noah 
Higley  received  his  discharge  December  7,  1780.  There  is  no 
further  account  of  him. 

1  "  Record  of  Connecticut  Men  in  War  of  the  Revolution." 


CHAPTER   LXIX. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxiv.  p.  142. 

LIEUTENANT   DANIEL    HIGLEY. 
Daniel,  Nathaniel,  Captain  John  Higley. 

It  is  a  noble  faculty  of  our  nature  which  enables  us  to  connect  our  thoughts,  our  sympathies, 
and  our  happiness  with  what  is  distant  in  place  or  time ;  and  looking  before  and  after,  to  hold 
communion  at  once  with  our  ancestors  and  our  posterity.  There  is  also  a  moral  and  philosophical 
respect  for  our  ancestors,  which  elevates  the  character  and  improves  the  heart.  Next  to  the  sense 
of  religious  duty  and  moral  feeling,  I  hardly  know  what  should  bear  with  stronger  obligation  on  a 
liberal  and  enlightened  mind,  than  a  consciousness  of  an  alliance  with  excellence  which  is 
departed.— DANIEL  WEBSTER. 

DANIEL  HIGLEY,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  Filer  Higley,  was 
born  at  Simsbury,  Hartford  County,  Conn.,  about  the  year  1738. 

Very  little  is  known  of  his  boyhood  life,  except  that  he  was 
brought  up  in  the  strictly  religious  atmosphere  of  his  father's 
home. 

An  old  history,  printed  in  1827,  states  that  he  was  a  soldier  in 
the  French  and  Indian  War  of  1755-56,  which  is  no  doubt  cor- 
rect, for  he  belonged  to  loyal  and  valorous  military  stock.  Dur- 
ing this  war  a  company  was  raised  in  his  town — Simsbury — "  for 
the  protection  of  Crown  Point "  and  for  other  service  on  Lake 
Champlain.  It  is  very  probable  that  Daniel  Higley  joined  this 
company,  and  it  is  also  probable  that  it  was  his  observations  of 
the  country  while  on  this  war  expedition  that  indirectly  turned 
his  eyes  in  later  years  toward  Vermont  for  his  future  home. 
His  name  is  honorably  mentioned  upon  record,  after  he  came  to 
the  years  of  manhood,  in  connection  with  town  and  church  affairs 
of  Simsbury. 

About  the  year  1767  he  married  Ruth .  After  much 

research  it  has  been  impossible  to  discover  her  family  name. 
The  newly  married  pair  soon  after  united  with  the  church  of  the 
Northwest  Society  of  Simsbury  (now  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  North  Granby),  "owning  ye  Covenant  "  on  May  i,  1767. 

On  the  gth  of  April,  1770,  he  was  admitted  as  freeman.  His 
father's  decease  taking  place  in  1773,  Daniel  was  appointed  his 
executor,  the  business  concerning  the  estate  covering  a  period  of 
some  years.  He  rendered  an  account  to  the  Court  of  Probate 

635 


636  THE   HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

of  the  receipts  and  debts  paid,  April  2,  1776.  The  final  distribu- 
tion of  the  property  was  made  August  13,  1778.'  This  court 
"set  out"  lands  on  that  date  to  Daniel  and  to  his  sister  Mary. 
On  the  Salmon  Brook  Parish  Rate  Book  for  1774  he  and  his 
sister  Mary  were  placed  on  the  list  as  paying  rates  on  £60  i6s. 

His  business  qualifications  were  undoubtedly  good.  He  is 
found  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate  of  Joel  Loomis, 
April  2,  1776,  and  gave  bond  "in  the  sum  of  ^"200." 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1775,  he  enlisted  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, joining  the  8th  Continental  Regiment,  4th  Company, 
Captain  Elihu  Humphrey.  This  company  was  made  up  at  Sims- 
bury  and  consisted  of  seventy-five  men.  Higley  went  out  as 
sergeant.  The  troops  marched  from  Simsbury  for  camp  on 
a  Sunday.  "On  that  day  the  soldiers  were  assembled  in  the 
Meeting  House,  where  a  sermon  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  times 
was  preached  to  them  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pitkin  of  Farmington, 
Conn."  "Their  Regiment  was  stationed  on  the  Sound  until 
Sept.  i4th,  when  on  requisition  from  Washington  it  was  ordered 
to  the  Boston  camps  and  took  part  at  Roxbury,  where  it  remained 
until  the  expiration  of  term  of  service  in  December  '75."  a 

The  following  year — 1776 — Sergeant  Higley  re-enlisted  in 
Lieutenant  Joel  Higley's  company,  i8th  Regiment  of  Connecticut 
Militia.  These  troops  joined  the  army  in  New  York  on  the  22d 
of  August.  Sergeant  Higley  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  and 
remained  with  his  regiment  till  his  time  expired,  the  25th  of 
September,  1776. 

He  possessed  decided  musical  ability,  and  his  old  comrades 
used  to  recall,  long  since  the  day  of  persons  now  living,  the  cheer 
and  delight  he  gave  while  seated  around  the  camp-fires  with  his 
old-time  war-songs.  Under  this  inspiration  they  took  heart 
when  despondent,  and  when  wavering  screwed  up  their  courage 
for  renewed  combat. 

From  his  great-grandson  we  have  the  following  interesting  nar- 
rative concerning  the  life  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley  : 

By  George  T.  Higley,  Esq.,  of  Ashland,  Mass. 

Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley  had  now  completed  his  honorable 
service  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  striking  out  in  search 
of  a  new  home  for  himself  and  family. 

1  "  Simsbury  Probate  Records,"  book  i.  p.  500. 

*  "  Records  of  Connecticut  Men  in  War  of  the  Revolution." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL   HIGLEY.  637 

It  was  about  the  year  1781  when,  joining  in  a  somewhat 
general  tide  of  movement  northward,  he  went  from  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  to  Marlborough,  in  the  southern  part  of  Vermont,  a  town 
adjoining  Brattleborough  upon  the  west.  According  to  the  best 
information  obtainable  he  was  then  about  forty-three  years  of 
age.  His  rough  experiences  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
the  full  strength  of  mind  and  body  belonging  to  middle  life, 
fitted  him  well  for  the  work  of  a  pioneer  settler. 

Marlborough  was  at  that  time  a  wilderness.  In  1761  a  few 
individuals,  wholly  non-resident,  had  obtained  a  town  charter 
from  the  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  and  four  years  later  the 
first  two  families  moved  into  town.  Settlers  afterward  began  to 
come  in  slowly  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  Later 
a  dispute  arose  between  the  States  of  New  York  and  New  Hamp- 
shire as  to  which  had  the  better  claim  upon  the  territory  lying 
west  of  the  Connecticut  River  and  east  of  Lake  Champlain.  The 
settlers  were  involved  in  this  quarrel,  but  for  the  most  part 
opposed  the  claims  of  both  States,  and  sought  to  set  up  a  State 
government  for  themselves.  Congress  was  finally  prevailed  upon 
to  set  off  the  new  State  of  Vermont,  and  thus  was  ended  a  bitter 
controversy,  in  which  some  lives  of  the  settlers  had  been  lost. 
Before  Lieutenant  Higley  came  to  Marlborough  the  town  had 
been  organized,  meetings  held,  and  officers  chosen.  A  small 
beginning  had  been  made  in  providing  roads  through  the  forests. 
In  1776  a  Congregational  church  had  been  established,  and  it.  was 
about  this  time  the  first  meeting-house  was  built,  which  was 
occupied  for  town-meetings  as  well  as  for  Sunday  services.  The 
year  before  the  arrival  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  there  had  been 
new  raids  from  the  French  and  Indians,  so  that  the  whole  country 
had  been  stirred  up.  The  inhabitants  of  Marlborough  voted  in 
town-meeting  that  "  every  able-bodied  man  should  arm  and  hold 
himself  in  readiness  to  defend  the  settlement."  Though  in  this 
section  no  Indian  massacres  subsequently  occurred,  and  none  of 
the  inhabitants  were  afterward  carried  away  captive  by  the 
Indians,  yet  there  was  ever  present  an  apprehension  of  danger 
from  that  source.  A  small  sprinkling  of  the  population  were 
Tories,  who  united  with  the  Indians  in  causing  annoyance.  The 
great  majority,  however,  of  the  early  settlers  were  patriots.  At 
an  early  meeting  of  the  town  a  very  strong  resolution  was  passed 
and  put  upon  record,  condemning  the  course  of  the  British  par- 
liament toward  the  colonies,  and  an  equally  strong  resolution  is 


638  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

recorded  in  favor  of  the  proposed  new  State  of  Vermont — action 
which  was  locally  regarded  as  an  exhibition  of  the  highest 
patriotism.  After  the  questions  of  the  war  had  been  settled,  and 
the  new  State  established,  so  that  the  town  felt  sure  of  its  stand- 
ing, the  patriotic  citizens  did  not  fail  to  pay  off  the  score  against 
their  enemies  by  expelling  them  from  the  town.  The  records 
show  the  issuing  of  not  a  few  writs  by  the  selectmen,  by  which 
the  constable  was  commanded  to  convey  such  and  such  persons, 
with  their  families,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  town,  and  the  returns 
of  the  officers  show  that  they  did  not  fail  to  do  their  duty,  though 
compelled  at  times  to  call  in  aid  to  overcome  a  not  unnatural 
resistance.  There  had  been  some  confusion  caused  at  first  by 
the  issuing  of  different  town  charters  from  the  contesting  State 
jurisdictions  to  different  individuals,  purporting  to  grant  land 
titles.  But  the  early  inhabitants  appear  to  have  been  reasonable 
men,  and  to  have  compromised,  dividing  the  townships  among 
themselves  equitably.  The  town,  which  was  six  miles  square, 
was  divided  into  sixty  equal  parts,  or,  as  they  were  called, 
"  rights,"  and  these  were  properly  assigned.  Each  right  con- 
tained 384  acres. 

It  was  "in  the  year  1781  that  we  first  come  upon  doings  in 
which  Lieutenant  Higley  was  directly  interested.  On  the  4th 
day  of  September  in  this  year  he  took  the  freeman's  oath  in 
Marlborough,  which  appears  to  have  been  an  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  State  of  Vermont. 

Later  in  the  same  year,  on  the  a6th  day  of  November,  he 
received  a  deed  of  land,  described  as  right  No.  49.  This  deed 
was  from  Seth  Smith,  Esq.,  of  Brattleborough,  and  purports  to 
be  given  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  nine  shillings  "  aerc  to 
me  in  hand  paid,"  a  low  price  surely  for  384  acres  of  good  land, 
though  it  be  covered  with  wood;  it  being  a  rule  in  those  days 
that  three  acres  of  cleared  land  were  worth  fifty  in  wood.  It 
may  be  that  the  small  consideration  expressed  does  not  truly  rep- 
resent the  price  paid,  or  that  in  recording  the  deed  an  error  may 
have  crept  in.  The  deed  also  recites  that  Daniel  Higley,  the 
grantee,  is  "of  Simsbury  in  ye  county  of  Hartford  and  State  of 
Connecticut,"  thus  identifying  his  lineage  beyond  all  possibility 
of  dispute. 

The  land  granted  by  this  deed  lay  in  the  northwesterly  part  of 
the  town,  from  four  to  five  miles  distant  from  Marlborough  vil- 
lage, and  was  decidedly  elevated  in  its  physical  character,  being 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  639 

in  the  nature  of  a  broad  range  of  hills  with  surfaces  gently  slop- 
ing to  the  east  and  west,  and  affording  a  convenient  location  for 
a  series  of  farms.  This  range  became  afterward  known  to  this 
day  as  the  "  Higley  Hill."  A  part  of  the  land  obtained  under 
this  purchase  the  grantee  retained,  and  was  still  in  possession 
of  Warren  Higley,  a  grandson,  who  resided  at  the  homestead,  and 
was  able  at  the  age  seventy-seven  to  attend  personally  to  the  con- 
ducting of  the  farm.1  One  half  of  right  No.  49  was  sold  the  next 
year,  1782,  by  the  grantee  to  one  Dibble,  of  Simsbury,  evidently 
an  old  neighbor,  for  the  sum  of  sixty  pounds,  which,  considering 
the  price  paid,  was  certainly  a  good  trade.  The  grantee  in  this 
deed  is  still  described  as  of  Simsbury. 

The  lands  of  the  town  of  Marlborough  at  its  settlement  were 
covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber ;  upon  the  highlands, 
maple,  beach,  and  birch,  with  a  sprinkling  of  ash;  on  other  lands 
in  addition  to  these,  spruce  and  hemlock.  The  hills,  though 
high,  were  broadened  often  into  plains  upon  their  summits,  and 
covered  with  a  rich  soil.  There  were  some  valley  lands,  through 
vrhich  flowed  clear  streams  of  water  abounding  in  trout,  while 
numerous  small  brooks,  also  abounding  in  the  same  fish,  came 
down  from  the  hills.  It  was  the  custom  to  build  the  first  log 
houses  on  the  hills,  and  those  lands  were  considered  more  health- 
ful and  were  quickly  cleared.  This  early  custom  of  building  ex- 
plains why  it  is  that  the  roads  in  Marlborough  go  over  the  hill 
tops,  when  they  might  as  well  have  gone  along  the  valleys  at  easy 
grades.  The  dwellings  were  located  first,  and  the  roads  crooked 
about  among  and  over  the  hills  to  reach  them.  A  spot  upon  the 
crown  of  the  hill  was  chosen  by  our  pioneer  for  the  site  of  his  house. 
A  little  way  to  the  north  the  land  was  a  few  feet  higher,  and  at  some 
distance  to  the  south  there  was  an  abrupt  elevation,  as  of  a  hill 
upon  hills,  but  to  the  east  and  west,  if  only  the  trees  could  have 
been  cut  away,  there  were  fine  clear  views:  in  the  former  direc- 
tion far  away  over  the  New  Hampshire  hills,  in  the  latter,  unin- 
terruptedly, to  the  Green  Mountain  range.  In  later  years,  when 
the  land  had  been  opened  up,  the  Haystack  peak  of  this  range, 
fully  in  view  at  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  served  as  an  indicator  of 
weather  to  guide  in  farming  operations,  according  as  its  summit 
stood  in  clear,  fair-weather  outline,  or  was  veiled  in  its  cap  of 
clouds,  foreboding  rain.  A  log  house,  following  no  doubt  the 
simple  architecture  of  the  day,  was  erected  upon  this  spot,  the 

1  Warren  Higley  of  Vermont  died  May  22,  1892. 


640  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

cellar  as  originally  built  remaining  to  the  present  time  and  being 
still  in  use.  This  solid,  warm  structure,  of  dimensions  sufficient, 
according  to  the  ideas  of  the  time,  to  contain  a  large  family, 
served  the  purpose  of  a  dwelling  house  till  1823,  when  it  was 
taken  down  by  Judah  Higley,  a  son  of  Daniel,  and  replaced  by 
the  present  convenient  house  and  additions. 

Daniel  Higley  must  have  built  his  house  before  June  13,  1786, 
as  there  is  a  reference  to  it  in  the  record  of  the  town  meeting 
held  upon  that  day.  It  was  then  voted  "  that  the  road  from 
Wilmington  line  by  Lieutenant  Higley's  new  house  be  excepted." 
If  his  house  was  built  in  1784  or  1785,  he  probably  had  the  help 
of  his  oldest  son  Daniel,  who  would  have  been  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  His  next  son,  Jourdan,  was  only  twelve  years 
old,  and  would  have  been  of  but  little  assistance  in  the  heavy 
work  of  clearing  the  land  and  building  a  log  house.  The  help  of 
the  daughters,  Orpha  and  Ruth,  who  were  older  than  Jourdan, 
may  have  counted  for  something,  however,  and  the  same  may 
perhaps  be  said  of  their  mother,  about  whose  physical  powers, 
however,  tradition  is  silent. 

It  is  known  that  there  were  pioneer  women,  young  and  old, 
who  could  swing  the  ax  with  effect,  but  of  Ruth  Higley  and  her 
daughters  there  is  no  one  living  who  can  give  the  coveted 
information.  This  much  at  least  is  more  than  probable,  having 
few  of  the  cares  entailed  by  modern  housekeeping,  the  women, 
besides  weaving  cloth  and  making  garments  for  family  use,  would 
find  time,  if  they  chose  so  to  employ  themselves,  to  assist  in  car- 
ing for  the  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep  raised  by  the  settler,  as  well 
as  to  help  in  tilling  his  fields  and  gathering  his  crops  of  hay  and 
corn.  Some  shelter  for  cattle  must  have  been  provided  in  the 
beginning,  as  the  winters  were  cold  and  the  fall  of  snow  con- 
siderable. It  is  believed  that  during  the  life  of  the  first  settler 
a  barn  was  built  of  sawed  lumber,  and  that  the  original  structure 
forms  a  part  of  the  convenient  barn  now  standing  on  the  place. 
The  present  owner  of  the  property  remembers  when  the  old  barn 
was  altered  and  enlarged,  and  that  he,  as  a  boy,  enjoyed  the  fun 
(and  danger)  of  running  about  upon  the  frame  when  the  car- 
penters were  at  work.  It  is  fair  to  conclude,  in  clearing  the 
woodland,  Daniel  must  have  literally  hewed  out  his  way  alone, 
with  only  the  aid  of  the  members  of  his  family.  It  is  also  clear 
that  he  must  have  gotten  ahead  slowly  in  subduing  the  great 
forest.  The  maples  and  beeches  which  he  was  compelled  to 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  641 

wage  war  upon  were  great  trees,  and  many  must  have  been  the 
heavy  blows  of  the  ax  required  to  lay  them  low.  Grand  old 
trees  of  the  forest,  as  in  another  day  and  place  they  would  be 
called,  to  him  they  were  the  enemy  to  be  extirpated  with  steel 
and  fire.  But  the  work  of  subduing  was  slow,  and  his  grand- 
children remember  the  time  when  the  woods  were  still  near  the 
house,  and  how  they  were  required  to  help  in  widening  the  clear- 
ings. It  was  not  till  their  day,  of  the  third  generation,  that  the 
farm  could  boast  of  sixty  acres  of  clear,  smooth  mowing  lands 
and  a  hardly  less  number  of  acres  of  fine  pasture. 

To  build  a  home  in  such  a  new  land  had  not  only  its  draw- 
backs, but  must  have  afforded  at  times  some  pleasant  experiences. 
True,  from  the  time  the  settler  plunged  his  ax  into  the  first 
great  maple  to  the  end  of  his  labors  which  never  came — in 
widening  his  farm  it  was  a  continual  round  of  hard  blows,  of 
heavy,  laborious  work;  yet  there  must  have  been  a  pleasure  in 
seeing  the  clearing  enlarge,  in  beholding  the  fire  as  it  consumed 
the  dry  logs  and  stumps,  and  left  a  smooth  field  with  deep,  rich 
soil  made  fertile  by  nature  for  increasing  crops.  The  heavy  out- 
door work  built  up  bone  and  muscle,  and  strengthened  the  mind 
no  less,  which  was  called  upon  to  plan  the  work  and  keep  the 
machine  of  the  body  sharply  at  its  task.  The  early  apprehension 
of  an  attack  by  the  Indians,  as  the  Indians  always  failed  to  come, 
would  daily  grow  weaker.  The  wild  animals  were  not  to  be 
feared.  The  chief  of  them,  the  black  bear,  would  withdraw  at 
the  approach  of  human  footsteps,  and  would  only  display  his 
valor  upon  some  sheepfold  in  the  night.  In  the  woods  there 
were  abounding  pleasures  for  the  boys.  Foxes,  raccoons,  rabbits, 
and  partridges  were  plenty.  Without  going  off  the  farm  a  fine 
string  of  trout  could  be  taken.  There  would  be  the  periodical 
hunt  organized  from  the  neighborhood  for  the  pursuit  of  bears 
and  wolves,  the  hunters  going  back  upon  the  mountains  and 
lighting  a  rousing  fire  for  the  night.  With  the  girls  and  young 
women  it  must  be  conceded  that  attractions  were  limited,  as 
when  a  chance  visitor  came,  or  a  neighbor  dropped  in  for  the  day 
with  the  latest  news.  But  if  tradition  is  to  be  trusted,  the  "girl 
of  the  period  "  did  not  hesitate  to  join  her  brothers  in  their 
sports,  and  when  the  neighborhood  party  was  organized  for  the 
mountain  hunt,  she  was  to  be  counted  in,  and  at  the  brush  fire 
in  the  night  she  cooked  the  fish  and  game  which  she  had  helped 
her  brothers  catch  and  shoot. 


642  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

To  Lieutenant  Higley  and  his  family  it  must  have  been  a  happy 
moment  when  the  last  trees  had  been  felled  which  obstructed  the 
sunrise,  and  they  could  look  away  thirty  miles  east  to  the  beauti- 
ful blue  hills.  They  were  restored  again  to  their  lost  companion- 
ship of  the  wide  world. 

Daniel  Higley  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  strong,  well- 
developed  character.  The  fact  that  he  won  his  title  is  a  proof 
of  this.  One  of  his  grandchildren  who  lived  with  him  to  seven 
years  of  age  has  told  the  writer,  that  as  remembered,  he  was 
a  tall,  well-proportioned,  fine-looking  man,  having  a  somewhat 
sober  and  reserved  manner.  In  particular  it  was  recalled  that  he 
sometimes  sang  for  their  amusement,  showing  that  the  voice 
which  history  relates  was  employed  to  cheer  his  Revolutionary 
comrades  on  the  march  and  in  camp,  was  fresh  and  vigorous  to 
the  last.  Another  grandchild,  who  was  twelve  years  old  at  his 
grandfather's  death,  remembered  him  as  taking  pleasure  in  the 
company  of  children,  and  as  being  kind  and  affectionate  toward 
herself. 

The  records  of  the  town  of  Marlborough  show  that  from  the 
first  he  was  interested  in  town  affairs,  and  was  considered  worthy 
of  public  trust  and  honor.  He  was  placed  upon  an  important 
town  committee  as  early  as  September,  1785,  probably  not  more 
than  a  year  or  two  after  he  became  a  full  resident  of  the  town. 
After  that  date  till  near  the  close  of  his  life,  his  name  appears  on 
the  records  almost  every  year,  showing  his  election  to  some  im- 
portant office.  Particularly  he  appears  to  have  been  connected 
with  the  management  of  the  schools,  and  was  elected  year  after 
year  as  a  school  trustee,  indicating  that  he  was  a  man  of  scholarly 
habits.  His  frequent  election  as  a  highway  surveyor  proves  his 
reputation  for  sound,  practical  judgment.  On  September  7, 
1790,  he  was  chosen  one  of  a  committee  of  seven  to  "  seat  the 
new  meeting-house."  The  early  church  records,  if  there  are  any 
in  existence,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to  find  ;  but  there  is 
nothing  in  the  town  records  to  indicate  that  he  held  other  than 
the  prevailing  views  in  religion.  So  far  as  appears  he  paid  his 
church  rates  with  becoming  equanimity,  and  did  not,  like  some 
of  his  townsmen,  seek  to  escape  from  the  performance  of  religious 
duties  by  certifying  upon  the  town  records  that  he  held  in  re- 
ligion other  views  than  the  majority. 

There  were  born  to  Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley,  by  his  wife  Ruth, 
eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  five  daughters.  The  period  of 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  643 

births  extends  through  twenty  years,  beginning  with  1768.  All  but 
three  or  four  were  born  before  the  family  moved  to  Marlborough. 
Most  of  these  children  lived  to  a  good  old  age  and  have  left 
descendants  who  are  widely  scattered.  His  wife  Ruth  died  June 
8,  1803,  after  a  companionship  in  pioneer  life  of  full  twenty  years. 
Two  years  later  he  married  Bathsheba  Lincoln,  a  widow  familiarly 
called  "Bashie  Lincoln,"  with  whom  he  spent  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life.  At  his  decease  he  left  a  sister,  Mary,  known  to 
several  generations  as  "Aunt  Molly,"  who  attained  to  an  age  of 
over  one  hundred  years.  A  brother,  Solomon,  also  outlived  him. 
Solomon  was  a  member  of  the  Shaker  community  at  Lebanon, 
N.  Y.,  and  used  to  visit  his  brother. 

Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley  died  on  the  i5th  of  March,  1812, 
about  the  age  of  seventy-four.  He  left  a  long  and  detailed  will 
in  which  all  his  heirs  are  carefully  remembered.  To  each  is  ap- 
portioned his  due  according  to  some  recognized  scale  of  justice 
present  in  the  mind  of  the  testator,  even  to  fractions  of  a  dollar. 
This  will,  if  all  else  were  blotted  out,  would  show  his  considerate 
and  methodical  cast  of  mind,  that  he  was  guided  by  principle, 
and  that  he  intended  to  see  that  all  the  members  of  his  family 
should  have  their  just  rights.  His  body  is  supposed  to  have 
been  buried  in  the  old  disused  graveyard  on  the  main  road  lead- 
ing from  Marlborough  village  to  Wilmington,  but  the  precise  spot 
is  unmarked  and  unknown. 

This  sketch  may  properly  be  closed  by  giving  one  or  two  ex- 
tracts from  his  will,  thus  affording  a  glimpse  of  life  as  it  then 
was.  His  will,  as  before  stated,  mentions  all  his  heirs  by  name, 
giving  to  each  some  portion  of  his  property,  or  explaining  any 
absence  of  a  gift.  The  legacies  are,  with  one  exception,  which 
provides  for  an  alternative  in  money,  to  be  paid  in  or  from  some 
specific  portion  of  his  property,  as  in  a  heifer  or  from  neat  stock, 
or  household  furniture.  There  is  no  provision  for  a  sale  of  the 
property.  The  extracts  selected  to  be  given  are  the  clauses  re- 
lating to  his  wife  and  sister.  With  his  second  wife,  who  had 
brought  with  her  a  minor  child,  he  spent  the  last  seven  years  of 
his  life.  After  the  formal  beginning  the  will  goes  on  : 

"  I  give  to  my  beloved  wife,  Bathsheba  Higley,  after  my  decease,  and  so  long 
as  she  shall  remain  my  widow,  the  absolute  use  of  so  much  of  one  of  the  largest 
rooms  in  my  dwelling  house  as  shall  be  necessary  for  her  comfort  (but  it  is  to  be 
understood  that  she,  the  said  Bathsheba,  is  not  to  have  the  privilege  of  taking  a 
family  into  said  room),  and  also  one  good  cow  and  four  sheep,  said  cow  and  sheep 


644  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

to  be  her  own  forever,  and  said  cow  and  sheep  to  be  well  kept  by  my  sons,  Judah 
Higley  and  Pliny  Higley,  on  my  farm  which  I  shall  hereafter  bequeath  to  them, 
the  said  Judah  and  Pliny,  during  her  said  widowhood,  and  during  her  residence  on 
said  farm,  and  likewise  the  said  Judah  and  Pliny  are  to  keep  the  increase  of  said 
cow  and  sheep  until  the  fall  after  they  come,  when  she,  the  said  Bathsheba,  is  to 
take  and  dispose  of  them  for  her  own  benefit,  and  also  the  said  Judah  and  Pliny 
are  to  provide  for  her,  the  said  Bathsheba,  during  her  widowhood  and  residence  on 
said  farm  as  aforesaid,  with  provisions  sufficient  for  her  comfortable  support  in 
sickness  and  health,  excepting  the  articles  of  butter  and  cheese,  which  I  think  she 
can  make  a  supply  from  said  cow,  but  if  not,  then  to  be  supplied  by  the  said  Judah 
and  Pliny  by  those  articles  likewise  :  and  also  with  a  sufficient  supply  of  firewood 
cut  fit  for  the  fire  at  the  door  to  keep  one  fire  ;  and  likewise  with  twenty  pounds 
of  good  flax  yearly  during  her  widowhood  and  residence  as  aforesaid  ;  and  likewise 
it  is  my  will  that  if  she,  the  said  Bathsheba,  shall  choose  to  move  from  there,  she 
shall  have  a  right  to  carry  off  what  clothing  she  shall  then  have,  and  likewise  her 
household  goods  which  she  fetched  with  her  when  I  married  her,  and  if  anything 
shall  be  damaged  or  broken,  to  have  them  made  good  ;  and  also  one-half  of  the 
linen  and  other  cloth  she  has  or  shall  make  while  she  lives  with  me  (excepting  what 
shall  be  worn  out  at  the  time  of  my  decease)." 

At  the  time  of  his  decease  he  left  a  whole  houseful  of  descend- 
ants. It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  the 
widow  found  family  affairs  too  complicated,  and  after  a  few  years 
withdrew,  no  doubt  taking  along  with  her  all  her  belongings. 

In  1810,  two  years  before  his  death,  Daniel  Higley  received 
from  his  sister  Mary  a  deed  of  fifteen  acres  of  land  in  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  the  consideration  named  therein  being,  "one  hundred 
dollars  current  money  received  to  my  full  satisfaction  of  my 
brother."  It  may  be  that  it  was  from  this  money  he  was  think- 
ing his  sister  Mary  might  have  enough  left  to  bury  her,  when  in 
his  will  he  made  the  very  kind  provision  in  her  behalf,  the  quo- 
tation of  which  may  serve  to  set  forth  in  a  closing  word  the  intel- 
ligent, thoughtful,  and  humane  spirit  of  the  man.  He  says  : 
"And  further  my  will  is  that  my  sister,  Mary  Higley,  shall  be 
supported  out  of  the  estate  that  I  have  herein  bequeathed  to  my 
sons,  Judah  and  Pliny,  and  that  they,  the  said  Judah  and  Pliny, 
shall  support  the  said  Mary  with  good  and  sufficient  meat,  drink, 
washing,  lodging,  nursing  and  physic,  and  every  way  maintain 
her  decently  during  her  natural  life,  and  likewise  pay  her  funeral 
charges  if  she  has  not  estate  of  her  own  to  do  it." 

The  children  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley  and  his  first  wife, 
Ruth,  are  as  follows  : 

Daniel,  Jr.,  Orpha,  Ruth,  Jordan,  Orange,  Judah,  Silvia,  Lucretia, 
Theodore,  Pliny,  Sterling. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  645 

DANIEL  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  first  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and 
Ruth  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  February  28,  1768. 
He  was  a  boy  of  thirteen  when  his  parents  emigrated  to  Marl- 
boro, Vt.  He  married  Lucy  Warren  of  Marlboro.  They  had 
two  children,  Warren  and  Dwight. 

ORPHA  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and  Ruth 
Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  June  9,  1776.  She  married 

Slade  at  Marlboro,  Vt.  Died  May  i,  1791,  in  Marlboro, 

leaving  no  children. 

RUTH  HIGLEY,  the  third  child,  was  born  February  26,  1772,  at 
Simsbury,  Conn.  She  married  Jeremiah  Coles  at  Marlboro,  Vt. 

JORDAN  HIGLEY,  ist,  the  fourth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and 
Ruth  Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  April  23,  1773.  He 
was  a  child  of  two  years  when  his  father  went  into  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  and  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed 
with  their  family  to  Marlboro,  Vt.  He  married  "Peggy"  (or 
Margaret)  Miller,  daughter  of  David  Miller  of  Marlboro.  She 
was  born  March  26,  1775.  They  always  lived  in  the  town,  of 
Marlboro. 

Jordan  Higley  died  April  16,  1812,  aged  thirty-nine  years.  His 
grave  is  yet  to  be  found  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Marlboro,  marked 
by  a  headstone  bearing  his  name,  age,  etc.  Peggy,  his  wife,  died 
May  16,  1838.  Their  eight  children  were  : 

Lucinda,  born  April  2,  1794;  married  October  15,  1815;  died 
November  5,  1844.  Orpha,  born  March  8,  1796;  married  Decem- 
ber i,  1813;  died  May  21,  1883.  Levi,  born  January  16,  1799; 
married  August  20,  1818;  died  April  18,  1884.  Silvia,  born  March 
30,  1800;  married  March  8,  1818;  died  September  26,  1840.  Sally, 
born  May  17,  1803;  married  April  4,  1827;  died  July  22,  1863. 
Betsey,  born  April  21,  1805;  died  July  31,  1812.  Edson,  born  Sep- 
tember 26,  1807 ;  married  October  22,  1833 ;  died  February  9,  1848. 
Lovisa,  born  December  14,  1810;  married  June  30,  1828;  and  still 
living. 

Of  the  above  family  the  descendants  of  Levi  only,  as  follows, 
have  been  furnished  for  these  pages: 

LEVI  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Jordan  and  Peggy  (Miller)  Higley,  was  born  in 
Brattleboro,  Vt.,  January  16,  1799.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  a  few 
months  past  his  twelfth  birthday.  He  married,  first,  Charlotte  Phillips,  August 
20,  1818.  He  was  a  clothier  by  trade.  In  the  year  1821  he  removed  with  his 
young  family  to  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  settling  at  St.  Johns,  and  building  a 
mercantile  house.  Here  he  carried  on  his  business  till  the  year  1834,  when  he 
42 


646  THE  HIGLEY  S  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

removed  to  Vesper,  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  continuing  his  clothing  business 
there.  In  1844  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Orleans  County,  New  York,  and  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  till  his  decease.  His  wife,  Charlotte  Phillips,  died  December 
30,  1858.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Rachel  Smith,  May  26,  1860.  She  died 
March  14,  1880. 

Levi  Higley  died  at  his  residence  at  East  Carlton,  Orleans  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
18,  1884.  Children  of  Levi  Higley: 

Betsey  Ann,  Levi  N.,  George  O.,  Charlotte,  Jordan,  William  F. 

BETSEY  ANN  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  September  i,  1819.  She 
married,  in  1841,  Timothy  Carr  of  Onondaga  County,  New  York.  They  resided 
in  Clarendon,  Orleans  County,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died,  leaving  a  son,  Adelbert,  and 
a  daughter,  Caroline. 

LEVI  N.,  the  second  child  of  Levi  and  Charlotte  (Phillips)  Higley,  was 
born  September  9,  1821.  He  married,  May  20,  1847,  Laurina  Monk,  who  was 
born  June  I,  1821.  They  resided  first  in  Otisco,  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  but 
removed  to  Orleans  County  and  settled  on  a  farm.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
son,  named  Edson  J.  Higley,  and  a  daughter  named  Elvira.  Their  home  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  East  Carlton. 

GEORGE,  the  third  child  of  Levi  and  Charlotte  (Phillips)  Higley,  was  born 
October  6,  1823.  Before  reaching  his  majority  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  tanner 
at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.  He  married,  first,  April  27,  1847,  Laura  Penoyer,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Ontario  County.  His  wife  died  January  17,  1869.  On  the 
3Oth  of  November,  1871,  he  married  Sarah  Gregory.  There  are  five  children,  viz.: 

William  C.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Ontario  County,  New  York  ;  Henry  G.,  who  is 
also  a  farmer  ;  Alvin  L.,  a  merchant ;  Mary  E.,  and  Grace. 

CHARLOTTE,  the  fourth  child  of  Levi  and  Charlotte  (Phillips)  Higley,  was  born 
May  I,  1827.  She  married  John  O.  Brown,  October  7,  1847,  and  resided  on  their 
farm  in  Orleans  County,  New  York,  where  she  died,  leaving  three  sons,  John, 
George,  and  Frank,  all  of  whom  now  reside  in  their  native  county. 

JORDAN,  2d,  the  fifth  child  of  Levi  and  Charlotte  (Phillips)  Higley,  was  born 
December  21,  1831  ;  married  Mary  Martin,  July  21,  1853.  He  is  an  agriculturist, 
owning  a  farm  in  Orleans  County,  New  York.  They  have  three  daughters,  Ella, 
Carrie,  and  Jennie. 

WILLIAM  F.,  the  sixth  child  of  Levi  and  Charlotte  (Phillips)  Higley,  was  born 
August  4,  1835  ;  married  Caroline  Flynn,  May  25,  1856. 

ORANGE  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and  Ruth 
Higley,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  August  8,  1775,  one  month 
after  his  father  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  Army.  He  was  yet 
a  young  child  when  the  family  removed  to  Vermont.  He  married, 
first,  Polly  Miller  of  Marlboro,  Vt."  His  second  wife  was  Hannah 
Howard.  They  resided  on  a  farm  that  he  owned  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town  of  Marlboro.  They  had  three  children,  viz. : 
Elliot,  George,  and  Philura,  of  whom  no  data  is  given. 

Elliot  Higley,  ad,  a  grandson  of  Orange  Higley,  now  resides  at 
Marlboro,  Vt. 

Continued  .from  page  644. 

JUDAH  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and  Ruth 
Higley,  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  July  6,  1777.  He  was  one 
of  the  seven  children  who  made  up  the  household  when  their 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  647 

parents  removed  to  Windham  County,  Vermont,  in  1781.  He 
married,  February  n,  1800,  Relief  Stearns.  She  was  born  Jan- 
uary 29,  1777.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  March,  1812,  he, 
together  with  his  brother  Pliny,  received  by  bequest  the  original 
home  estate  in  Marlboro  as  their  portion  of  his  property.  Here 
Judah  Higley  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
genuine  citizens  and  well  respected.  Relief  Higley  died  November 
16,  1849,  aged  seventy-two  years  and  seven  months.  Judah  Higley 
died  April  12,  1851.  Their  graves  are  to  be  found  in  the  old  ceme- 
tery at  Marlboro.  The  children  born  to  them  were  as  follows: 

Relief,  Lovina,  Selah,  Daniel ',  Elijah,  Polly,  Warren;  Betsey,  born 
November  20,  1815,  died  August  29,  1817;  Henry  E. ,  born  January 
7,  1822,  died  November  21,  1846,  aged  twenty-five. 

RELIEF  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was  born 
at  the  old  homestead  on  "  Higley  Hill  "  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  of  Marl- 
boro, Vt.,  June  21,  1801. 

She  possessed  an  unusually  well-balanced  mind  and  keen  perception.  Diligent 
and  courageous,  she  devoted  her  life,  which  was  a  quiet  and  unassuming  one,  to 
the  truest  and  best  interests  of  her  family,  measuring  her  acts  by  the  Golden  Rule. 

Her  son,  Henry  J.  Knapp  of  Dover,  Vt.,  writes  : 

"  My  father,  Asaph  Knapp,  was  born  in  Dover,  Vt.,  on  the  27th  of  February, 
1796.  My  mother  was  a  native  of  Marlboro.  They  were  married  March  8,  1825, 
and  began  life  together  on  a  farm  in  Marlboro,  one  mile  north  of  the  old  Higley 
homestead,  where  she  was  born.  Here  they  lived  until  the  death  of  my  father  in 
1867,  and  here  their  children  were  born.  My  mother  remained  on  the  farm  till 
1875, — a  period  of  fifty  years, — when  our  old-  home  was  sold,  and  she  went  to  live 
with  her  son,  Fayette  W.  Knapp,  in  a  hamlet  called  Brookville,  in  Newfane,  Vt., 
where  she  remained  to  the  time  of  her  death. 

' '  My  mother's  life  was  that  of  a  good  Christian,  though  she  and  my  father  were 
never  members  of  church.  They  were  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances,  and  were  true  and  honest  people.  At  her  death,  no  mother  was 
ever  more  truly  and  sincerely  mourned. " 

Mrs.  Relief  Higley  Knapp  lived  to  be  the  senior  of  the  Vermont  mountaineer 
branch  of  the  Higley  Family,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  three  months, 
and  eight  days.  Her  faculties,  and  a  clear  memory,  were  preserved  almost  to  the 
very  last,  her  personal  recollections  and  traditions  proving  a  most  interesting  and 
valuable  link  with  the  long  past.  All  of  her  children,  though  beyond  the  meridian 
of  life,  attended  her  last  hours  upon  earth,  and  her  four  eldest  sons  were  the  bearers 
of  her  body  to  its  last  resting-place.  She  died  October  29,  1889.  Asaph  Knapp, 
her  husband,  died  June  6,  1867.  They  had  seven  children,  as  follows  : 

LUCINDA  RELIEF,  the  eldest,  was  born  August  20,  1826  ;  married  Alfred  W. 
Titus,  and  had  four  children,  two  of  whom — daughters — are  living  and  are  married 
The  family  resides  at  Wilmington,  Vt.,  owning  a  farm. 


648  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

HORACE  STEARNS,  the  second  child,  was  born  July  10,  1828  ;  married  Sarah  A. 
Taskett.  His  occupation  is  th  it  of  a  builder.  He  owns  a  pleasant  home  in 
Winchendon,  Mass.  They  have  one  child — a  son. 

DANIEL  STEWARD,  the  third  child,  was  born  June  19,  1830,  and  died  August 
26,  1833. 

FRANKLIN  DWIGHT,  the  fourth  child,  born  April  18,  1835,  married  Helen  A. 
Crosley  ;  he  is  a  carpenter  by  trade  ;  resides  in  Keen,  N.  H.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  all  daughters. 

FAYETTE  WARREN,  the  fifth  child,  born  March  28,  1839.  married  Fannie  M. 
Lamb.  He  is  a  manufacturer  of  boots  and  shoes  and  harness,  and  is  also  a  farmer. 
They  reside  in  Brookside,  Newfane,  Vt.  They  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  married.  Two  grown  daughters  and  one  son  died  in  the  year  1892. 

ASAPH  CLARK,  the  sixth  child,  born  May  23,  1840,  married  Susan  A.  Nutting. 
His  trade  is  that  of  a  carpenter.  They  reside  in  Keen,  N.  H.  They  have  four 
daughters  and  one  son. 

'  HENRY  JOHN,  the  seventh  and  youngest  son  of  Asaph  and  Relief  Higley  Knapp, 
was  born  June  6,  1844.  In  early  manhood  he  learned  the  trade  of  jeweler  and 
watchmaker,  to  which  he  at  one  time  devoted  his  attention.  He  married,  in  the 
year  1869,  Lizzie  M.  French,  a  widow,  with  a  son  six  years  of  age.  To  this  son 
he  assumed  a  father's  responsibility.  The  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty  has  been 
rewarded  by  relations  of  the  most  cordial  and  affectionate  character  existing 
between  them. 

Mr.  Knapp  has  been  a  constant  sufferer  since  very  young  childhood  from 
asthma,  which  implies  at  once  the  exercise  of  self-resignation  and  rare  patient 
endurance,  virtues  which  he  possesses.  Seeking  health,  he  has  from  time  to  time 
changed  his  place  of  residence,  finally  settling  at  Dover,  Vt.,  two  miles  from  the 
place  of  his  birth,  of  which  town  he  is  now  the  postmaster.  His  affliction  has 
caused  him  in  his  career  to  sink  his  personality,  and  the  world  about  him  has  been 
deprived  of  the  benefit  that  it  might  have  reaped  from  the  natural  energy  and 
the  active  intellectual  powers  with  which  he  is  endowed. 

In  contending  with  the  difficulties  he  has  had  to  encounter,  resulting  from  his 
impaired  constitution,  he  has,  in  his  efforts,  been  ably  assisted  and  seconded  by  his 
devoted  wife,  who  has  proved  a  true  and  noble  helpmeet. 


Continued  from  page  647. 

LoviNA  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was 
born  May  6,  1803.  She  died,  unmarried,  March  26,  1883. 

SELAH  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was  born 
May  4,  1805,  at  the  old  homestead  at  Marlboro,  Vt. 

When  he  reached  his  majority  he  abandoned  his  native  hills  for  a  time,  and  went 
to  the  fertile  Genessee  country,  Western  New  York,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
then  returned  to  his  mountainous  home  in  Vermont. 

He  married,  January  30,  1833,  Eliza  Wenzell  of  Framingham,  Mass.  She  was 
born  February  24,  1807.  From  the  year  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Higley  resided  in 
that  part  of  Framingham  which  was  afterward  set  off  to  Ashland,  Mass.,  and  here 
he  lived  to  see  more  than  a  half  a  century  of  the  changes  and  development  that  the 
flight  of  time  wrought.  His  occupation  was  that  of  an  agriculturist  ;  and  he 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  His  life,  not  one  marked 
by  special  events,  has  left  a  good  record  for  character  that  will  abide.  He  lived  to 
a  green  old  age,  retaining  his  lively  faculties  and  an  excellent  memory  to  the  end 
of  his  pilgrimage.  He  died  March  20,  1889,  aged  eighty-four  years.  His  wife 
died  December  30,  1872.  The  children  of  Selah  and  Eliza  Wenzell  Higley 
were,  viz. : 

Lucy  Wenzell,  born  April  9,  1835,  died  February  I,  1836  ;  George  Trask,  born 


GEORGE   T.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  649 

March  9,  1837  ;    Wakefidd  Leitner,  born  June  6,  1840  ;  John  Henry,  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1844,  died  the  day  following  ;  Eliza  Delia,  born  June  22,  1845. 

GEORGE  TRASK  HIGLEY  was  the  second  child  born  to  Selah 
and  Eliza  (Wenzell)  Higley.  His  birth  took  place  at  the  farm 
homestead  of  his  father  at  Ashland,  Mass.,  May  9,  1837.  His 
early  years,  until  he  was  sixteen,  were  passed  upon  the  farm. 

In  the  year  1853,  after  having  passed  through  the  prescribed 
routine  of  study,  he  entered  Amherst  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1857,  at  twenty  years  of  age.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  years  spent  in  the  West,  and  one  year  in  the  army 
during  hostilities  in  the  Civil  War,  he  has  always  resided  in  his 
native  town.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  showed 
that  he  stood  firm  for  his  country,  holding  himself  ready  to 
respond  to  a  call  for  volunteers  to  enter  the  service.  He  enlisted 
in  the  i3th  New  York  Cavalry,  October  8,  1864,  remaining  in  the 
service  until  honorably  mustered  out,  October,  1865,  after  the 
conflict  had  ended.  Mr.  Higley  entered  the  field  as  a  private. 
For  meritorious  action  he  was  appointed  company  clerk,  and 
later  on  he  was  promoted  to  acting  quartermaster-sergeant. 

Possessing  a  judicial  temperament,  his  predeliction  for  the 
legal  profession  came  uppermost  and  fixed  the  purpose  of  his  life. 
He  became  a  student  in  the  Boston  University  Law  School,  tak- 
ing the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1873,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 

On  the  2d  of  October  of  the  same  year — 1873 — ne  married 
Rosine  Smith  Wenzell.  Since  that  year  he  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Ashland.  Aside  from  his  law  practice  he  has  devoted 
much  active  service  and  influence  for  the  benefit  of  his  native 
town,  serving  its  interests  with  practical  ability  and  fidelity.  He 
has  held  different  town  offices,  and  has  served  for  many  years  as 
a  member  of  the  school  committee,  as  well  as  trustee  of  the 
public  library.  Mr.  Higley's  services  in  connection  with  the 
town  library  have  been  important.  It  is  largely  to  his  labors 
that  the  town  of  Ashland  is  indebted  for  the  establishment  of 
this  library,  as  well  as  to  his  literary  taste  for  the  excellent  selec- 
tion of  books  it  contains. 

His   wife,  Rosine   Smith,  was  born  at   Medfield,   Mass,  July 

13,  1841,  and  was  graduated  from  the  State  Normal  School,  55th 

•class,  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  in  July,  1861.     In   the  spring  of 

1862  she  was  elected  principal  of  a  grammar  school  in  Grant- 

ville,  and,  after  remaining  there  two  years,  she  accepted  a  posi- 


650  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

tion  at  Medway,  continuing  here  till  her  marriage,  March  22, 
1865,  to  A.  H.  Wenzel,  who  was  at  that  time  principal  of  the  high 
school  in  Edgartown,  Martha's  Vineyard.  She  acted  as  assistant 
in  the  Edgartown  school  during  the  following  year.  In  October, 
1869,  she  gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  is  still  living — John  Wenzel. 
Professor  Wenzel  died  April,  1871.  In  1873,  after  acting  as 
assistant  in  the  Medfield  High  School  a  part  of  the  year, 
she  became  the  wife  of  George  T.  Higley  in  the  month  of 
October. 

Mrs.  Higley  possesses  a  vigorous  mind,  which  is  marked  by 
her  exceptional  attainments.  She  is  a  woman  of  agreeable 
character  and  womanly  strength. 

She  retains  a  lively  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  is 
a  prominent  member  and  the  secretary  of  the  Bridgeport  Alumni 
Association  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Normal  School,  55th 
Class. 

WAKEFIELD  L.,  the  third  child  of  Selah  and  Eliza  (Wenzel)  Higley,  was  born 
at  Ashland,  Mass.,  June  6,  1840.  He  devoted  his  time  to  farming  till  his  enlist- 
ment for  the  Civil  War,  October  8,  1864,  in  the  same  regiment  with  his  elder 
brother — the  I3th  New  York  Cavalry.  He  served  as  a  private  soldier,  though  dur- 
ing the  most  of  the  time  that  he  was  in  the  service  he  was  in  the  regimental  com- 
missary department. 

He  died  of  fever  in  the  regimental  hospital  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  September 
25,  1865.  His  remains  were  taken  to  the  home  of  the  family,  at  Ashland,  Mass., 
and  interred  in  the  family  burial-ground. 

ELIZA  D.,  the  fifth  child  of  Selah  and  Eliza  (Wenzel)  Higley,  was  born  June  22, 
1845,  at  Ashland,  Mass.  She  married,  first,  Preston  W.  Forbush,  on  the  23d  of 
October,  1866,  and  became  the  mother  of  a  daughter,  called  Hattie  Mabel,  born 
November  7,  1867;  and  of  a  son,  named  Harvey  Wright,  who  was  born  May  23, 
1869,  both  of  whom  are  living. 

Her  second  husband  is  Eben  F.  Hart,  whom  she  married  February  9,  1873. 
Mrs.  Hart  is  a  bright,  energetic  woman,  whose  earnest  and  lovable  character  is  an 
inspiration  to  those  about  her. 

Continued  from  page  647. 

DANIEL,  3d,  the  fourth  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was  born  at 
Marlboro,  Vt.,  April  6,  1807. 

He  married  Minerva  Hills  and  settled,  first,  at  Pittston,  N.  Y.,  afterward 
removing  to  Hoosac  Falls,  Mass.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  an  exemplary  member  of 
the  church.  He  died,  January  27,  1839,  when  but  thirty-two  years  of  age,  leaving 
three  children,  viz.: 

George  £.,  Susan,  and  Augusta.  Augusta  died,  aged  about  twenty-three ; 
unmarried. 

GEORGE  E.,  the  eldest,  married  Elizabeth  Peters.  They  had  two  children, 
Charles  and  George.  Charles,  the  eldest,  died  at  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  where  his  parents 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  651 

then  resided,  aged  about  fifteen  years,  and  George  died  aged  twelve.  Mr.  Higley 
is  now  a  resident  of  Hamilton,  la. 

SUSAN,  the  second  child  of  Daniel  and  Minerva  (Hills)  Higley,  married  George 
Rising.  They  reside  at  Hoosac  Falls,  Mass.  Their  children  are  :  Daniel,  Sarah, 
Minne,  Estella,  Frank,  and  Emma. 

Of  the  above  family,  Daniel  married •.  Hayden.  They  have  four  children, 

all  daughters.  They  reside  at  North  Adams,  Mass.  Sarah  married  George  H. 
Boynton  on  July  n,  1877.  They  reside  in  Waukegan,  111.  Mr.  Boynton  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Chicago.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  named  Vincent 
Russell.  Minne,  the  third  child  of  George  and  Susan  Higley  Rising,  married 
James  H.  Glenn.  They  have  two  children.  They  reside  in  Hoosac  Falls,  Mass. 

Estella,  the  fourth  child,  married Allen,  and  resides  in  Bennington,  Vt. 

Frank,  the  fifth  child,  married  Nora  Buck  ;  resides  at  Hoosac  Falls,  Mass.  Emma 

married,  first,  Edwin  Leiffer.  Her  second  marriage  was  to Hewey.  They 

reside  in  Kane,  Kane  County,  111. 

Continued  from  page  647. 

ELIJAH,  the  fifth  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was  born  at  Marl- 
boro, Vt.,  April  i,  1809.  He  married  Roxana  Adams,  December  20,  1833,  and 
purchasing  a  farm  two  miles  northwest  of  the  village  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  near 
the  base  of  old  Haystack  Mountain,  settled  upon  it,  and  resided  there  till  about 
the  year  1809  or  1870,  when  he  made  purchase  of  a  farm  near  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  to 
which  he  removed  with  his  family,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

At  Wilmington,  Vt.,  Elijah  and  Roxana  Higley  became  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  in  the  work  of  which  Mr.  Higley  made  his  influence  and  practical  use- 
fulness felt,  pursuing  a  career  of  consecrated  activity.  His  life  portrayed  the 
beauty  of  the  walk  of  a  consistent  Christian.  Loyal  to  his  faith,  he  was  a  devoted 
church-goer  ;  but,  though  full  of  the  spirit  and  very  sincere,  it  was  always  difficult, 
because  of  his  modest  reserve  and  easily  overcome  feelings  at  whatever  touched  the 
secret  springs  of  his  heart,  for  him  to  take  part  publicly  in  the  social  meetings. 
At  Brattleboro  he  became  a  member  of  the  church  by  "  letter,"  and  here  also 
continued  his  zeal  and  interest  in  church  affairs. 

His  wife,  whose  walk  beside  him  was  in  full  sympathy  and  unison  of  purpose 
with  her  husband  for  a  period  of  little  less  than  fourteen  years,  died  of  typhus 
fever,  April  25,  1847,  leaving  three  motherless  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  a  boy  of 
twelve,  seemingly  inquiring  of  her  angel  spirit, 

"  Mother,  oh,  where  is  that  radiant  shore  ? 
Shall  we  not  seek  it  and  weep  no  more  ?  " 

followed  her  shortly  after — on  the  28th  of  May. 

In  the  year  1849  Mr.  Higley  married  Eliza  Seaver  of  Manchester,  Vt.,  a  widow. 
By  her  he  had  one  child.  During  the  last  twenty-seven  years  that  he  lived,  Elijah 
Higley  was  a  sufferer  from  sciatic  rheumatism,  and  was  confined  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  to  his  couch.  In  this  bodily  affliction  he  was  constantly  attended  by  his 
faithful  wife,  whose  devotion  and  love  were  the  stimulus  to  her  exertions.  He  died 
at  his  residence  near  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  September  15,  1886.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives. The  children  of  Elijah  and  Roxana  Higley  were  : 

Elijah  Franklin,  born  September  I,  1835  ;  Daniel  Chauncey,  born  August  31, 
1839,  and  William  Perley,  born  October  3,  1843.  By  second  wife,  Francis  Henry. 

DANIEL  C.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  surviving  child  of  Elijah  and 
Roxana  (Adams)  Higley,  was  born  at  Wilmington,  Vt,  on  the 


65 2  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

"Green  Mountain  "  farm  on  which  his  parents  then  resided, 
August  31,  1839.  His  first  seventeen  years  were  spent  on  his 
father's  estate,  and  his  student  days  were  mostly  at  the  district 
school,  attending  it  of  winters. 

Brought  up  under  the  best  of  home  Christian  influences,  in  the 
moral  atmosphere  of  a  plain  agricultural  community,  and  the  pure 
exhilarating  air  and  verdure  of  his  native  mountain  State,  his 
youthful  life  had  favorable  beginnings  that  fitted  him  both  physi- 
cally and  mentally  for  succeeding  years  of  important  business 
responsibilities,  as  well  as  for  sacred  service  in  the  Christian 
world. 

He  began  his  career  in  the  year  1846,  as  a  clerk  in  an  adjoin- 
ing town.  Here  he  remained  three  years — till  he  was  twenty. 
He  then  went  to  the  frontier  in  the  then  far  Northwest,  re- 
maining on  the  border  two  years;  in  the  meantime  becoming 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  lives  and  customs  of  the  Indians, 
particularly  with  the  Sioux  tribe.  At  twenty-two,  after  spending 
three  months  in  his  native  town  in  Vermont,  he  turned  his  face 
again  westward,  to  take  up  his  permanent  residence,  settling  in 
Chicago.  In  this  city  he  became  the  head  of  a  grocery  house  in 
1861. 

In  the  year  1863  Mr.  Higley  married  Annie  J.  Richards  of 
Vienna,  Ontario,  Canada,  who  was  of  English  parentage.  The 
year  1871  found  him  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  now  a  thriving  com- 
mercial manufacturing  center  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  since 
incorporated  as  a  city,  where  he  became  the  proprietor  of  "The 
Chicago  Store,"  and  where  he  has  since  conducted  a  prosperous 
business,  engaging  extensively  as  dealer  in  dry  goods,  millinery, 
and  general  merchandise,  drawing  a  large  patronage  from  all  the 
surrounding  towns.  The  house  also  has  two  branches,  one  in 
Barry  County,  and  the  other  in  Van  Buren  County,  Michigan. 

Daniel  C.  Higley  from  his  youthful  days  remained  loyal  in 
heart  to  the  denominational  preferences  of  his  parents  under 
which  he  was  brought  up — the  Baptist  Church.  In  the  year  1878 
he  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hodge,  and  became  a  church 
member.  It  was  scarcely  four  years  till  he  was  made  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Bethel  Baptist  Mission,  a  position  for  which  he 
displayed  special  ability  and  aptitude.  Mr.  Higley  was  the  main 
mover  in  establishing  this  flourishing  Sunday  School,  and  not  least 
of  all,  has  from  its  beginning  been  its  chief  financial  supporter. 
Well  organized  arid  managed,  the  work  stirred  the  popular  heart 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  653 

of  the  people  for  whose  benefit  it  was  founded,  who  responded  by 
increasing  attendance,  till  the  year  1888  found  the  growing  mis- 
sion strong  and  sufficient  in  numbers  to  become  an  organized 
church.  It  is  now  known  as  the  Bethel  Baptist  Church,  in  the 
work  of  which  Mr.  Higley  continues  his  Christian  activities, 
entering  into  every  detail  of  its  labor  and  its  support. 

Mr.  Higley's  genial  temperament  and  fine  social  qualities 
attract  all  who  make  his  acquaintance.  Few  men  walking  in  the 
bustle  and  high  pressure  of  secular  life  stop  to  personally  com- 
pass the  needs  of  humanity  and  make  so  devoted  an  application 
of  their  time,  and  energy,  and  means,  to  what  is  called  Christian 
work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higley  have  no  children;  they  have  opened  their 
hospitable  home  and  hearts  and  cared  for  several  who  were  so 
circumstanced  that  they  needed  foster-parents. 

WILLIAM  PERLEY  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Elijah  and  Roxana 
Adams  Higley,  was  born  at  the  homestead  of  his  father,  Wilming- 
ton, Vt,  October  6,  1843.  He  was  not  yet  four  years  of  age 
when  death  deprived  him  of  his  mother's  care.  But  the  family 
were  not  scattered,  and  from  their  farm  home  he  attended  the 
district  school.  Naturally  endowed  with  a  good  intellect,  and 
fond  of  his  books,  he  kept  his  place  among  the  foremost  of  his 
class. 

Time  came  when  his  ideas  of  life  stretched  out  for  a  sphere 
beyond  the  farm  that  lay  amid  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  his 
native  hills  and  mountains. 

He  was  not  quite  contented  with  his  lot :  and  at  twenty,  like 
many  another  young  man,  he  decided  to  launch  out  into  the 
world  for  himself. 

"  This  is  the  hour  of  your  trial,  the  turning  point  of  existence, 
Seed  for  the  coming  days." 

It  was  the  winter  of  1863.  In  the  possession  of  good  princi- 
ples and  force  of  character,  with  the  higher  equipment  of  moral 
purpose  and  a  Christian  heart,  he  set  off  for  Chicago,  where  he 
secured  a  position  in  the  business  house  of  his  older  brother,  as 
clerk.  Here  he  remained  till  April,  1869,  when,  having  saved 
some  capital,  he  went  to  Waukegan,  111.,  an  enterprising  place, 
which  has  since  become  a  city,  and  opened  a  store  of  general 


654  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

merchandise,  in  which  his  brother,  Daniel  C.  Higley,  had  an  in- 
terest. The  new  firm  was  styled  W.  P.  Higley  &  Co.  Four  years 
later  William  P.  Higley  purchased  the  company's  interest  and 
became  the  sole  proprietor,  the  house  since  being  known  as  "The 
Higley  Department  Store."  The  enterprise  has  grown  to  be  one 
of  those  important  business  houses  which  contribute  to  the  gen- 
eral demands  of  the  community,  involving  in  its  annual  transac- 
tions many  thousands  of  dollars,  and  giving  employment  in  its 
various  departments  to  a  large  number  of  persons.  The  house  is 
now  the  most  prominent  establishment  of  the  city  of  Waukegan, 
carrying  a  complete  stock  of  foreign  and  domestic  dry  goods, 
cloaks,  millinery,  men's  wear,  groceries,  and  notions,  and  its 
many  patrons  embrace  residents  of  both  city  and  country. 

At  thirty-three  years  of  age,  on  the  loth  of  February,  1876, 
Mr.  Higley  married  Eva  V.  Jilson  of  Waukegan,  111.,  a  most 
estimable  Christian  character.  She  died  April  12,  1878,  four 
months  after  giving  birth  to  a  fair-haired  daughter — Minnie 
Pearl. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1882,  he  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
T.  P.  Maguire  of  Racine,  Wis.,  a  noble-hearted  woman,  walk- 
ing in  oneness  and  in  singleness  of  purpose  with  her  worthy 
husband. 

William  P.  Higley  has  not  only  attained  a  prominence  in  busi- 
ness and  social  life,  which  is  both  gratifying  and  well-merited, 
but  the  family  hold  a  much  respected  position  as  church  members. 
Owing  much  to  the  faithful  Christian  example  and  training  by  his 
father,  and  the  influences  of  a  Christian  home  in  his  early  boy- 
hood, when  about  nine  years  of  age,  he  became  consciously  a 
Christian.  A  few  years  later  he  was  baptised  in  a  branch  of  the 
Deerfield  River  at  Wilmington,  Vt.,  and  united  with  the  Baptist 
Church  of  which  his  father  and  stepmother  were  members. 
From  that  day  this  has  been  his  chosen  denominational  prefer- 
ence. 

In  Waukegan  his  commodious  home  is  pleasantly  situated  near 
the  high  bluff  overlooking  the  blue  waters  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Here  the  genial  host  and  hostess  are  "  given  to  hospitality"  and 
to  "entertaining  strangers."  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  viz. : 

Minnie  Pearl,  born  1878  (by  first  wife);  Violet  Elizabeth, 
born  November  12,  1882  ;  and  Edith  Theresa,  born  October  n, 
1889. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  655 

Continued  from  page  647. 

POLLY  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was  born  at 
Marlboro,  Vt.,  April  17,  iSn.  She  now  resides  [1894]  in  Wardsboro,  Vt.,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years,  with  her  only  child,  Maryetta,  who  married  Henry  Kid- 
der,  an  extensive  farmer.  They  have  an  interesting  family. 

WARREN  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Judah  and  Relief  (Stearns)  Higley,  was 
born  at  the  old  farm  homestead  on  "  Higley  Hill,"  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  June  6,  1813. 
This  estate,  having  passed  successively  from  father  to  son  till  it  came  into  the 
hands  of  Warren  Higley,  was,  with  little  exception,  his  home  from  his  birth  to  his 
death.  For  one  hundred  and  twelve  years — from  the  year  1781,  when  Lieutenant 
Daniel  Higley  carved  the  farm  out  of  the  wilderness — many  tender  and  interesting 
historical  associations  were  closely  connected  with  it  in  the  minds  of  the  generations 
that  were  born  and  reared  there. 

"  Fine  old  farm  for  a  hundred  years 

Kept  in  the  family  name  ; 
Cornfields  rich  with  golden  ears 

Oft  as  the  harvest  came  ; 
Crowded  barn  and  crowded  bin, 
And  still  the  loads  kept  coming  in. 
Rolling  in  for  a  hundred  years  ; 
And  the  fourth  in  the  family  line  appears." 

Warren  Higley's  life  was  not  marked  by  stirring  events,  though  it  was  not  incon- 
spicuous. From  time  to  time  he  held  different  town  offices  and  was  well  known. 
It  was  always  his  purpose  through  life  to  make  usefulness,  rather  than  greatness, 
his  ideal.  Of  the  sturdy  and  thrifty  race  of  Vermont  agriculturists  who  have  pur- 
sued an  even  course  of  strict  integrity,  simplicity,  and  honesty,  his  plain  and  straight- 
forward walk  was  fraught  with  peace  and  contentment. 

At  twenty-two  he  married  Roxellana  Yearn,  who  was  one  year  his  junior.  She 
died  April  2,  1845. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1850,  he  married  Lydia  Hakes,  who  proved  a  true  help- 
meet. She  was  born  December  23,  1822.- 

After  a  bright  and  unusually  active  old  age  spent  in  the  quiet  repose  of  his  home, 
Warren  Higley  died  of  pneumonia,  May  22,  1892.  His  widow  survives  him. 
The  children  of  Warren  Higley  were  as  follows  : 

By  first  wife  :  Mary  Ann,  born  December  29,  1836  ;  Olive  Marilla,  born 
November  3,  1839  ;  Otis  Warren,  born  November  3,  1841.  By  second  wife  : 
Flora  Ella,  born  October  8,  1853  ',  Eva  Adell,  born  July  17,  1858  ;  Lillian  Deetta, 
born  June  14,  1862  ;  Ida  L.,  born  April  15,  1864. 

Of  the  above  family,  but  two  are  living  (1894). 

Mary  Ann,  the  first  child,  married  M.  V.  B.  Powers  in  1858,  died  May  20,  1877  ; 
Olive  M.  died  unmarried,  May  22,  1861  ;  Otis  W.  died  February  5,  1843  ;  Eva 
Adell  married  J.  L.  Bayard,  December  20,  1875,  and  died  on  the  I2th  of  the  fol- 
lowing May ;  Ida  L.,  a  young  woman  of  rare  gifts,  died  April  20,  1886, 
unmarried. 

FLORA  ELLA  HIGLKY,  the  eldest  surviving  child  of  Wapen  and  Lydia  Hakes 
Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  October  8,  1853.  She  has  chosen  the  honor- 


656  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

able  calling  of  the  trained  nurse  for  her  avocation,  entering  the  training  school  for 
nurses  at  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  Boston,  in  1886,  from  which  she 
was  graduated,  after  taking  a  full  course  of  instruction.  She  is  now  in  the  success- 
ful practice  of  her  profession. 

LILLIAN  DEETTA  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  surviving  child  of  Warren  and  Lydia 
Hakes  Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  June  14,  1862.  She  was  early  full  of 
promising  qualities,  and  grew  to  womanhood  brave  and  strong,  possessing  a  lively 
intellect  and  a  cheerful  temperament.  She  was  graduated  in  1885,  having  taken 
the  full  business  course  of  Glenwood  Seminary,  West  Brattleboro,  Vt.  Since  then 
she  has  had  some  experience  in  teaching. 


Continued  from  page  644. 

SILVIA  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and  Ruth 
Higley,  was  the  last  child  of  her  parents  born  in  Simsbury  before 
their  removal  to  Marlboro,  Vt.  Her  birth  took  place  June  7, 
1779.  She  married  Abner  Harris. 

No  further  facts  concerning  her  life  have  been  furnished. 

LUCRETIA  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and 
Ruth  Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  November  13,  1781. 
She  married,  June  20,  1801,  Oliver  Higley,  her  second  cousin,  the 
son  of  Elijah  Higley,  who  emigrated  from  Connecticut  the  same 
year  that  her  father  went  to  Marlboro,  Vt.,  and  may  have  accom- 
panied him.  After  living  in  their  native  town  for  a  few  years, 
Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York, 
making  changes  from  Port  Kent  to  Edinburg,  and  from  thence  to 
Jamestown,  Chautauqua  County,  where  they  settled  some  time 
between  the  years  1820  and  1830.  It  was  here  that  Lucretia 
Higley,  with  her  husband,  joined  the  "Church  of  the  Latter- Day 
Saints,"  about  1830,  and  from  this  time  to  the  close  of  her  event- 
ful life,  she  was  a  zealous  Mormon.  She  resided  in  her  old  age, 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  with  her  son,  Clark  Higley,  at 
Tooele,  Tooele  County,  Utah,  where  she  died  July  25,  1865,  in 
her  eighty-fourth  year.  Her  husband  died  May  6,  1846,  in  Iowa, 
where  they  then  lived.  Their  children  were,  viz.  : 

Dan,  born  July  27,  1804  ;  Anna,  born  November  29,  1806  ; 
Lovina,  December  31,  1808  ;  Clark,  born  November  26,  1813  ; 
Truman,  born  July  20,  1817  ;  Harvey,  born  November  20,  1819  ; 
Harriet,  born  April  12,  1822. 

(Sketches  of  this  family  are  to  be  found  following  the  sketch 
of  Oliver  Higley,  page  690.) 

THEODORE  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and 
Ruth  Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  April  30,  1784.  He 
married  Mercy  Haskell  of  Wilmington,  Vt.  They  resided  for 


DESCENDANTS  OF  NATHANIEL  HIGLEY.  657 

many  years  upon  a  farm  in  the  south  part  of  his  native  town, 
afterward  removing  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  settling  at  Polo, 
where  they  brought  up  a  family,  and  where  some  of  his  descend- 
ants now  live.  Their  children  were: 

Divight,  Minerva,  Harriet,  Theodore,  Jr.,  Moses,  Abraham, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Joseph. 

No  further  account  of  this  family  has  been  furnished  for  these 
pages. 

PLINY  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  and  Ruth 
Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  April  22,  1786.  He  married, 
first,  Polly  Willard  of  Lancaster,  Mass.  She  was  born  1788,  and 
died  June  17,  1848.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Nickerson,  a 
widow,  of  Marlboro.  He  owned  and  resided  upon  a  part  of  the 
original  farm  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  of  Marlboro,  which  he 
received  as  a  legacy  from  his  father,  Lieutenant  Daniel  Higley. 
This  farm  afterward  became  a  part  of  the  estate  owned  by  his 
nephew,  Warren  Higley  of  Marlboro,  and  was  occupied  by  Lieuten- 
ant Higley  and  his  descendants  for  a  period  covering  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  years. 

Pliny  Higley  died  February  14,  1857.     Their  children  were  : 

Sarah,  called  Sally  ;  Luke,  Mary  Ann,  Robert,  Ursula,  and 
William. 

URSULA  HIGLEY,  married Ballow,  and  resides  at  Wilmington,  Vt.  Several 

families  of  Pliny  Higley's  descendants  are  living  in  the  town  of  Marlboro,  Wind- 
ham  County,  Vt.  Among  whom  is  Dan  Higley,  a  well  known  and  respected  citi- 
zen, who  is  the  owner  of  the  farm  upon  which  he  resides. 

No  further  account  of  Pliny  Higley  and  his  descendants  has 
been  furnished. 

STERLING  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  and  last  child  of  Lieutenant 
Daniel  and  Ruth  Higley,  was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt,  July  18, 
1788.  He  died  in  childhood,  March  12,  1793. 


CHAPTER  LXX. 

DESCENDANTS   OF   JOSIAH    HIGLEY,    1ST. 

Continued  front  chapter  xxv.p.  145. 
Josiah,  ad,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

None  are  so  apt  to  build  and  plant  for  future  centuries  as  those  noble-spirited  men  who  have 
received  their  heritages  from  fargone  ages. — IRVING. 

JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  ad,  the  first  child  of  Josiah,  ist,  and  Dinah 
(Gillett)  Higley,  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Turkey  Hills,  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.,  "November  ye  6th,  1725."  He  was  a  young  man 
of  twenty-six  at  the  time  of  his  father's  decease.  He  received, 
as  a  special  legacy  by  his  father's  will,  two  and  a  half  acres  of 
land  more  than  was  devised  to  the  other  heirs.  He  served  with 
his  mother  as  an  executor  to  the  estate.  It  is  not  known  when 
or  to  whom  he  was  married.  Soon  after  his  father's  death  he 
purchased  of  his  cousin,  Jonathan  Higley,  land  in  Turkey  Hills 
"  which  formerly  belonged  to  grandfather,  Captain  John."  When 
he  purchased  land  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  the  8th  of  February,  1753, 
he  was  described  in  the  deed  as  "a  husbandman  of  Simsbury." 
Before  the  i2th  of  April,  1756,  he  had  become  a  resident  of 
Salisbury,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  selling  his  Westfield  land. 
How  long  he  remained  a  resident  of  Salisbury  cannot  be  stated, 
but  he  appears  to  have  returned  with  his  family  to  Turkey  Hills 
by  the  year  1769  or  1770,  as  he  had  young  children  baptized  the 
beginning  of  the  latter  year  in  the  old  parish  church  of  St.  Andrew, 
which  was  but  a  few  miles  away.  It  is  probable  that  on  the  death 
of  his  mother  he  took  possession  of  the  old  home  farm  "  on  the 
highway  that  goes  from  Hatchet  Hill  to  Windsor." 

The  entire  family,  about  this  time,  appear  to  have  turned  to 
the  English  Church,  or  Episcopal  faith.  The  difficulties  and  con- 
tentions in  the  old  Simsbury  churches  which  were  established  by 
the  early  founders  had  a  weaning  effect  upon  the  next  generation, 
and  many  of  the  third  generation  severed  their  connection  and 
drifted  away.  During  Josiah,  zd's,  time  the  Rev.  Gideon  Mills, 

658 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  659 

who  married  Josiah's  cousin,  Elizabeth  Higley,  was  for  a  number 
of  years  the  pastor  of  the  Simsbury  Church,  also  the  Rev.  Ben- 
ajah  Roots,  his  successor,  whose  son  afterward  married  one  of 
the  Higley  girls.  The  tide  of  disunity  ran  high  through  the 
last  years  of  both  of  their  pastorates.  Difficulties  and  disputes 
arose  on  different  points  ;  among  other  chief  bones  of  contention 
came  up  the  subject  of  singing,  when,  in  1773,  it  was  settled, 
for  a  time,  by  a  "vote  to  sing  new  tunes  half  the  time  and 
old  ones  the  other  half."  While  this  state  of  things  existed, 
although  this  was  not  the  society  to  which  Josiah  Higley,  ist,  had 
lent  his  active  aid  in  founding,  the  troubles  had  a  perceptible 
influence  in  alienating  the  younger  Higleys  in  both  societies. 
The  Rev.  Roger  Viets,  however,  who  was  a  native  of  the  town 
and  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Josiah  Higley,  zd,  and  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale  College,  went  to  London,  in  1763,  for  ordination  as  an 
Episcopal  clergyman,  and  soon  after  returned  to  Simsbury,  where 
he  became  the  rector  of  St.  Andrew's  parish.  He  was  "a  man 
of  more  than  medium  talents,  and  his  ministry  was  greatly 
blessed,"  his  labor  meeting  with  acceptance  and  success.  In 
this  church  Josiah,  ad's,  children  and  some  of  his  cousins  were 
confirmed. 

Josiah  Higley,  2d,  like  his  progenitors,  had  patriot  blood  in  his 
veins.  He  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  Army  "  for  the  war, 
May  5th,  1778,"  joining  the  3d  Connecticut  Regiment,  Captain 
William  Judd's  Company.  He  was  then  a  little  past  middle  life. 
It  is  altogether  probable  that  he  was  in  the  engagement  at  Mon- 
mouth,  N.  J.,  as  he  was  with  Washington's  main  army  that  sum- 
mer, and  went  into  camp  at  White  Plains.  He  was  reported 
"missing"  the  following  November.  The  tradition  in  his 
family  and  descendants  has  always  been  that  he  was  drowned 
while  crossing  a  river  when  his  regiment  was  transferred,  late  in 
the  autumn,  to  winter  quarters  at  Reading.  He  was  never  heard 
of  afterward. 

"  Who  of  you  all  shall  say 

That  from  this  bright  array 

Which  glorifies  to-day, 
Where  blended  lights  of  past  and  present  play, 

Comrades  beloved  are  banished, 

Miscalled  the  vanished  ? 
It  is  not  given  to  our  clouded  eyes 
To  see  these  heroes  in  celestial  guise 


660  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Come  thronging  back  down  heaven's  starry  arch, 
Each  old  commander  urging  on  the  march 

From  rapturous  Paradise. 

While  stars,  which  in  their  courses  helped  them  fight 
To  save  our  goodly  heritage  from  blight, 
Attend  their  steps  with  soft  supernal  light — 

Back  through  death's  ebon  portal 
Behold  them  come,  bright,  radiant,  immortal  !  "  ' 

Children  of  Josiah  Higley,  2<3  : 

Charity,  Anna,  Josiah,  3d,  Jesse,  ist,  Philander,  Sylvester,  and 
Theodocia. 

CHARITY  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  2d,  was  born  at  Salisbury, 
Conn.,  September  13,  1756.  She  was  baptized  and  confirmed  by  the  Rev.  Roger 
Viets  in  the  Church  of  St.  Andrew  (Bloomfield,  Conn.),  May  14,  1775.  Nothing 
further  is  known  of  her. 

ANNA  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  2d,  was  born  October,  1760. 
She  was  baptized  and  confirmed  in  the  Episcopal  faith  on  the  same  day  with  her 
sister,  Charity.  She  was  married  in  the  same  church,  in  1794,  to  John  Smith. 
There  is  no  further  record  of  her. 

JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  3d,  the  first  son  of  Josiah  Higley,  2d,  was 
born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  September  4,  1762.  The  following 
public  announcement  is  taken  from  the  original  town  records  at 
Becket,  Mass.  :9 

"Intentions  of  marriage  between  Josiah  Higley  and  Deliverance  Carpenter,  both  of 
Becket,  was  entered  April  ist,  1786." 

The  couple  were  duly  united  in  marriage  and  settled  in  Becket. 
On  the  2oth  of  June,  1800,  Josiah  sold  land  to  Moses  Hall,  Jr., 
of  Syringham,  Mass.  From  the  earliest  record  of  him  he 
appears  to*  have  possessed  property.  About  the  year  1811  a  large 
colony  banded  together  in  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts, 
mostly  residents  of  Becket,  and  migrated  to  Nelson  Township, 
Portage  County,  O.  Among  the  number  was  Hezekiah,  the 
oldest  son  of  Josiah  and  Deliverance  Higley.  This  emigration 
of  their  son  appears  to  have  animated  the  parents  to  remove  to 
Ohio  at  a  later  date. 

On  the  i6th  of  April,  1815,  Josiah  Higley,  3d,  purchased  of 
Ephraim  Root  of  Hartford  County,  Connecticut,  418  acres  of 

1  From  William  H.  McElroy's  "  None  Missing.'' 
a  "  Becket  Records,"  book  ii.  p.  too. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY, 1ST.  66 1 

land,  located  in  the  "Massachusetts  settlement"  in  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  for  which  he  paid  $1032.'  To  this  unsettled 
and  forest-covered  township,  which  civilization  had  scarcely 
reached,  he  emigrated  with  his  wife  and  a  large  family  of 
children,  all  of  whom  were  born  at  Becket,  Mass.  The  jour- 
ney was  made  in  the  teeth  of  formidable  difficulties.  Josiah 
Higley  was  at  the  time  an  invalid,  suffering  with  a  lingering- 
consumption,  and  was  carried  the  long,  rough  route  upon  a  bed 
placed  in  the  wagon.  To  accumulate  landed  property  for  his 
children  before  his  death  was  evidently  his  ambition. 

Early  in  the  year  1817  he  conveyed  to  each  child  a  portion  of 
land,  and  on  the  i3th  of  March,  1820,  he  conveyed  a  perpetual 
lease  to  his  wife,  Deliverance  Higley,  of  Lot  50,  Nelson  Town- 
ship, "for  her  own  proper  use."  This  lot  lay  adjoining  lands 
owned  by  different  members  of  his  family  in  their  own  rights. 

His  pulmonary  difficulties  continued,  though  his  life  appears  to 
have  been  prolonged  more  than  five  years  after  his  removal  to 
Ohio.  The  exact  date  of  his  death,  which  took  place  in  the  year 
1821,  is  not  known.  His  wife  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  dying  at 
the  home  of  her  son  Hector  Higley,  about  the  year  1852. 

Josiah  Higley,  3d,  and  his  wife,  Deliverance,  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children  : 

Polly,  Hezekiah,  Josiah,  4th,  Sevilla,  Adelia,  Sophia,  Philander, 
Charity,  Betsey,  Hector,  and  Vashti, 

POLLY,  the  eldest  child,  lived  to  womanhood  and  died  unmarried. 

HF.ZEKIAH  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance  Higley, 
was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  probably  in  the  year  1789  or  1790.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Nelson  Township,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  coming  when  a  young 
man,  having,  previous  to  the  declaration  of  War  in  1812,  passed  his  majority.  He 
made  extensive  purchases  of  land,  in  time  becoming  a  large  land  holder  and  a  promi- 
nent and  worthy  citizen.  He  was  a  man  always  well-to-do  in,  the  world,  of  ener- 
getic character,  and  exerted  considerable  influence  in  the  community. 

The  military  spirit  of  his  forefathers  was  his  inheritance  by  blood,  and  the 
motive  power  to  quick  action  when  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  threatened 
the  young  republic.  He  was  among  the  first  to  enter  the  Ohio  State  Militia,  Cap- 
tain John  Campbell's  company  of  riflemen  Volunteers,  the  2d  Company,  ist  Bat- 
talion, 2d  Regiment,  4th  Brigade.  Soon  after  the  organization  of  this  regiment 
war  was  declared,  June  18,  1812.  His  company  received  orders  to  meet  at  the 
house  of  Captain  Campbell  on  July  I.  On  that  date  "  the  men  pitched  their  tents, 
which  were  made  of  homespun  linen  sheets.  The  command  had  no  uniforms,  but 
each  man  was  '  armed  to  the  teeth '  with  a  rifle,  a  tomahawk,  and  a  large  knife. 

1  "  Records  Portage  County,  O.,"  vol.  ii.  p.  510. 
43 


662  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

His  company  soon  after  started  for  the  frontier."  How  long  he  was  at  the  front 
is  not  known.  He  is  again  found  in  the  ranks,  July  14,  with  the  1st  Company, 
ist  Battalion,  serving  as  a  substitute  for  Seth  Cole,  who  had  been  drafted.  He  was 
again  among  the  soldiers  who  were  suddenly  called  to  arms  to  defend  the  frontier, 
on  the  24th  of  August,  remaining  at  the  front  till  the  ist  of  September. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  married  Jerusha ;  the  maiden  name  of  his 

wife  and  the  date  of  their  marriage  is  unknown. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  1816,  he  purchased  of  his  father  one  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  Nelson,  for  which  he  paid  three  dollars  an  acre.  He  also  was  the  owner 
of  lands  in  Fredonia  Township,  and  for  a  time  he  lived  on  a  farm  in  the  township 
of  Hiram. 

Later  in  life  he  removed  to  Clyde,  Sandusky  County,  O.,  where  he  resided  till 
he  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three.  It  was  with  one  of  his  sons,  Orsen 
Higley,  that  he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life. 

Hezekiah  and  Jerusha  Higley  had  a  family,  of  which  no  particulars  have  been 
furnished  for  these  pages. 

JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  4th,  the  third  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance  Higley,  was 
born  at  Becket,  Mass.,  removing  with  his  parents  to  Nelson  Township,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  about  the  year  1815.  From  his  father  he  received,  November  20, 
1816,  a  conveyance  of  "  lots  Nos.  51  and  52,  in  Township  5.  This  was  probably 
about  the  time  of  his  marriage  with  Huldah  Lamb.  He  sold  this  farm,  December 
19,  1825,  and  removed  to  Newburg,  Cuyahoga  County,  O.  His  wife  afterward 
became  insane.  They  had  children,  viz.: 

Josiah  Higley,  5th,  Elisha,  Philetus,  Sarah,  and  Jane.  Sarah  married 

Vincent. 

SEVILLA,  the  fourth  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance  Higley,  married 

Sweet.  In  the  years  1817-18  she  and  her  sister  Charity  purchased  and  sold  con- 
siderable land  in  the  township,  apparently  on  speculation.  Sevilla  and  her  husband 
resided  in  Hiram,  Portage  County,  O.  She  died,  leaving  a  daughter,  Eveline. 

ADELIA,  the  fifth  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance  Higley,  married  Grant 
Redding.  They  had  one  son,  Jack,  who  went  to  Nauvoo,  111.  The  family  all 
removed  West. 

SOPHIA,  the  sixth  child,  married,  first,  Ward  Smith,  who  died  while  yet  a  young 
man.  Her  second  marriage  was  to  Seth  Jefferson.  Her  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  of  her  first  marriage,  were  : 

Porter,  Lucy,  Sylvester,  Wallace,  and  Mary. 

PHILANDER  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child,  married,  May  7,  1818,  Charlotte  Adams 
of  Hiram  Township,  where  they  afterward  resided.  No  further  information  of 
them  is  received. 

CHARITY  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  about  the  year 
1801.  Some  time  after  emigrating  to  Ohio  with  her  parents,  she,  together  with  her 
sister  Sevilla,  entered  pretty  extensively  into  the  purchase  and  exchange  of  lands 
which  lay  in  Portage  County.  She  married  William  Knowlton  of  Nelson,  Portage 
County,  and  settled  in  the  same  township,  where  they  resided  much  respected 
citizens  till  the  close  of  their  lives.  They  had  children,  viz. : 

Cyrus,  Sidney,  Elmina,  and  Porter.  The  two  brothers,  Sidney  and  Porter 
Knowlton,  are  now  residents  of  the  township. 

BETSEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance  Higley,  was  born  in 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  663 

Becket,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1803,  and  emigrated  with  her  parents  on  their 
removal  to  Nelson  Township,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1815.  She  is  recollected  by  the 
old  residents  of  the  town  as  an  active,  vigorous,  and  clever  girl.  She  married 
Dexter  Merritt  of  Nelson.  They  resided  till  the  close  of  their  lives  in  the  same 
town,  the  owners  of  a  good  farm.  She  died  April  18,  1882.  Their  children 
were  : 

Lorain,  Cornelius  D.,  Harriet  M.,  Emily,  and  Eveline. 

LORAIN,  the  eldest,  married  Omer  Mills,  December  23,  1855.  They  reside  in 
Farmington  Township,  Portage  County,  Ohio.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, viz.: 

Lucius  Car-win,  Ernest  Cornelius,  and  Emily  B. 

CORNELIUS  D.,  the  second  child,  died  in  1861,  aged  twenty-six  ;  unmarried. 

HARRIET  M.,  the  third  child,  married,  in  1866,  P.  H.  Tisdale. 

EMILY,  the  fourth  child,  married  Allen  Johnson. 

EVELINE,  the  youngest,  married  Walter  Bester.  She  died  March,  1883,  leaving 
four  sons. 

HECTOR  A.  HIGLEY,  the  tenth  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  3d,  and  Deliverance, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  about  1805,  and  removed  with  the  family  to 
Portage  County,  Ohio,  when  ten  years  of  age. 

He  received,  together  with  his  brothers  and  sisters,  a  conveyance  of  land  from 
his  father  on  the  Qth  of  January,  1817,  when  he  was  but  twelve  years  old.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  which  occupation  he  practiced  for  many 
years  in  the  townships  of  Nelson  and  Hiram,  Portage  County. 

Who  his  first  wife  was  cannot  be  ascertained.  She  died  after  a  brief  period  of 
married  life,  leaving  no  children.  His  second  wife  was  Harriet  Hutchinson  of 
Hiram.  About  the  year  1859  ^e  removed  with  his  family  to  Michigan,  and  after- 
ward to  Iowa  Centre,  Story  County,  la.,  where  his  second  wife  died,  leaving  a 
family  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  Higley  in  due  course  of  time  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Nelson,  O.,  and 
married  Mrs.  Sheldon,  a  widow,  who  survives  him. 

Hector  A.  Higley,  says  an  old  friend,  "  was  one  of  the  most  companionable  of 
men  ;  frank,  clever,  generous,  and  a  great  mimic,  he  was  universally  liked.  He 
was  a  consistent  Christian  professor,  and  very  much  respected  in  his  church 
relations." 

He  died  at  his  home,  Iowa  Centre,  la.,  May,  1892,  aged  eighty-seven.  By  his 
second  wife,  Harriet  Hutchinson,  he  had  two  sons,  Rodney  and  Otis,  one  of 
whom  served  in  the  late  Civil  War.  The  names  of  his  other  children  by  this  wife 
are  not  ascertained.  His  third  wife,  Mrs.  Sheldon,  became  the  mother  of  two 
children,  viz.: 

Josiah  Higley,  6th,  and  Lucy. 

VASHTI  HIGLEY,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  Josiah,  3d,  and  Deliverance 
Higley,  was  born  in  Becket,  Mass.,  and  was  brought,  when  a  little  child,  by  her 
parents  to  Portage  County,  Ohio.  She  grew  to  womanhood,  married,  and  resided 
in  Hiram,  Portage  County.  She  had  a  family.  Some  of  her  descendants  still 
reside  at  Hiram. 


664  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

JESSE   HIGLEY,    1ST. 
Continued  from  page  660. 
Jesse,  ist,  Josiah,  ad,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

JESSE  HIGLEY,  ist,  the  fourth  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  2d,  was 
born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  March  21,  1765. 

There  is  only  fragmentary  information  of  the  environments  of 
his  youth.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  by  the  Rev.  Zadoc  Hunn, 
with  Elizabeth  Watson  at  Becket,  Mass.,  January  6,  1788.  A 
little  more  than  a  month  later  the  following  announcement  was 
placed  upon  the  Becket  town  records: 

"February  i2th  1788.  Bonds  of  matrimony  between  Jesse  Higley  and  Betty 
Watson,  both  of  Becket,  were  made  public  as  the  law  directs."  ' 

The  young  married  pair  settled  in  Becket,  which  was  "  Betty  " 
Watson's  native  place.  She  was  "born  July  17,  1767. 

About  the  year  1794  they  removed  with  a  family  of  three 
young  children  to  Shoreham,  Vt.,  where  they  resided  till  the 
year  1807,  when  the  family  took  up  its  residence  for  a  few  years 
at  Addison  in  the  same  State. 

During  the  period  that  Jesse  Higley  resided  in  Vermont  he 
acquired  a  competency  and  established  a  well-improved  home 
with  pleasant  surroundings.  Some  time  previous  to  the  year  1812 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Canada  containing  several 
hundred  acres,  lying  on  the  River  Thames,  to  which  he  removed. 
Included  in  this  purchase  was  a  part  of  the  land  that  is  now 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  London,  Ontario.  This  property, 
in  time,  became  very  valuable.  When  the  second  war  with  Great 
Britain  was  declared,  the  English  Government  offered  to  secure 
to  Jesse  Higley  permanent  possession  of  his  property  on  condi- 
that  he  should  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown. 
With  hereditary  instinct  and  loyal  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
liberty,  to  these  conditions  he  nobly  refused  to  comply,  and 
in  consequence  he  sacrificed  all  of  his  property,  which  was 
confiscated. 

His  destiny  was  now  changed.  Disappointed  and  despoiled  of 
his  fortunes,  he  was  forced  to  begin  battle  against  adverse  cir- 
cumstances. About  the  year  1820,  when  beyond  his  fiftieth  year, 
he  entered  the  unbroken  wilds  of  the  magnificent  forests  of  St. 

1  Book  ii.  p.  121,  "  Becket  Records." 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  665 

Lawrence  County,  New  York,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  and  erected  a  saw-mill,  on  the  Racquet  River.  Here  he 
labored  with  heroism  and  endurance  to  retrieve  his  lost  estate, 
but  fate  gave  him  no  adequate  success.  The  whole  country  was 
in  large  arrears,  occasioned  by  the  late  war,  commerce  having 
been  greatly  injured,  and  the  people  were  burdened.  As  he  drew 
near  the  evening  of  life  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  unequal 
conquest. 

About  the  year  1834,  having  reached  his  three  score  and  ten, 
he  and  his  wife  emigrated  with  married  children  to  Lapeer, 
Mich.  This  was  in  the  early  history  of  that  prosperous  State, 
and  four  years  before  it  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 

Jesse  Higley  was  throughout  his  life  an  exemplary  character; 
he  was  a  man  of  integrity,  industrious,  temperate,  and  frugal,  as 
all  who  knew  him  bore  witness.  In  addition  to  these  good 
qualities  he  possessed  excellent  abilities  and  good  judgment,  as 
the  record  of  his  life  fully  proves. 

He  died  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  October  22,  1838.  His  wife  died  at 
the  same  place  February  15,  1842. 

Jesse  and  Elizabeth  (Watson)  Higley  had  the  following 
children,  viz. : 

William  Simpson,  born  August  16,  1788;  Loring,  born  June  6, 
1790,  died  August  2,  1792;  Jesse  Colton,  born  January  i,  1793; 
Charity,  born  April  17,  1795;  Anna,  born  October  5,  1797,  died 
July  25,  1798;  Amy,  born  November  22,  1799,  died  at  Cottage 
Grove,  111.,  March,  1852;  Estes  Howe,  born  March  15,  1802,  died 
July  17,  1866,  at  Lapeer,  Mich.;  Eliza,  born  April  26,  1806; 
Almira,  born  November  16,  1809;  Amanda,  born  June  14,  1811. 

WILLIAM  SIMPSON  HIGLEY,  Sr.,  the  eldest  child  of  Jesse,  ist, 
and  Elizabeth  (Watson)  Higley,  was  born  at  Becket,  Mass., 
August  16,  1788.  When  he  was  six  years  of  age  the  family  re- 
moved to  Shoreham,  Vt.  At  Bridgeport,  Vt,  December  13, 
1813,  he  married  Lois  Turrell.  They  settled  in  Shoreham,  resid- 
ing on  Smith  Street,  north  of  Larrabee's  Point  Lake  (Lake  Cham- 
plain).  In  the  year  1825  he  was  elected  constable  of  the  town. 
The  same  year  there  was  a  small  storage-house  built  at  Watch 
Point,  which  he  occupied  for  his  business  till  1828.  In  1832,  ac- 
companied by  his  brother,  Estes  H.  Higley,  who  then  lived  in 
St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  he  went  to  Michigan  on  a  pros- 
pecting tour.  Being  favorably  impressed  with  the  lumbering 


666  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

prospects  in  that  then  trackless,  heavily-wooded  country,  they 
took  up  large  tracts  of  government  land  within  three  miles  of 
where  Lapeer  is  now  located.  The  town  at  that  time  consisted  of 
but  six  log  houses.  Returning  to  their  homes  they  made  prep- 
aration to  emigrate.  In  the  year  1833  William  S.  Higley  and  his 
family  packed  their  household  goods  in  pioneer  wagons,  expressly 
manufactured  for  the  purpose,  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  River  at 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  and  made  their  way  through  the  dense 
wilderness  of  Canada  to  Detroit,  Territory  of  Michigan  ;  from 
there  they  journeyed  to  their  new  home  at  Lapeer,  arriving  in 
July  of  the  same  year. 

William  built  a  large  sawmill  on  Flint  River,  where  he  trans- 
acted a  flourishing  business  for  many  years.  Besides  his  lumber 
and  milling  interests,  he  owned  a  half-section  of  rich  farming 
land.  The  later  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  attending  to  his 
agricultural  interests.  He  died  April  i,  1867  ;  his  wife,  Lois 
Turrell,  died  November  18,  1855.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  viz. : 

William  Simpson,  Jr.,  Daniel  Turrell,  born  February  27,  1817, 
died  at  Addison,  Vt.,  April  5,  1819;  Ann  Louisa,  Emma  Cordelia, 
York  Turrell,  Mary  Elizabeth,  George  Watson,  Ellen  Maria,  Marion 
Alanthe,  Alice  Amelia,  Jesse  Wilbur,  born  October  15,  1842,  died 
April  2,  1843. 

WILLIAM  SIMPSON  HIGLEY,  Jr.,  the  first  child  of  William  S.  and  Lois  Turrell 
Higley,  was  born  in  Shoreham,  Vt.,  September  15,  1814.  He  removed  with  his 
father's  family,  in  the  year  1833,  to  Lapeer,  Mich.  Here  he  married,  January  15, 
1838,  Calista  Murlin.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  and  also  had 
interests  in  the  manufacture  of  brick.  He  removed  with  his  family  to  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  for  some  years,  but  the  later  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  his 
home  in  Monroe,  Wis.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  lived  with  his  son,  Henry 
Higley,  at  Sharon,  Wis.,  where  he  died  April  28,  1895.  Children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  were  as  follows  : 

Henry,  Seward,  Walter,  and  Marietta. 

ANN  LOUISA,  the  third  child  of  William  S.  and  Lois  Turrell  Higley,  was  born 
at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  October  15,  i8ig.  An  aged  man  now  living  at  Shoreham  recol- 
lects her  well  as  noted  for  her  remarkable  beauty.  She  married  at  Lapeer,  Mich., 
July  4,  1839,  Harry  Waldorph.  She  died  September  26,  1855.  Their  children 
were  :  Emma  Louisa^  George  Delmour. 

EMMA  LOUISA,  born  October  12,  1843,  who  married  Charles  Newton  of  Lapeer, 
Mich.,  November  2,  1862,  and  had  children  as  follows  : 

Herbert  Newton,  born  August  17,  1863;  Nellie  Belle,  born  July  31,  1864;  Elmer 
and  Ella — twins — born  July  24,  1866;  Ward,  born  December  I,  1868;  Clair,  born 
September  I,  1870;  Alma,  born  July  14,  1872.  The  family  reside  at  Lapeer, 
Mich. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  667 

GEORGE  DELMOUR  WALDORPH,  the  second  child  of  Harry  and  Ann  Louisa 
Higley  Waldorph,  was  horn  July  5,  1850.  He  married  Jennie  Higley,  April  17, 
1878.  Their  children  are  : 

Harry  Delmour,  born  March  4,  1879;  Blanche  Maude,  born  April  8,  1881; 
Carrie,  born  May  12,  1883;  Edward  Kay  and  Grace  May — twins — born  June  10, 
1886  ;  and  two  others,  whose  names  are  not  given.  They  reside  at  St.  Clair,  Mich. 

EMMA  CORDELIA,  the  fourth  child  of  William  S.  and  Lois  Ttirrell  Higley, 

was  born  at  Orwell.  Vt.,  January  27,  1822.  She  married ,  1844,  Francis 

Goodale,  of  Lapeer,  Mich.  She  died  March  i,  1852.  Their  children  were  : 

Francis  Wilbur,  born  October  7,  1845;  William  Herbert,  born  February  19, 
1848;  and  Arthur  C.,  born  November  22,  1851,  died  October,  1855. 

FRANCIS  W.,  the  eldest  child,  married,  March  13,  1871,  Sarah  Comstock,  at 
Fanner's  Creek,  Mich.  They  reside  at  Kintner,  Mich.  Their  children  are: 

Arthur,  born  August  22,  1874;  Albert,  born  September  7,  1876;  Lizzie,  born 
April  9,  1878;  Lynn,  born  September  10,  1880. 

WILLIAM  HERBERT  GOODALE,  the  second  child  of  Frank  Goodale  and  Emma  C. 
Higley,  was  born  February  19,  1848.  He  married  Charlotte  Coswick,  October  2, 
1873.  They  reside  at  Otter  Lake,  Mich.  Their  children  are  : 

Bertie,  born  March  20,  1875;  Leslie  Calvin,  born  September  12,  1878;  Gerald, 
born  September  22,  1878;  Earle  J.,  born  January  13,  1884;  Fred  C.,  born  Octo- 
ber 5,  1885. 

YORK  TURRELL  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  William  S.  and  Lois  Turrell  Higley, 
was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  August  14,  1826.  He  married,  November  5,  1861, 
Caroline  Day  Strong,  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  and  settled  on  the  old  home  farm,  where 
they  have  since  resided  (1895).  He  has  always  followed  agricultural  pursuits. 

Their  children  : 

Ada  Caroline,  born  March  15,  1862  ;  Lorenzo  Strong,  born  October  31,  1863  ; 
Emma  Adelia,  born  March  I,  1866,  died  aged  two  years  ;  Ruby  Ellen,  born  May 
8,  1869  ;  Rollin  Chipman,  born  July  22,  1875  ;  Florence  Lorene,  born  October  15, 
1877  :  Charles  Mason,  born  October  5,  1880  ;  Maurice  York,  born  July  2,  1885; 

LORENZO  STRONG  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  son  of  York  T.  and  Caroline  Strong 
Higley,  was  born  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  and  married,  in  1892,  Lora  E.  Cox  of  his 
native  town.  They  first  settled  in  Union  City,  Pa.,  but  subsequently,  in  1894, 
removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y.  Since  the  year  1890  be  has  been  engaged  as  eastern 
manager  for  the  firm  of  Powers  Bros,  of  Chicago  and  Albany.  His  wife,  Lora 
Cox,  died  May  10,  1895,  leaving  one  child,  Lora  Caroline  Higley. 

ROLLIN  CHIPMAN  HIGLEY,  the  second  son  of  York  T.  and  Caroline  Strong 
Higley,  was  born  at  the  old  farm  homestead  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  July  22,  1875.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Lapeer  high  school  ;  possessing  a  bright  and  active  mind, 
with  a  liberal  education  and-  ability  for  business,  his  scope  has  expanded  beyond 
nature's  surroundings  and  an  agricultural  life  into  an  experience  in  other  fields. 
He  resides  (1895)  with  his  older  brother  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  being  with  the  firm  of 
Powers  Bros,  of  Chicago  and  Albany.  He  is  unmarried. 

The  daughters  of  York  T.  and  Caroline  Strong  Higley,  together  with  their 
youngest  sons,  live  at  home  with  their  parents.  Florence  is  a  member  of  class 
'96  of  the  Lapeer  high  school. 

MARY  ELIZABETH,  the  sixth  child  of  William  Simpson  and  Lois  Turrell  Higley, 
was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  July  8,  1828.  She  presided  over  her  father's  home 
after  her  mother's  decease.  She  never  married  ;  she  died  January  16,  1895. 

GEORGE  WATSON   HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  the  same  parents,-  was  born 


668  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

May  15,  1830,  at  Shoreham,  Vt.  He  received  his  education  at  the  district  school 
at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  afterward  attending  the  State  Normal  School.  At  an  early  age 
he  engaged  in  the  milling  interests  of  his  father,  and  was  very  successful  ;  he  also 
became  a  teacher,  which  calling  he  followed  for  some  time  ;  then  he  took  up  farm- 
ing near  the  old  homestead,  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged,  except  for  a  few  years 
when  he  was  in  the  grocery  business  at  Lapeer,  Mich.  He  has  filled  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  honor  in  political  life.  He  is  unmarried. 

ELLEN  MARIA,  the  eighth  child  of  William  Simpson  and  Lois  Turrell  Higley, 
•was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  July  15,  1832;  she  was  brought  by  her  parents,  an 
infant,  in  their  arms,  to  Lapeer,  Mich.,  in  1833.  She  became  a  teacher  of  con- 
siderable note  ;  she  married,  August  26,  1860,  the  Rev.  J.  Frederick  Kellogg,  a 
gifted  minister  of  Lapeer,  and  afterward  resided  where  his  ministerial  duties  called 
him.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  stationed  in  Muskegan,  Mich.  Here  Mr. 
Kellogg  died  in  1892.  His  widow  now  resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Segar- 
Larned,  in  Detroit.  Their  children  : 

Minnie  E.,  born  October  20,  1861  ;  Mary  Alice,  born  August  7, 1863  ;  William 
Higley,  born  September  19,  1865  ;  George  Frederick,  born  November  13,  1870. 

MINNIE  E.,  the  eldest,  married  Frank  E.  Segar,  M.  D.,  November  6,  1882. 
MARY  ALICE  married,  April  5,  1887,  Gustavus  A.  King,  and  resides  at  East 
Saginaw,  Mich. 

MARION  ALANTHE,  the  ninth  child  of  William  Simpson  and  Lois  Turrell  Higley 
was  born  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  September  26,  1835.  She  married  Orville  O.  Morse, 
October  15,  1856,  who  is  now  (1895)  a  retired  merchant.  They  reside  in  a  beauti- 
ful home  at  Lapeer,  Mich.  No  children. 

ALICE  AMELIA,  the  tenth  child  in  the  same  family,  was  born  at  Lapeer,  Mich. , 
September  15,  1839.  She  married  Samuel  H.  Chipman,  September  10, 1868.  Mr. 
Chipman  is  a  prominent  banker  of  Warsaw,  Ind.  For  a  number  of  years  they 
spent  their  winters  in  the  town  of  Warsaw,  and  their  summers  at  Petoskey,  Mich.; 
the  latter  is  now  their  permanent  home.  They  have  no  children. 


JESSE   COLTON    HIGLEY. 

Continued  from  page  665. 
Jesse,  ist,  Josiah,  2d,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

JESSE  COLTON  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Jesse  Higley,  ist,  and 
Elizabeth  (Watson)  Higley,  was  born  at  Becket,  Mass.,  January 
i,  1793.  When  he  was  scarce  one  year  old  his  parents  removed 
to  Shoreham,  Vt.,  where  he  was  brought  up,  with  the  exception  of 
a  residence  with  his  parents  of  a  few  years  at  the  town  of  Addi- 
son,  in  the  same  State.  When  a  youth  of  eighteen  the  family 
removed  to  Canada,  and  settled  about  the  year  1811  on  a  large 
estate  at  the  point  where  London,  Ontario,  is  now  located.  The 
War  of  1812-14  breaking  up  their  fortunes  and  obliging  them  to 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY,  1S7\  669 

return  to  the  States,  they  settled,  about  the  year  1820,  on  the  spot 
which  is  now  Colton,  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.  Here  Jesse  C., 
with  his  father,  energetically  went  to  work  to  build  up  a  home  in 
the  dense  forests,  and  here  he  resided  for  more  than  half  a  century 
and  till  the  close  of  his  useful  life.  It  will  be  seen  that  he  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  who  carved  out  the  township,  and  that  he  neces- 
sarily passed  through  the  same  hard  experiences  that  has  attended 
every  effort  to  open  a  new  wooded  country  and  prepare  the  soil 
for  agricultural  uses.  "From  the  earliest  beginnings  of  the  town 
he  became  one  of  the  factors  in  the  progress  and  development  of 
the  great  Empire  State,  never  relaxing  in  his  diligence  for  every 
measure  that  would  advance  public  interests.  Bearing  a  high 
reputation  as  an  efficient  and  sensible  leader  of  affairs,  and  having 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  his  clever 
abilities,  which  he  used  wisely,  were  fully  recognized. 

During  a  period  of  fifty  years  of  citizenship,  he  was  elected  and 
served  in  almost  all  of  the  more  important  public  offices  in  which 
the  townspeople  could  place  him. 

On  the  organization  of  the  town,  which  took  place  many  years 
after  he  became  a  resident,  it  was  named  in  his  honor  after  his 
middle  name — Colton. 

In  politics  Mr.  Higley  was  an  old  line  Whig,  and  in  later  years 
was  an  active  leader  in  the  Republican  party  of  his  district.  His 
partisanship  was  not  of  an  offensive  type;  he  never  failed  of  elec- 
tion to  every  office  for  which  he  accepted  the  nomination,  his 
most  bitter  opponents  declaring  that  they  could  make  no  possible 
objection  to  him,  except  that  he  did  not  belong  to  their  side,  his 
geniality,  with  his  other  good  traits,  gaining  all  impartial  voters. 
His  son  well  recollects  the  ardent  and  active  part  he  took  in  the 
presidential  campaigns  of  1840  and  1844. 

He  possessed  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  those  social  qualities 
that  make  men  popular  with  their  fellow-men,  and  to  his  moral 
uprightness  and  sterling  integrity  was  added  decision  of  charac- 
ter and  firmness. 

A  very  old  tombstone  in  the  cemetery  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  indi- 
cates that  Mr.  Higley  married  as  early  as  1823.  The  inscription 
on  the  stone  that  marks  the  grave  of  the  young  wife  and  mother 

reads  thus: 

"  Nabby,  wife  of  J.  C.  Higley,  died 
25th  of  March,  A.  D.  1824,  aged  30  years." 

An  infant  son  died  February  14,  1824. 


670  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

He  married,  second,  September  4,  1830,  Eunice,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Smith.  She  was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1792,  and  died  at  Colton,  N.  Y.,  October  n,  1874. 

Jesse  Colton  Higley  died  June  16,  1874. 

Jesse  Colton  Higley  and  his  wife  Eunice  (Smith)  Higley  were 
the  parents  of  one  child,  David : 

DAVID  HIGLEY  was  born  at  Colton,  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y.,  June  8,  1832.  His  earlier  years  were  spent  upon  his 
father's  farm,  following  the  plow,  sowing,  raking,  and  binding,  and 
the  other  farm  occupations  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  farmers'  boys. 

With  the  inborn  reticence  which  is  a  constitutional  character- 
istic of  many  who  bear  the  Higley  name,  he  is  inclined  to  suppress 
his  own  personality,  the  natural  inheritance  of  an  unassuming 
and  tenderly  sensitive  disposition  causing  him  to  prefer  a  quiet 
and  unobtrusive  life. 

In  commercial  relations  he  bore  a  reputation  for  the  highest 
integrity.  His  sincerity,  uprightness,  and  honesty  of  purpose 
were  never  questioned. 

He  married,  April  23,  1861,  Emma  S.  Doolittle,  and  removed 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  for  some  years  engaged  in 
business,  and  where  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Higley  became  a  member  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of 
Rochester  in  1878,  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  faithful  supporter. 
After  years  of  responsibility,  he  is  now  retired  from  active 
business. 

David  and  Emma  D.  Higley  were  the  parents  of  one  child,  viz. : 

GERTRUDE  E.  HIGLEY,  born  July  27,  1866.  She  grew  to  the  years  of  interest- 
ing young  womarthood,  possessing  a  good  mind  and  many  most  estimable  qualities. 
By  her  life-giving  sunshine  in  the  home,  and  her  sympathy  and  devotion  to  her 
father,  she  was  a  part  of  his  life  and  joy.  She  united  at  an  early  age  with  the 
Church  of  her  father's  choice — the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
and  was  encircled  by  a  large  number  of  loving  companions. 

But  her  journey  "from  the  cradle  to  immortal  life"  was  brief  ;  she  was  yet  in 
the  charm  of  bright  years  when  she  was  called  from  earth  to  heaven.  Her  doting 
parents  could  not  have  had  the  courage  to  have  chosen  that  their  hearts  and  home 
should  become  clouded  with  sorrow  and  left  desolate,  though  they  sorrow  not  with- 
out hope,  for  she  had  cared  for  the  things  eternal  here,  and  "she  went  not  un- 
known into  the  other  life,"  passing  away  on  the  23d  of  April,  1887. 

"  Meanwhile,"  the  father1  cries,  "  content ! 

Our  love  was  well  divided  ; 
Its  sweetness  following  where  she  went, 
Its  anguish  stayed  where  I  did. 
1  This  word  is  transposed. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  \ST.  671 

Well  done,  of  God,  to  halve  the  lot, 

And  give  her  all  the  sweetness — 
To  us  the  empty  room  and  cot, 

To  her  the  heavens'  completeness." 

Continued  from  page  665. 

CHARITY  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  daughter  and  fourth  child  of 
Jesse  Higley,  ist,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  (Watson)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  April  17,  1795. 

She  married,  January  3,  1817,  Alanson  E.  Durand.  Their  first 
removal  from  their  native  town  was  to  Pawsville,  and  from 
thence  to  Burlington,  afterward  residing  for  a  brief  period  at 
Crown  Point,  N.  Y.  They  then  emigrated  to  Aurora,  111.  Their 
residence  here  covered  a  number  of  years.  It  was  at  Aurora  that 
her  husband  died — Thanksgiving  Day,  1868.  Mrs.  Durand,  then 
being  upward  of  seventy-three  years  of  age,  took  up  her  residence 
with  her  son,  James  A.  Durand,  and  on  the  removal  of  his  family 
to  Belle  Plains,  la.,  accompanied  them.  The  last  years  of  her  life 
were  spent  in  the  household  of  the  same  son  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

The  true  record  of  her  long  life  cannot  be  put  into  words. 
She  was  an  interesting  character,  possessing  remarkably  pre- 
served faculties,  and  enjoying  a  fair  degree  of  health  till  she 
neared  her  ninety-fifth  year.  She  was  for  a  great  number  of 
years  a  Christian  professor  in  membership  with  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  Though  taking  no  morbid  view  of  this  life  as  she 
reviewed  it  from  the  standpoint  of  extreme  old  age,  and  believ- 
ing in  its  highest,  truest  pleasures,  she  declared  at  its  eventide 
"  that  she  had  failed  to  find  in  it  that  which  satisfies  the  immor- 
tal spirit  and  gives  it  permanent  satisfaction,  and  that  she  was 
inspired  to  look  alone  to  the  life  beyond  as  the  acme  of  perfected 
human  happiness."  * 

She  died  at  the  residence  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Buck,  April  24,  1890,  aged  ninety-five  years.  She  was  interred 
beside  her  husband  at  Aurora,  111. 

"  I  will  behold  thy  presence, 
.   .  .  and  when  I  awake  up  after  thy  likeness, 
I  shall  be  satisfied." 

Alanson  and  Charity  Higley  Durand  were  the  parents  of  six 
children  who  survived  infancy,  viz. : 

Edgar,  James  A. ,  Rollin,  George  W.^  Elizabeth,  and  Helen. 

»  Written  in  *  letter  addressed  to  the  Higley  Reunion,  1889, 


672  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

EDGAR  DURAND,  the  eldest,  lived  till  manhood,  married,  and  settled  at  Freeport, 
O.  He  died,  leaving  an  infant  son. 

JAMES  ALEXANDER  DURAND,  the  second  child,  was  born  in  Crown  Point, 
N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1825,  and  remained  with  his  parents  till  twenty  years  of  age. 
In  the  year  1845  he  married  Anna  C.  Beers  of  Charlotte,  Vt.,  and  settled  in  Bur- 
lington. In  1853  they  removed  to  Chicago,  residing  there  three  years,  when  they 
went  to  Oswego,  Kendal  County,  111.  Here  they  lived  seventeen  years.  They 
then  removed  to  Belle  Plains,  la.,  remaining  there  eighteen  years,  then  returned 
to  the  city  of  Chicago,  where  he  died  at  his  residence,  February  10,  1891,  and  was 
interred  at  Oswego,  111.  He  had  one  son,  Cassius  ff.  Durand. 

CASSIUS  H.  DURAND  married  Marguerite  Bum  of  Newton,  N.  J.  They  are 
the  parents  of  one  child,  Herbert  Cassius  Durand. 

ROLLIN,  the  third  child  of  Alanson  and  Charity  Higley  Durand,  died  in  Wyo- 
ming, Canada. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  DURAND,  the  fourth  child,  married  and  removed  to  the 
far  West,  and  died. 

ELIZABETH,  the  first  daughter  of  Alanson  and  Charity  Higley  Durand,  married 
Ira  W.  Buck.  She  died  February,  1892,  and  was  interred  in  the  family  burial  lot 
at  Aurora,  111. 

HELEN,  the  sixth  child,  married  the  Rev.  Timothy  Lyman  of  Ludlow,  Mass., 
and  died  in  that  town. 


Continued  from  page  665. 

MARY  AMY,  the  sixth  child  of  Jesse  Higley,  ist,  and  Eliza- 
beth (Watson)  Higley,  was  born  November  22,  1799.  She  mar- 
ried, first,  Ebenezer  Duncklee.  They  resided  at  Potsdam,  N.  Y. 
They  had  a  son,  Albert  B.  Duncklee,  born  at  Potsdam  November 
8,  1831.  Mrs.  Duncklee's  second  husband  was Brown. 

ESTES  HOWE  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Jesse,  ist,  and 
Elizabeth  (Watson)  Higley,  was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  March 
15,  1802.  He  married  Jane  Brown.  He  removed  to  Lapeer, 
Mich.,  where  they  brought  up  a  family.  He  died  July  7,  1866. 
A  son,  Emulus  Higley^  resides  at  Lapeer.  No  further  historical 
data  has  been  furnished. 

ELIZA,  the  eighth  child  of  Jesse,  ist,  and  Elizabeth  (Watson) 
Higley,  was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  April  26,  1806.  She  married 
Alexander  Russell. 

They  removed  to  Michigan,  and  died,  leaving  children. 

ALMIRA,  the  ninth  child  of  the  same  parents,  was  born  at  Addi- 
son,  Vt.,  November  16,  1809.  She  never  married. 

AMANDA,  the  tenth  child,  was  born  June  14,  1811.  She  mar- 
ried   Butts. 

The  editor  has  no  further  information  of  this  family. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  673 

Continued  from  page  660. 

Of  Josiah  Higley,  2d's,  youngest  three  children  but  little  is 
known.  They  are  as  follows: 

PHILANDER  HIGLEY,  his  fifth  child,  was  born  October  24,  1767, 
at  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury,  Conn.  Nothing  more  is  known  of 
him.  He  may  not  have  lived  till  manhood. 

SYLVESTER  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills, 
Simsbury,  January  20,  1770,  and  baptized  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Andrew,  Scotland  parish  (now  Bloomfield),  Februapy  16,  1771. 
He  married  in  1790,  in  the  same  church,  Urania  Cibborn.  Old 
family  business  papers  show  that  one  of  the  sons  of  Josiah  Hig- 
ley, 2d,  emigrated  early  in  this  century  to  Onondaga  County, 
New  York.  There  is  but  little  question  that  Sylvester  Higley 
and  his  wife  were  the  persons  who  removed  and  settled  there. 

THEODOSIA  HIGLEY,  the  youngest  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  2d, 
was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Roger  Viets  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Andrew,  Scotland,  February  13,  1774.  There  is  no  allusion 
to  her  afterward.  She  probably  did  not  survive  infancy. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxv.  p.  145. 

We  now  return  to  the  family  of  Josiah  Higley,  ist. 

REBECCA  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Josiah  Higley,  ist,  and 
his  wife  Dinah  Gillette,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills,  Simsbury, 
May  22,  1727.  She  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  father's  decease, 
1751 ;  further  than  this  nothing  is  known  of  her. 

SUSANNAH  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Josiah,  ist,  and  Dinah 
(Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  May  30,  1730.  She  was  twenty  when 
her  father  died  in  1751.  Nothing  further  is  known  of  her. 

DINAH  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Josiah,  ist,  and  Dinah 
(Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  January  i,  1732.  She  was  living 
when  her  father's  estate  was  settled,  in  1751.  No  further 
account  of  her  has  been  discovered. 


CHAPTER  LXXI. 

DESCENDANTS   OF   JOSIAH   HIGLEY,   1ST. 

Continued  front  chapter  xxv,  p.  145. 
Nathan,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Let  us  now  praise  famous  men  and  our  fathers  that  begat  us.   .   .    There  be  of  them  that  have 
left  a  name  behind  them  that  their  praises  might  be  reported.— ECCLESIASTICUS  xliv. 

NATHAN  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  and  second  son  of  Josiah,  ist, 
and  Dinah  (Gillette)  Higley,  was  born  at  Turkey  Hills  parish, 
Simsbury, — now  East  Granby, — Conn.,  August  i,  1736.  He 
appears  to  have  removed  to  Windsor,  which  was  a  distance  of 
less  than  ten  miles  from  his  birthplace,  soon  after  reaching  his 
majority.  In  the  "seating  of  ye  meetin  house"  of  the  Second 
Society  of  Windsor  (now  the  First  Church  of  South  Windsor)  in 
1761,  he  was  placed  in  the  "  2d  pew." 

He  married,  September  16,  1764,  Anna  Barrett  of  Hartford, 
Conn.  She  was  born  December  17,  1733.  They  established 
their  home  in  Windsor.  On  the  25th  of  the  June  after  their 
marriage,  the  following  certificate  was  addressed  to  the  Windsor 
Church  by  Anna  Higley's  former  pastor  : 

"  HARTFORD,  June  25th,  1765. 

"This  may  certify  all  whom  it  may  concern  that  Ann  Barret  (now  wife  of  Nathan 
Higley  of  Windsor)  did  some  time  since  publicly  own  and  recognize  her  Baptismal 
Covenant,  in  the  South  Church  in  Hartford,  and,  when  she  went  from  us,  was  in 
regular  standing  and  free  from  scandal. 

"ELNATHAN  WHITMAN, 
"  Pastor  of  the  South  Church." 

On  July  i,  1786,  she  "  owned  "  or  renewed  "  ye  covenant "  with 
the  East  Windsor  Church. 

Beyond  minor  business  transactions  found  upon  record,  little 
is  known  of  Nathan  Higley's  life.  We  have  reason,  however,  to 
conclude  that  he  was  a  man  possessing  an  unshaken  name  for 
stability  and  integrity;  a  quiet  citizen,  who  lived  in  sober  style, 
attending  to  his  farming  industry.  He  was  evidently  faithful  in 
his  church  relations.  Mention  is  made  of  him  in  connection  with 

674 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY, \ST.  675 

town  matters,  February  6,  1771,  and  on  the  i3th  of  July,  1793,  he 
sold  land  to  his  sons,  Horace  and  Nathan,  Jr.  His  name  again 
appears,  in  June  of  the  latter  year,  in  an  old  sawmill  account  at 
Suffield,  from  which  place  he  probably  purchased  lumber. 

Nathan  Higley  died  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  March  4,  1816.  His 
wife,  Anna,  died  at  Winchester,  Conn.,  July  13,  1813.  /^heir 
children  : 

Horace,  born  June  n,  1765;  Nathan,  Jr.,  born  September  7, 
1767;  Arodi,  born  February  5,  1770;  Anne,  borp  December  17, 

1774,  and  baptized  on  the  i8th  ;  she  married  Coe  ; 

Clarissa,  born  November  20,  1777,  and  baptized  on  the  23d  of  the 

same  month ;  she  married Lawrence.  Of  the  daughters  we 

have  no  further  account. 

HORACE  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Nathan  and  Anna  (Barrett) 
Higley,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Hartford  County,  Conn.,  June 

i7,  1765- 

He  married  Eleanor  Loomis,  daughter  of  Amasa  Loomis 1  and 
his  wife  Hannah  Hurlburt,  residents  of  East  Windsor,  December 
9,  1793.  She  was  born  June  29,  1767.  Her  father  died  the  July 
preceding  her  marriage,  leaving,  it  is  supposed,  some  property, 
to  which  she  became  heir,  since  she  and  her  sister,  Mabel 
Loomis,  gave  a  warrantee  deed  of  land  to  Jonathan  Birge,  on  the 
2ist  of  October,  1794. 

Horace  Higley  sold  his  estate  in  Windsor,  May  13,  1795,  and 
removed  to  Winchester,  Litchfield  County,  Conn.  February, 
1796,  he  sold  land  to  his  brother,  Arodi  Higley.  The  family 
appear  to  have  removed  back  to  East  Windsor  early  in  1797,  as 
the  births  and  baptisms  of  some  of  their  children  are  there 
recorded.  Of  this  removal,  however,  we  are  not  entirely  clear. 
About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  they  took  up  their 
residence  at  Winsted,  Conn.,  where  they  lived  full  forty  years. 
Horace  Higley  was  "  recommended  "  to  the  Winsted  Church  in 
1802. 

Natural  refinement  and  intelligence  were  remarkably  blended 
as  characteristic  traits  this  family  possessed;  they  were  well-to-do 
in  the  world,  self-reliant,  resolute,  and  highly  respected. 

As  age  advanced  upon  Horace  and  Eleanor  Higley,  they 
removed,  in  the  year  1841,  to  Painesville,  O.,  where  they  spent 
their  remaining  years  with  married  children. 

1  Amasa  Loomis  was  born  February  19,  1738.  He  died  July  i,  1793.  He  was  the  son  o£ 
Gresham  Loomis,  who  was  born  in  1701. 


676  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Horace  Higley  died  at  Painesville,  O.,  January  2,  1842.  Elea- 
nor (Loomis)  Higley  died  August  17,  1849.  Their  children  : 

Horace  Loomis,  born  December  29,  1794;  Homer,  born  Decem- 
ber 30,  1796;  Peter,  born  February  10,  1802;  Mary,  born  May  18, 
1804;  Charles,  born  November  14,  1806;  William,  born  April  23, 
1809. 

HORACE  LOOMIS  HIGLEY,  the  oldest  son  of  Horace  and  Eleanor 
(Loomis)  Higley,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Hartford  County, 
Conn.,  December  29,  1794,  and  baptized  on  the  4th  of  January, 
1795.  His  eighteenth  birthday,  in  the  year  1812,  found  him  at 
Pascagoula,  Miss.,  having  gone  out  into  the  world  to  carve  his 
own  way.  Here  he  resided  for  some  years.  From  Pascagoula  he 
went  to  Pensacola,  Fla.  It  was  here  that  he  became  a  member  of 
the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  and,  as  superintendent  under 
Major  Chase,  was  in  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  fortifications  in 
Pensacola  harbor. 

He  was  recognized  by  all  classes,  wherever  he  was  met,  as  a 
gentleman  of  rare  culture  and  unaffected  elegance  of  manner.  He 
became  a  thorough  Southerner  in  thought,  taste,  and  habit  in 
life.  Except  that  there  still  lingered  a  remnant  of  his  boyhood 
attachment  to  the  New  England  scenes  of  his  early  years,  and  to 
the  kindred  whom  he  could  recall  in  his  after  life,  he  was  like  one 
native  born  under  the  smiling  suns  and  amid  the  brilliant  flower- 
beds and  verdant  foliage-bordered  rivers  of  our  charming  summer- 
land. 

One  of  his  nieces  well  recollects  the  impression  that  he  made 
when  he  once  came  North  to  visit  her  father  during  her  child- 
hood, the  admiring  interest  that  he  aroused  in  the  town  by  his 
graceful  and  gentlemanly  demeanor,  and  how  grand  he  appeared 
in  her  eyes  with  his  handsome  figure,  clad  from  .head  to  foot  in  a 
suit  of  faultless  white  linen,  the  customary  summer  costume  of 
a  Southern  gentleman  of  that  day. 

He  married,  May  15,  1827,  Eulalie  Collins  of  Pensacola,  Fla., 
a  cultivated  woman  of  refinement  and  much  sweetness  of  charac- 
ter. Her  father  was  a  Creole  born  in  Pensacola,  of  French  and 
Spanish  parentage.  Twelve  years  after  their  marriage,  during 
which  time  they  resided  in  Pensacola,  they  removed  (1839)  to 
Mobile,  Ala.  Here  Mr.  Higley  entered  the  State  Bank  of  Ala- 
bama as  paying-teller.  Later  on  in  the  Bank  of  Mobile  he  filled 
the  positions  both  of  receiving-  and  paying-teller,  and  was  finally 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLE  K,  1ST.  677 

elected  cashier,  which  office  he  held  for  several  years  till  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  never  accepted  public  office.  Modest,  and  of 
a  retiring  disposition,  he  shunned  public  notoriety,  but  he  was 
always  found  at  his  post  of  duty,  faithfully  and  honestly  dis- 
charging the  trusts  confided  to  him. 

He  died  in  Mobile,  August  20,  1856.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
devout  and  conscientious  Roman  Catholic,  died  in  the  year  1879. 

Horace  Loomis  and  Eulalie  Collins  Higley  were  the  parents  of 
six  children,  all  of  whom  were  baptized  in  infancy  into  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith,  viz. : 

Horace  Antonio,  born  May  29,  1828  ;  John  Hunt,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  1830;  Charles  Homer,  born  August  4,  1833;  Henry  Pauld- 
ing,  born  February  20,  1836;  William  Henry,  born  January  30, 
1838;  Mary  Florence,  born  August  10,  1840;  and  James  Bowie, 
born ,  1842. 

HORACE  ANTONIO  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Horace  Loomis 
Higley  and  his  wife  Eulalie  Collins,  was  born  at  Pensacola, 
Fla.,  May  29,  1828.  In  the  year  1849  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
California,  with  the  rush  of  the  Argonauts.  He  had  been  thor- 
oughly educated,  and  was  now  by  profession  a  surveyor,  draughts- 
man, and  engineer.  In  1833,  and  again  in  1855,  he  was  elected 
surveyor  of  Alameda  County,  situated  just  across  the  Bay  from 
San  Francisco.  The  position  at  that  time  was  a  very  important, 
responsible,  and  lucrative  one.  He  was  a  singularly  handsome 
young  man,  over  six  feet  in  height,  with  large  black  lustrous  eyes, 
bearing  all  the  marks  of  a  high-bred  gentleman.  With  most  win- 
ning ways,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  became  a  great  favorite 
among  his  associates. 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  letter  received  from  the  Hon. 
Andrew  J.  Moulder,  Mayor  of  San  Francisco,  and  Ex-State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction: 

"  My  heart  swells  even  now  as  I  recall  the  noble  bearing  and  gallant  spirit  of 
my  departed  friend.  We  were  youngsters  together.  In  the  early  fighting  days  of 
California,  when  every  gentlemen  had  to  fight  under  provocation  or  qviit  the  coun- 
try branded  as  a  coward,  both  Horace  and  myself  much  preferred  the  fight.  We 
have  stood  back  to  back  with  heavy  odds  against  us  in  more  than  one  deadly  fray  : 
and  what  comfort  to  know  that  your  backer  would  never  flinch  !  I  recall  as  if  it 
were  but  yesterday  when  we  were  once  beset  by  half  a  dozen  desperadoes  armed  to 
the  teeth,  and  there  seemed  nothing  left  but  to  sell  one's  life  dearly.  When  the  leader 
of  the  gang,  to  whom  we  were  strangers  in  person,  but  well-known  by  reputation, 

cried  out,    'Who  the  h 1  are  you,  anyhow  ?'     The  answer  was  '  Higley  and 

44 


678  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Moulder  ! '  The  leader  lowered  his  weapon  at  once,  and  turning  to  his  comrades 
said,  '  Pshaw,  boys!  \ve  don't  want  to  fight  these  gentlemen  ;  they  are  our  kind. 
Let  all  hands  take  a  drink  ! '  More  than  one  of  them  at  a  later  day  stood  by  us  in 
a  tight  place." 

In  another  part  of  the  letter  he  says: 

"  General  Higley  was  well-known  to  all  of  the  leading  old  Calif ornians,  and  was 
universally  admired  by  the  women  and  beloved  by  the  men.  He  was  the  very 
type  of  a  high-toned  Southern  gentleman,  the  soul  of  honor,  generous,  and  brave 
to  rashness. 

"  In  1857  he  was  elected  Surveyor-General  of  the  State  of  California  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  I  was  elected  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  at  the 
same  time  on  the  same  ticket,  and  during  the  campaign  we  traversed  the  State  to- 
gether. Horace  couldn't  make  a  strong  speech,  but  he  was  the  best  social 
"  rustler  "  in  a  mixed  crowd  I  ever  met  with.  He  captivated  all  around  him  by 
his  wit,  his  easy  manners,  and  his  ban  hommie.  He  was  elected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  filled  the  office  with  honesty  and  ability,  and  was  re-elected  in  1859. 

"  In  1861,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War, 
he  abandoned  a  promising  career  and  prospects  of  fortune  in  California  to  go  with 
the  South  and  join  the  Confederate  Army.  He  was  an  ambitious  and  daring 
soldier,  and  was  soon  appointed  on  the  staff  of  fighting  General  Cleburne.  After 
General  Morgan  had  started  on  his  famous  cavalry  raid  through  Kentucky  into 
Ohio,  Higley  was  sent  post-haste  with  instructions  to  overtake  him  and  deliver 
orders  from  his  commanding  general.  He  came  up  with  Morgan  just  after  he  had 
crossed  the  Ohio  River.  The  Union  forces  were  pursuing  so  closely  that  he  could 
not  get  back  to  his  command.  He  told  me — describing  his  adventure  in  stirring 
terms — that  he  had  an  all  night  race  for-  life.  Morgan  and  his  troops  were  cap- 
tured, utterly  worn  out.  Higley  was  taken  prisoner  among  the  number,  and  con- 
fined at  Columbus,  O.  He  complained  bitterly  afterward  that  he  was  not  treated 
as  a  prisoner  of  war,  but  was  treated  as  a  felon,  closely  confined  in  a  narrow  cell 
and  put  on  prison  fare.  Ladies  who  were  friends  of  his  family  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
came  to  his  aid — cheered,  comforted,  and  supplied  him  with  luxuries.  After  a 
long  imprisonment  he  was  released.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
California,  still  handsome,  elegant,  and  full  of  life.  But  alas  !  he  had  contracted 
in  the  army  the  baneful  habit  of  drink." 

Some  time  during  the  year  1871  General  H.  Antonio  Higley 
married  Sallie  Phole,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  was  twenty 
years  his  junior.  His  splendid  health  soon  after  his  return  to 
California  began  to  decline,  and  on  the  3d  of  March,  1873,  he 
was  taken  to  the  hospital  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  entry  by  the  physicians  concerning  his  physical  con- 
dition when  admitted  was :  "  Fatty  degeneration  of  the  liver. "  By 
degrees  he  improved  considerably  under  treatment,  and  his  life 
was  prolonged  till  the  following  November.  His  wife  was  con- 
stantly beside  him  during  his  weary  months  of  confinement.  "A 


GEN.  JOHN   H.    HIGLEY. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  679 

more  devoted  wife,"  writes  Mother  Russell,  "  could  not  be  found. 
She  was  not  a  Catholic,  but  she  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  her 
husband  prepare  very  sincerely  to  appear  before  the  Tribunal 
of  Eternal  Justice." 

"  He  was  a  prince  of  good  fellows  [concludes  Mr.  Moulder],  genial  and  generous, 
a  friend  that  you  could  tie  to — the  Higleys  never  had  a  nobler  or  more  gallant 
bearer  of  the  name.  Peace,  dear  fellow,  to  thy  ashes  ! " 

General  Antonio  Higley's  remains  were  embalmed  and  taken  to 
his  old  home  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  where  the  burial  took  place.  He 
left  no  children. 

"  Very  peacefully  they  rest — 
North  and  South  and  East  and  West — 
While  the  heaven-descending  dew 
Falls  alike  on  Gray  and  Blue, 
While  the  cheering  light  of  day 
Shines  on  Blue  and  shines  on  Gray 
Weary  march  and  battle  sore 
Past  for  them  forevermore  !  * 


Continued  from  page  677. 

GENERAL  JOHN  HUNT  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Horace 
Loomis  and  Eulalie  (Collins)  Higley,  was  born  in  Pensacola,  Fla., 
December  4,  1830. 

In  infancy  his  devoted  Roman  Catholic  mother  had  the  seal  of 
baptism  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  placed  upon  him,  and  in 
his  youth  he  received  the  sacraments;  but  when  he  passed  to 
years  of  manhood  the  fascinations  of  life  weaned  him  from  the 
practice  of  the  faith,  and  he  was  not  afterward  what  could  be 
called  a  practical  Catholic.  He  was,  however,  all  through  life  a 
firm  believer  in  Christianity. 

When  he  was  yet  a  child  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Mobile, 
Ala.  Here  he  entered,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  upon  a  business 
career,  beginning  as  clerk  in  the  stores  of  S.  I.  &  I.  I.  Jones, 
where  he  remained  five  years.  From  1855  to  1861  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  William  T.  Marshall  &  Co.,  cotton  factors.  Mr. 
Marshall  was  afterward  his  father-in-law.  Fortune  smiled  upon 
him.  He  became  one  of  the  most  popular,  prominent,  and  pros- 
perous men  of  his  adopted  city  and  State,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  leading  organizations  of  his  city. 

In  1854  he  became  a  member  of  the  "Can't-Get-Away  Club"  of 


680  THE   H  1C  LEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Mobile,  a  society  established  in  1839  f°r  tne  purpose  of  nursing 
and  aiding  the  victims  of  the  distressing  epidemic  of  yellow  fever. 
With  two  other  members  of  the  society  General  Higley  volun- 
teered his  services  to  go  to  the  aid  of  the  sufferers  in  Savannah, 
Ga.  Here  he  took  charge  of  a  yellow  fever  infirmary  until  the 
disease  abated,  and  on  his  way  back  to  Mobile  he  nursed  patients 
in  Montgomery,  Ala.,  where  the  same  dread  disease  had  also 
become  epidemic. 

General  Higley's  military  career  began  some  time  prior  to  the 
late  Civil  War.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  conflict  between  the 
States  he  was  first  lieutenant  of  the  Mobile  Cadets.  Loyal  to 
his  State,  and  with  fidelity  and  faith  in  his  people,  he  promptly 
entered  the  Confederate  Army,  joining  the  3d  Alabama  Infantry 
Regiment,  with  which  he  served  in  Virginia,  and  won  distinction 
by  his  gallantry. 

In  1862,  while  in  the  army,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Mobile, 
and  returned  home  for  a  time  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office. 
But  as  the  demand  for  Confederate  troops  became  more  and 
more  urgent,  he  joined  the  4oth  Alabama  Regiment,  having 
been  elected  lieutenant-colonel.  This  regiment  became  a  part  of 
the  western  Confederate  army.  It  marched  to  Vicksburg,  and 
was  in  that  city  at  the  time  of  its  surrender  to  General  U.  S. 
Grant,  July  4,  1863.  By  the  resignation  of  the  commanding 
officer,  Higley  became  colonel  of  the  4oth  Alabama  Regiment, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865. 

Colonel  Higley  was  engaged  in  numerous  skirmishes  and  battles, 
but  was  never  wounded.  After  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  he 
was  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  command  of  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  in  the  famous  brigade  of  General  Baker. 
When  the  city  of  Atlanta  was  taken,  Baker's  brigade  was  ordered 
to  Spanish  Fort,  opposite  the  city  of  Mobile,  and  did  duty  there 
for  several  months.  In  January,  1865,  Colonel  Higley  went  with 
his  brigade  to  North  Carolina,  and  was  engaged  in  the  last  fight 
of  Johnston's  army  at  Bentonville  against  General  Sherman,  when 
"the  honest  purpose  of  the  South  was  crossed,  and  her  brave 
armies  were  finally  beaten." 

As  a  military  commander  his  gallantry  upon  many  a  bloody 
field  was  conspicuous. 

On  the  isth  of  February,  1865,  in  Trinity  Church,  Mobile,  he 
married  Lily  Marshall,  the  eldest  daughter  of  William  T.  Marshall 
of  that  city. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  68l 

After  the  war  he  was  made  brigadier-general  of  the  ist  Brig- 
ade, Alabama  Militia.  In  this  battalion  he  always  took  an  active 
interest.  "True  to  the  memories  of  the  past,  and  no  less  true 
to  the  duties  of  the  future  and  the  glory  of  our  united  country," 
when  peace  was  established,  he  was  forward  in  all  the  offices  of  a 
good  citizen,  prompt  in  the  exercise  of  political  duties,  his  fellow- 
citizens  considering  him  invaluable  in  party  counsels.  In  the 
political  struggles  for  good  government  during  the  dark  days 
that  followed  the  situation  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  bore  him- 
self as  an  unflinching  and  undaunted  leader.  While  it  may  have 
been  hard  to  endure,  in  common  with  his  comrades  and  their 
leaders,  the  overthrow  of  the  Confederacy  for  which  he  had 
bravely  fought  and  given  his  treasure,  he  nobly  submitted  to  the 
result  of  the  war,  rising  above  ignoble  bias  or  bitter  feeling 
against  the  Northern  populace  and  its  war  commanders,  whose 
destiny  it  was  to  gain  the  vantage  ground.  General  Higley  occu- 
pied many  positions  of  trust  and  honor  to  the  end  of  his  life, 
among  which  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lee  Association,  President 
of  the  Merchants'  Steam  Fire  Company,  No.  4,  a  member  of  the 
Athelstan  Lodge,  No.  369,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Eminent  Com- 
mander of  the  Mobile  Commandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.,  and  President 
of  the  "  Can't-Get-Away  Club,"  a  benevolent  society. 

After  the  war  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  William 
T.  Marshall  &  Co.,  cotton  factors,  with  which  he  remained 
until  elected  Secretary  of  the  Washington  Fire  and  Marine  Insur- 
ance Company,  which  position  he  filled  with  great  credit  to  him- 
self for  fifteen  years,  till  the  company  wound  up  its  business 
and  re-insured  its  risks  in  "  the  American"  of  Philadelphia.  He 
then  continued  in  the  insurance  business  under  the  style  of  John 
H.  Higley  &  Co.,  his  son,  John,  Jr.,  being  his  partner,  represent- 
ing "the  American  "of  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  several  other 
companies. 

In  figure  General  John  Hunt  Higley  was  tall  and  finely  propor- 
tioned; his  bearing  was  commanding,  and  his  nature  genial  and 
kind.  J.  W.  Dorr,  editor  of  The  Floridian,  writes:  "I  have 
known  him  from  childhood.  We  were  boys  together  and  school- 
mates, both  natives  of  West  Florida.  He  is  one  of  the  noblest 
men  I  ever  knew — a  grand  man  in  his  nobility  of  character  and 
his  majestic  physique." 

He  was  unanimously  recognized  by  his  fellow-citizens  as  the 
fittest  man  to  be  the  model  for  the  typical  soldier  that  crowns 


682  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

the  Confederate  monument  erected  at  Mobile  to  commemorate 
the  valiant  deeds  and  heroic  courage  of  those  who  sacrificed  their 
lives  for  the  cause  of  the  South. 

His  death  was  sudden.  Stricken  down  with  apoplexy  early  in 
the  morning  of  February  27,  1889,  lingering  unconscious  during 
the  day,  the  "inevitable  hour"  coming  in  the  evening,  tells  the 
brief,  sad  story  of  him  quitting  this  world.  The  announcement 
of  his  departure  was  received  by  the  entire  community  with  deep 
feeling  of  genuine  sorrow  and  grief.  In  the  private  walks  of  life 
his  earnestness  of  purpose,  his  diligence  and  industry,  and  his 
uprightness  of  character  had  secured  the  confidence  of  the  people 
and  endeared  him  to  all  who  knew  him. 

His  private  life  was  as  beautiful  as  his  public  life.  An  editorial 
in  a  Mobile  evening  journal  remarks  : 

"  The  remembrance  of  his  broad  sympathies,  his  bright  and  cheerful  disposition, 
his  untiring  energy,  his  devotion  to  duty,  is  something  to  make  men  pause  in  the 
ceaseless  round  of  life  and  thank  God  that  there  are  beacon-lights  to  guide  those 
who  are  to  come  after  us." 

The  funeral  obsequies  took  place  February  28,  1889.  The 
remains  were  encased  in  an  elegant  casket  covered  with  black 
velvet  and  heavy  silk  cord.  Over  the  casket  was  laid  the  bullet- 
riddled  battle-flag  of  the  4©th  Alabama  Regiment,  of  which  he 
was  colonel  during  the  Civil  War.  The  body  was  taken  from  his 
residence  to  the  cathedral,  the  cortege  being  escorted  by  the  ist 
Regiment  of  Alabama  State  troops,  in  full  dress  uniform,  the 
members  of  the  Lee  Association,  the  Can't-Get-Away  Club,  and 
the  Mobile  Cadet  Veterans.  As  the  procession  drew  up  to  the 
main  entrance  of  the  cathedral,  the  honorary  pall-bearers,  who 
numbered  fifty  leading  citizens,  and  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Washington  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company  opened  ranks 
while  the  hearse  passed  through.  At  the  same  time  the  ist 
Alabama  Regiment  presented  arms,  while  the  band  played 
a  funeral  dirge  as  the  casket  was  being  moved  from  the  hearse 
to  the  church.  An  immense  congregation  was  gathered  within 
the  walls  of  the  cathedral,  while  crowds  who  could  not  gain 
admittance  stood  outside,  all  with  reverent  mien.  An  earnest 
address  was  delivered  by  Bishop  O'Sullivan. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  services,  and  while  the  casket  was 
being  borne  from  the  church,  Cherubini's  "  Veni  Jesu  "  was  sung 
by  a  quartet  of  distinguished  singers. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  683 

The  funeral  procession  was  then  formed  and  proceeded  to 
Magnolia  Cemetery,  where  the  services  were  concluded  at  the 
grave  by  the  officiating  bishop. 

The  floral  emblems  were  numerous  and  very  beautiful,  filling 
a  large  wagon.  Among  them  was  a  pillow  of  japonicas  from 
which  arose  a  silver  rod  supporting  a  star.  A  large  wreath  of 
roses  was  borne  upon  a  silver  staff  ornament,  with  white  ribbon. 
This  was  the  offering  of  the  surviving  veterans  of  the  4oth 
Alabama  Regiment. 

The  religious  services  at  the  grave  being  ended,  the  Mobile 
Cadets  were  drawn  up  in  line  and  fired  three  volleys  over  the 
newly  made  grave.  As  the  smoke  was  wafted  away  the  bugler 
stood  out  and,  just  at  the  twilight  hour,  as  daylight  was  fading 
and  darkness  was  gathering,  he  sounded  "taps" — the  soldier's 
last  farewell  to  a  beloved  comrade. 

Mrs.  Lily  Marshall  Higley  survives  her  husband,  and  resides 
with  her  family  in  Mobile,  Ala. 

General  John  Hunt  Higley  and  his  wife  were  'the  parents  of 
the  following  children,  all  of  whom  are  living: 

Mary  Eulalie,  born  August  19,  1867;  John  Hunt,  Jr.,  born 
January  28,  1869;  William  Marshall,  born  November  17,  1870; 
Lily,  born  April  n,  1879;  Horace  Herndon,  born  March  15,  1880. 

Continued  from  page  677. 

CHARLES  HOMER  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Horace  Loomis  and 
Eulalie  Collins  Higley,  was  born  in  Pensacola,  Fla.,  August  4,  1833. 
He  was  a  lad  of  six  years  when  his  parents  removed  to  Mobile, 
Ala.  Here  he  resided  with  his  parents  till  he  joined  General 
William  Walker  and  his  men  in  a  conquest  in  Nicaragua,  and  was 
killed  in  battle  early  in  the  year  1857.  He  never  married. 

HENRY  PAULDING  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Horace  Loomis 
and  Eulalie  Collins  Higley,  was  born  February  20,  1836.  He 
died  March  29,  1837. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  CHASE  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Horace 
Loomis  and  Eulalie  Collins  Higley,  was  born  in  Pensacola,  Fla., 
January  30,  1838.  Here  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five,  which  took  place  in  1883.  Died  unmarried. 

MARY  FLORENCE  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Horace  Loomis 
and  Eulalie  Collins  Higley,  was  born  in  Mobile,  Ala.,  August  10, 
1840.  She  married  Calvin  N.  Norris.  She  died  in  the  year  1886, 
leaving  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter. 


684  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

JAMES  BOWIE  HIGLEV,  the  seventh  child  of  Horace  Loomis  and 

Eulalie   Collins  Higley,  was  born  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  ,  1842, 

where  he  grew  to  young  manhood.  He  spent  almost  two  years 
in  California  with  his  brother,  General  Horace  Antonio  Higley. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  with  the  Con- 
federate troops  of  his  native  State,  and  was  killed  in  battle 
October  4,  1862,  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  when  the  Confederates,  gal- 
lantly undertaking  to  recapture  the  place,  were  signally  defeated 
in  an  attempt  to  take  it  by  assault. 


Continued  from  page  676. 

HOMER  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Horace  and  Eleanor 
Loomis  Higley,  was  born  at  Winchester,  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  December  30,  1796,  and  baptized  in  the  church  at  East 
Windsor  (now  South  Windsor)  May  14,  1797. 

In  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  he  entered  the  ranks 
under  Captain  Moses  Hayden,  August  3,  1813,  and  served  at 
New  London,  Conn.,  till  September  16,  when  the  soldiers  were 
discharged. 

He  married,  May  10,  1827,  Aurelia  Marshall,  daughter  of 
Raphael  Marshall  of  Colebrook,  Conn.  She  was  born  September 
10,  1804.  They  resided  in  Colebrook  during  the  three  years  next 
following  their  marriage.  Mr.  Higley  was  a  member  of  the 
Seneca  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  after  its  organization 
at  Newfield,  Conn.,  a  lodge  of  "very  creditable  financial  and 
social  standing." 

In  the  year  1830  Homer  Higley,  with  his  wife  and  one  child, — 
his  daughter  Ellen, — removed  to  Painesville,  O.,  at  that  time  a 
very  inconsiderable  place,  located  on  Lake  Erie.  Painesville  had 
been  a  trading  post  since  the  very  early  times  of  the  settlement 
of  Ohio.  The  wooded  point  near  the  mouth  of  the  deep  pic- 
turesque valley  of  the  Grand  River  forecasted  the  site  of  this, 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  towns  in  the  lake  region.  Commerce 
on  our  great  inland  seas  was  then  of  comparatively  little  im- 
portance. The  magnitude  of  the  present  commerce  was  not 
dreamed  of,  and  there  were  no  railroads  in  Ohio.  The  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  was  not  improved  till  twenty  years  later.  The  restless, 
venturesome  prospectors  on  the  rugged  north  shores  of  these 
great  lakes  were  going  from  point  to  point  in  little  boats  which 
they  propelled  by  oars,  spending  their  time  fishing  and  searching 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  685 

for  minerals.  To  the  westward  of  Painesville  the  swamps  and 
bogs  were  filled  with  beaver. 

At  this  place  Homer  Higley,  then  in  the  full  vigor  of  mature 
manhood,  took  part  in  overcoming  the  difficulties  of  an  unde- 
veloped country,  and  lent  his  individual  abilities  and  force  of 
character  in  the  advance  of  the  town. 

In  public  measures  he  made  his  usefulness  felt.  For  some 
years  he  served  as  one  of  the  township  trustees.  He  was  one  of 
the  moving  spirits  in  the  construction  of  the  Lake  and  Trumbull 
County  plank  road,  and  was  one  of  its  first  board  of  directors 
in  1852.  This  road  was  an  important  linking  highway  con- 
structed through  the  forests  between  Painesville  and  Warren,  O., 
and  at  that  time  was  an  eminent  public  advantage  to  the  two 
counties  of  Lake  and  Trumbull. 

Homer  Higley  lived  in  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-men,  hav- 
ing had  the  beginnings  of  good  birth  and  careful  training.  These 
advantages  founded  a  character  that  spent  its  life  in  uniformity 
of  purpose,  untinted  with  sordid  ambition  and  selfish  ends. 

He  died  at  his  residence  at  Painesville,  August  6,  1857.  His 
wife,  Aurelia  Marshall  Higley,  died  November  i,  1870. 

The  children  of  Homer  and  Aurelia  M.  Higley  were  : 

Ellen  M. ,  Charles  M. ,  and  Mary  Elizabeth. 

ELLEN  M.  HIGLEY,  their  eldest  child,  was  born  at  Colebrook,  Conn.,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1828,  and  was  taken  to  Painesville,  O.,  on  her  parents'  removal  to 
that  place  when  she  was  two  years  of  age. 

She  married,  September  8,  1852,  Truman  E.  Bird,  a  native  of  Skaneateles, 
N.  Y.  They  removed  to  Madison,  Wis.,  in  1854,  where  there  was  born  to  them 
three  children.  In  1883  they  removed  westward,  settling  upon  a  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Neb.,  where  they  now  reside.  Their  children  are : 

Allen  //.,  born  April  29,  1856  ;  Kate,  born  September  2,  1859  ;  an(i  Nellie  B. 
born  October  21,  1863.  Nellie  B.  Bird  married  John  S.  Wolf. 

CHARLES  M.,  the  second  child  of  Homer  and  Aurelia  Marshall  Higley,  was 
born  at  Painesville,  O.,  March  23,  1831.  He  was  accidently  killed  by  a  rail- 
way train  in  Cleveland,  O.,  September  6,  1854. 

MARY  ELIZABETH,  the  third  ch'ld  of  Homer  and  Aurelia  Marshall  Higley, 
was  born  at  Painesville,  O.,  May  21, 1839.  She  married,  August  9,  1860,  General 
Charles  E.  Harris.  They  reside  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Neb.  Their  children  are  : 

Charles  T.,  born  November  29,   1865,  and  Mary  L.,  born  September  6,  1869. 

Continued from  pagt  676. 

PETER  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Horace  and  Eleanor  Loomis 
Higley,  was  born  at  Winsted,  Conn.,  February  10,  1802.  He 
appears  to  have  been  taken  to  the  East  (now  South)  Windsor 


686  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Church  for  baptism,  May  30,  1802.  He  died  at  Winsted,  Sep- 
tember 17,  1813. 

MARY  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Horace  and  Eleanor  Loomis 
Higley  was  born  at  Winsted,  Conn.,  May  18,  1804.  She  re- 
moved to  Painesville,  O.,  with  her  parents  and  died  there, 
August  16,  1846.  She  never  married. 

CHARLES  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Horace  and  Eleanor  Loomis 
Higley,  was  born  at  Winsted,  Conn.,  November  14,  1806.  He 
died  at  Thompson  Sulphur  Well,  Yazoo  County,  Miss.,  August 
19,  1835.  Unmarried. 

WILLIAM  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Horace  and  Eleanor 
Loomis  Higley,  was  born  at  Winsted,  Conn.,  April  23,  1809. 
He  married,  September  20,  1832,  Sarah  E.  Beach,  daughter  of 
Erastus  Beach,  M.  D. ,  of  Sandisfield,  Mass.  He  died  May  2, 
1863,  at  Springfield,  Mass.  His  wife  survives  him  and  resides 
with  her  brother,  Dr.  Beach,  in  Springfield.  They  had  no 
children. 


NATHAN    HIGLEY,    JR. 

Nathan,  Jr.,  Nathan,  ist,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
Continued  from  page  675. 

NATHAN  HIGLEY,  Jr.  (or  2d),  the  second  child  of  Nathan  and 
Anna  (Barrett)  Higley,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1767,  and  was  baptized  in  the  East  Windsor  Church  on 
the  i3th  of  the  same  month.  He  married,  November  n,  1790, 
Hannah  Allyn,  of  a  very  old  and  honored  family  of  Windsor, 
Conn.  He  resided  during  his  entire  life  in  his  native  town,  devot- 
ing himself  mainly  to  agriculture.  May  5,  1793,  Nathan  and  his 
wife  together  "  owned  and  renewed  ye  covenant  "  in  the  church  at 
East  Windsor. 

The  children  of  Nathan,  Jr.,  and  Hannah  (Allyn)  Higley  were: 

SALLY  and  NATHAN,  twins,  baptized  in  the  East  (now  South)  Windsor  Church, 
March  30,  1794.  The  Christian  name  given  to  Nathan,  was  Nathan  Allyn.  He 
was  afterward  generally  called  by  his  middle  name.  Later  on  he  changed  the  spell- 
ing to  Allen.  Sally  lived  to  womanhood  and  married Lawrence. 

FREDERICK,  the  third  child  of  Nathan,  Jr.,  and  Hannah  (Allyn)  Higley,  was  born 
August,  1796,  and  baptized  February  19,  1797.  He  died  February  25,  1797. 

ANNA,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  July,  1798,  and  baptized  the  8th  of  the  same 
month.  She  married Coe. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  \ST.  687 

WILLIAM,  the  fifth  child  of  Nathan,  Jr.,  and  Hannah  (Allyn)  Higley,  was  born 
in  the  month  of  October,  and  baptized  November  I,  1801.  He  died  July  20, 
1821.  Unmarried. 

ARODI  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Nathan  and  Anna  (Barrett) 
Higley,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  February  5,  1770,  and 
baptized  in  the  East  Windsor  Church,  February  n,  1770.  He 
married  Clarissa  Loomis,  October  22,  1795.  The  two  brothers, 
Horace  and  Arodi,  married  sisters.  (See  sketch  of  Horace 
Higley,  page  675.)  Arodi  Higley  resided  at  East  Windsor.  He 
was  a  well  respected  citizen.  He  died  November  20,  1832,  and 
was  interred  in  the  rural  cemetery  at  East  Windsor,  where  a  sub- 
stantial marble  monument  marks  the  close  of  his  life. 

The  inventory  of  his  personal  estate  amounted  to  $404.33.  His 
son,  Job  L.  Higley,  was  appointed  administrator. 

His  wife,  Clarissa  Loomis  Higley,  died  September  13,  1858, 
aged  eighty-seven  years. 

Arodi  and  Clarissa  Loomis  Higley  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Job  Loomis  and  Hiram. 

JOB  LOOMIS  HIGLEY,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  September 
ii,  1801,  and  baptized  March  7,  1802.  He  married,  February  26,  1861,  his  cousin 
Sarah  Drake,  at  Hartford,  Conn.  She  was  born  March  5,  1820.  They  resided  at 
East  Windsor.  He  died  May  24,  1881.  She  died  April  17,  1884.  There  were 
no  children. 

HIRAM  HIGLEY,  the  second  child  of  Arodi  and  Clarissa  Loomis  Higley,  was 
born  September  30,  1804,  at  East  Windsor,  O.  He  removed  to  Michigan,  where 
he  married .  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  all  daughters,  viz.  : 

Mary  H. ,  Juliet,  and  Frances. 

His  daughter  Mary  married  Robertson,  and  resides  in  St.  Clair,  Mich. 

His  widow  and  one  daughter  reside  in  Ypsilanti,  Mich. 


CHAPTER  LXXII. 

DESCENDANTS   OF   JOSIAH    HIGLEY,    ISt. 

Continued  from  chapter  xxv.  p.  145. 
Elijah,  Sr.,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

Happy  he  who  with  a  bright  regard  looks  back  upon  his  father's  fathers, 

Who  with  joy  recounts  their  deeds  of  grace. 

— GOETHE. 

ELIJAH  HIGLEY,  Sr.,  the  sixth  child  of  Sergeant  Josiah 
Higley,  ist,  and  his  wife  Dinah  Gillette,  was  born  at  Turkey 
Hills  parish,  Simsbury,  Conn.,  about  the  year  1738.'  His  mar- 
riage is  found  upon  record,  thus: 

"  Elijah  Higley  of  Simsbury  and  Anna  Halliday  of  Suffield  joined  in  marriage  ye 
24th  of  February  A.  D.  1 763  :  " 

On  the  nth  of  April,  1763,  he  purchased  land  and  settled  in 
the  northern  part  of  Simsbury  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  Higley 
sawmill,  of  which  property  he  became  the  half  owner.  This  mill 
was  located  on  a  lively  stream  whose  waters  are  still  swiftly 
running,  and  is  the  same  "  little  brook  "  mentioned  in  one  of  the 
earliest  deeds  in  the  town  as  a  boundary  to  Captain  John  Higley's 
land.  There  is,a  venerable  hemlock  overhanging  a  fine  spring 
in  the  close  vicinity  near  which  Elijah  Higley's  dwelling  house 
stood.  The  house  disappeared  long  ago,  worn  away  by  time  and 
its  obliterating  elements. 

An  old  account  book,  now  in  possession  of  a  Vermont  branch 
of  the  Higleys,  gives  the  following  glimpse  of  Elijah: 

DR.  £    s.  d. 

December    1765,  Elijah  Higley  for   5    pounds  and   a  half   of   Chees.     038 
April  1766,  "  "       by  one  Bushel   of  Rie 030 

In  the  year  1767  he  removed  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  here  he 
built  and  owned  "a  good  grist  mill  at  Pine  Meadows,"  near  the 
present  site  of  Windsor  Locks,  together  with  other  permanent 
improvements  in  the  south  part  of  the  town. 

1  The  exact  date  of  birth  of  Elijah  Higley,  Sr.,  has  not  been  discovered. 
688 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  689 

He  was  a  man  who  displayed  the  energy  significant  of  the 
character  of  his  ancestry,  and  sustained  an  excellent  standing  in 
the  community. 

In  1779  he  with  his  family  removed  to  Marlboro,  Vt., 
emigrating,  it  is  supposed,  in  company  with  his  cousin  Daniel 
Higley  and  his  family,  who  went  the  same  year.  It  was  early  in 
1781  that  he  disposed  of  all  of  his  Windsor  property,  selling  to 
Alexander  Allen  "the  house,  barn,  and  shop  partly  built,  and 
half  the  grist  mill,  the  other  half  now  belonging  to  Ensign 
Eliakim  Gaylord."  ' 

At  Marlboro  he  took  the  freeman's  oath,  and  he  appears 
upon  the  town  records  as  a  citizen  of  active  usefulness.  He 
again  established  a  mill  property,  and  was  also  concerned  largely 
in  real  estate  transactions. 

As  far  as  is  known  both  Elijah  and  Anna  (Halliday)  Higley 
died  at  Marlboro,  Vt.  They  had  twelve  children,  viz. : 

Olive,  born  February  6,  1764;  Lavina  and  Lucina,  twins,  born 
October  25,  1765;  supposed  they  survived  but  a  brief  period. 
Lavina,  zd,  born  March  31,  1768.  Elijah,  zd,  born  July  7,  1770; 
died  October  17,  1776.  Anne,  born  August  27,  1772;  died 
October  30,  1776.  Chloe,  born  January,  1775;  died  October  19, 
1776.  Elijah  (again),  born  April,  1777;  died  July  17,  1777. 
Oliver,  born  August  14,  1779.  Eli  and  Chloe,  twins,  born  April  14, 
1782,  and  Elijah  (again),  born  September  4,  1784. 

Of  the  above  family  but  three,  Oliver,  Eli,  and  Elijah,  the 
youngest  child,  lived  to  maturity;  three  died  in  the  month  of 
October,  1776.  Nothing  is  known  of  Eli  except  that  he  resided 

at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  till  after  his  marriage  to  Charlotte , 

and  that  they  had  one  child  born  to  them,  January  16,  1807, 
named  Matilda. 


OLIVER   HIGLEY. 
Oliver,  Elijah,  ist,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 

OLIVER  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  and  first  surviving  child  of  Elijah 
and  Anna  (Halliday)  Higley,  was  born  August  14,  1779.  It  is  not 
clear  whether  his  birth  took  place  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  that 
he  was  taken  a  very  young  infant  to  Marlboro,  Windham  County, 
Vt.,  on  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  the  Green  Mountain  State, 

1  "  Windsor  Locks  :  its  Early  Settlers,"  by  Jabez  Hayden. 


690  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR   ANCESTRY. 

or  whether  he  was  born  at  Marlboro  very  soon  after  they 
settled  there. 

He  married,  June  20,  1801,  Lucretia  Higley,  his  second  cousin, 
the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Ruth  Higley,  who  lived  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  same  town — Marlboro.  She  was  born  November  13, 
1781. 

For  a  few  years  after  their  marriage  they  resided  in  Marlboro. 
Here  their  oldest  two  children  were  born.  They  then  crossed 
Lake  Champlain  to  Port  Kent,  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
they  settled  for  a  time,  afterward  removing  to  Edinburg,  Wash- 
ington County,  in  the  same  State,  about  the  year  1813.  Here 
other  children  were  born  to  them.  From  Edinburg  they  emi- 
grated to  western  New  York,  settling  at  Jamestown,  Chautauqua 
County,  some  time  in  the  twenties,  where,  in  the  year  1831,  they 
were  still  found. 

It  was  during  their  residence  here  that  Oliver  Higley  and  his 
wife  came  under  the  influences  of  the  preaching  of  the  "Latter- 
Day  Saints,"  or  Mormon  religionists,  which  turned  the  whole  cur- 
rent of  their  feelings  toward  that  belief,  and  which  they  both 
embraced. 

The  "Prophet,"  Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  of  the  sect,  began 
preaching  in  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1823,  and  the 
church,  whose  belief  was  in  a  "latter-day  dispensation,"  was 
founded  April  6,  1830,  at  Fayette,  Seneca  County.  Zealous  and 
earnest  apostles  of  the  new  faith,  their  souls  aglow  with  wonder- 
ful visions,  were  soon  passing  through  the  country,  proclaiming 
the  new  "revelation"  and  preaching  the  doctrines,  numbers 
catching  the  enthusiasm  and  becoming  converts. 

The  step  that  Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley  then  took  in  joining 
them,  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  members  of  their 
family,  all  of  whom  except  Dan,  the  eldest  son,  and  his  sister 
Lovina,  who  had  married  and  left  her  father's  home,  afterward 
became  devoted  followers  of  this  religious  sect. 

From  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  in  1833,  the  family 
removed  to  Kirtland,  O.,  a  village  which  became  almost  entirely 
a  Mormon  community.  In  1836  Kirtland  contained  no  less  than 
three  thousand  "  Latter-Day  Saints."  They  remained  there  till 
the  exodus  of  the  Mormons  to  Missouri  in  1837.  At  that  period 
Oliver  Higley,  with  his  family,  removed  to  Buffalo  Grove,  Ogle 
County,  111.,  where  they  resided  till  the  year  1843,  when  they  went 
to  Jo  Davis  County,  in  the  same  State.  Here  he  lived  till  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  691 

close  of  his  life — May  6,  1846.  He  followed  agriculture  till  ad- 
vancing years  overtook  him,  when,  being  disabled  by  rheumatism, 
he  established  and  managed  a  basket  manufactory.  He  was  a  man 
true  in  purpose,  always  respected  for  his  honesty  and  kindness, 
and  enjoyed  the  good  will  of  Christians  of  other  religious  sects. 

His  wife,  Lucretia  Higley,  who  remained  a  sincere  Mormon  as 
long  as  she  lived,  survived  him  nineteen  years,  dying  in  Tooele, 
Utah,  at  the  home  of  her  son  Clark  Higley,  July  25,  1865,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age. 

(See  sketch  of  Lucretia  Higley,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Daniel 
Higley,  page  656.) 

Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
viz. : 

JDan,  Anna,  Lovina,  Clark,  Trurtian,  Harvey,  Harriet. 

DAN  HIGLEY,  the  first  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley,  was 
born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  July  27,  1804.  His  parents  removed  to 
the  State  of  New  York  while  he  was  yet  a  child,  and  after  some 
changes  finally  settled  at  Jamestown,  Chautauqua  County.  Here 
he  learned,  with  a  Dutch  manufacturer,  the  trade  of  making 
cloth,  and  afterward  he  was  engaged  in  selling  general  merchan- 
dise. He  married  at  Jamestown,  April  29,  1828,  Nancy  (Bentley) 
Frank — a  widow,  the  daughter  of  Uriah  Bentley.  Her  father's 
family  were  pioneers  of  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  the  old 
family  homestead,  adjoining  the  Chautauqua  Assembly  grounds  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  of  late  years  being  owned  by  her  brother, 
G.  A.  Bentley,  Esq. 

A  destructive  fire  overtaking  Mr.  Higley's  mercantile  establish- 
ment at  Jamestown,  proved  the  moving  cause  of  his  emigration 
with  his  family,  the  summer  of  1839, to  Ogle  County,  111.,  settling 
twelve  miles  above  Dixon's  Ferry.  Here  he  improved  a  farm 
and  established  a  home.  The  town  since  built  up  is  Polo,  111. 
That  section  was  then  in  its  primitive  days,  the  home  of  the 
Indian.  He  now  pursued  an  agricultural  life;  but  after  a  time  he 
entered  again  into  a  mercantile  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged 
till  the  year  1857,  when,  through  a  general  financial  embarras- 
ment  in  the  country,  he  was  again  brought  into  misfortune.  In 
1865  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Mount  Pleasant,  la.,  and 
later  on  to  Fairfield,  Jefferson  County,  in  the  same  State,  where 
he  resided  till  his  death,  which  took  place  July  14,  1877. 

He  was  possessed  of  an  exceptional  vein  of  native  ingenuous- 


692  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ness,  or  a  certain  element  of  fantasy,  denoting  an  active  brain, 
which  was  peculiar  to  many  in  his  own  line  of  ancestry.  Faith- 
ful and  industrious,  he  was  a  man  who  went  through  life  simply, 
devoting  his  attention  to  the  duties  that  lay  before  him  in  his 
sphere,  never  thrusting  himself  forward.  He  carried  with  him 
the  regard  of  all  good  citizens. 

Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley  had  the  following  children, 
viz. : 

Murray,  Melissa,  born  October  14,  1830,  died  October  13, 
1836;  Marshall  D.,  Mary  A.,  Judson,  Elizabeth,  Theodore  F., 
Daniel  G.,  Simeon  B. 

MURRAY  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Jamestown,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  March  6,  1829.  At  Oregon,  Ogle 
County,  111.,  on  the  igth  of  May,  1850,  he  matried  Mary  Louisa  Bassett.  She 
was  born  August  25,  1833,  in  Andes,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.  They  reside  at 
Emmetsburg,  Palo  Alto  County,  la.  Their  children  : 

EDWARD  HELM,  born  July  4,  1851,  at  Polo,  Ogle  County,  111.,  married  Bessie 
Stanley  at  Memphis,  Tenn. ,  where  he  resides.  They  have  one  child — a  daughter. 

CHARLES  EUGENE,  the  second  child  of  Murray  and  Mary  L.  Bassett  Higley, 
was  born  at  Polo,  111.,  November  23,  1854,  married  Georgianna  Potts,  July  25, 
1881,  and  resides  at  Emmetsburg,  la.  They  have  one  child,  Georgianna,  born 
August  26,  1885.  Mrs.  Georgianna  Higley  died  August  27,  1885. 

VIRGINIA  ALICE,  the  third  child  of  Murray  and  Mary  L.  Bassett  Higley,  was  born 
November  5,  1858  ;  died  January  10,  1860,  at  Polo,  111. 

MARY  ELIZABETH,  daughter  of  the  same,  was  born  November  3,  1860:  died 
March  19,  1862. 

MURRAY  JUDSON,  her  twin  brother,  lived  to  manhood,  and  married .  He 

resides  in  Norfolk,  Neb.  They  have  one  child — a  daughter. 

WILLIAM  GUSTAVUS,  son  of  Murray  and  Mary  L.  Bassett  Higley,  was  born 
December  5,  1861,  at  Polo,  111. 

EDITH  MAY,  daughter  of  the  same,  was  born  July  7,  1865  ;  married  William 
E.  Guilford,  November  12,  1884.  They  reside  in  Des  Moines,  la. 

LOUISA  BELL,  the  youngest  child  of  Murray  and  Mary  L.  Bassett  Higley, 
was  born  at  Polo,  111.,  February  26,  1870. 

MARSHALL  D.  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  August  22,  1832.  His  first  business  relations  were  in 
connection  with  his  father  in  a  store  of  general  merchandise  at  Polo,  111.  The 
business  was  unfortunately  overthrown  by  a  storm  in  the  financial  world  that 
prevailed  in  1857.  Mr.  Higley  then  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  in  1860. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1861,  he  married  Mary  L.  Curtis  at  Jamestown, 
N.  Y.  They  made  their  new  home  on  a  farm  in  Illinois. 

Possessing  inventive  genius,  he  constructed  the  first  automatic  binding  attach- 
ment to  reapers  which  was  invented,  and  for  which  he  obtained  a  patent  with 
seven  claims.  Of  this  he  sold  a  one-half  interest  to  the  Excelsior  Works  at 
Massillon,  O. 

In  the  year  1874,  he  removed  to  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and,  purchasing  a  stock  of 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JO  SI  AH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  693 

boots  and  shoes,  opened  a  shoe  house.  In  1878  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  business,  and  has  since  resided. 

Marshall  D.  and  Mary  L.  Curtis  Higley  have  two  children,  viz.: 

Frederick  C.,  born  October  15,  1869  ;  Florence  E.,  born  April  6,  1880. 

MARY  A.  HIGLEY,  the  fourth  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  October  21,  1834.  She  married,  August  27,  1863, 
Daniel  Abell,  at  Polo,  111.  They  reside  at  Chariton,  Lucas  County,  la.  Their 
children  are : 

Frederick  G.,  born  May  21,  1864;  Frank  S.,  born  June  28,  1866;  Ella  N., 
born  September  7,  1868  ;  Mamie  B.  and  Marcus  B.,  twins,  born  June  12,  1871  ; 
Marcus  died  June  21,  1873;  Grace  E.,  born  April  30,  1875,  died  February  8, 
1876. 

JUDSON  and  ELIZABETH  HIGLEY,  twin  children  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley) 
Higley,  were  born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  December  12,  1836.  Elizabeth  died  in 
infancy.  Judson  Higley  married,  November  29,  1860,  Ruah  E.  Matthews.  They 
reside  at  Omaha,  Neb.  Their  children  are  : 

Elmer  J.,  who  resides  at  Omaha  ;  Cornelia  B.,  who  married  Furley  Browning, 
December,  1886  ;  Anna  R.;  Harlow  ;  Allison,  not  living. 

THEODORE  F.  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  March  21,  1839.  He  married,  at  Fairfield,  Jeffer- 
son County,  la.,  Ellen  S.  McEthenny,  January  9,  1 868.  They  reside  at  Fairfield, 
la.  Their  children  are  : 

May  M.,  born  December  14,  1868  ;  Robert  M.,  born  August  30,  1872  ;  Harvey, 
born  February  15,  1874,  died  September  25,  1875  ;  Helen  E.,  born  September 
28,  1877,  and  Theodore  E.,  born  August  25,  1883. 

DANIEL  G.  HIGLEY,  the  eighth  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley,  was 
born  at  Polo,  Ogle  County,  111.,  July  7,  1842.  He  married  Fannie  H.  Ambler  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  la.,  September  29,  1868.  They  reside  at  Fairfield,  Jefferson 
County,  la.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Nellie  A  Higley. 

SIMEON  BENTLEY  HIGLEY,  the  ninth  child  of  Dan  and  Nancy  (Bentley)  Higley, 
was  born  at  Polo,  111.,  July  u,  1847.  On  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Fairfield, 
la.,  in  1865,  he  accompanied  them,  a  boy  of  sixteen.  He  married  Ella  May 
Hatfield,  October  18,  1870,  and  removed  to  Portland,  Ore.,  in  the  year  1872, 
where  he  engaged  in  selling  drugs.  In  1874  he  purchased  a  sheep  ranch  of  twelve 
hundred  acres,  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Williamette,  near  Junction  City,  which 
he  stocked  with  fifteen  hundred  sheep.  Here  sheep-raising  occupied  his  attention 
for  three  years  ;  afterward  he  transported  his  flocks  to  Eastern  Oregon,  that  being 
then  considered  the  better  sheep  country.  An  Indian  war  breaking  out,  his  sheep 
were  all  driven  away  and  destroyed  ;  he  never  heard  of  them  afterward.  Mr. 
Higley  had  now  to  begin  business  life  anew. 

In  the  spring  of  1880  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Iowa,  and  three  years  later 
removed  to  Missouri.  The  autumn  of  1889  found  him  residing  in  San  Diego, 
Cal.,  doing  a  successful  business  in  real  estate.  In  1888  he  returned  to  Missouri, 
and,  settling  at  Cameron,  purchased  a  drug  establishment,  and  entered  here  into 
active  business.  He  now  resides  in  Cameron.  They  have  no  children. 


45 


694  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Continued  from  page  691. 

ANNA,  the  second  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley, 
was  born  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  November  29,  1806.  She  removed 
with  her  parents  to  the  State  of  New  York,  settling  with 
them  at  Jamestown.  Here  she  married,  March  18,  1828,  Thomas 
Burdock  of  Chautauqua  County.  Both  the  husband  and  wife 
joined  the  "Church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints,"  and  were 
earnest  Mormons.  About  the  year  1832  they  removed  to  Kirt- 
land,  O.,  which  was  then  the  great  center  of  the  Mormon  Church, 
fully  two  thousand  members  establishing  themselves  there  about 
that  time,  the  number  increasing  in  less  than  five  years  to  three 
thousand.  Here  the  Mormons  built,  at  a  cost  of  sixty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  a  temple  for  worship,  which  was  dedicated  March  27, 
1836.  Neither  at  that  time,  nor  for  some  years  afterward,  had 
they  forfeited  the  respect  of  any  on  account  of  polygamous  rela- 
tions, for  these  relations  did  not  then  exist,  and  were  not  practiced. 

But  difficulties  and  perplexities  beset  the  new  sect  on  every  side, 
and,  determining  to  move  westward  to  what  was  then  a  new  coun- 
try, in  1837  they  began  their  exodus,  by  seven  hundred  leaving 
Kirtland  in  one  day.  Most  of  the  emigrants  went  to  Missouri,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burdock  being  of  the  colony.  Here  they  settled  twelve 
miles  west  of  Independence,  which  was  then  on  the  very  outskirts 
of  Western  civilization.  But  the  new  creed  had  not  a  cheerful 
welcome,  and  local  enemies  arose.  Opposition,  and  persecution, 
and  outrages  were  their  fate.  Finally  the  Burdocks,  together 
with  all  the  Mormons,  were  driven  out  by  persecution.  They 
now  removed  the  Church  to  Nauvoo,  111.  Their  day  of  peace 
here,  too,  was  brief;  mob  violence  forcing  them  to  leave.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burdock  then  went  to  Council  Bluffs,  la.,  and  from 
there  they  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where,  remaining 
steadfast  in  their  faith,  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
A  list  of  their  children  has  not  been  furnished. 

LOVINA  HIGLEY,  the  third  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley, 
was  born  at  Edinburg,  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  December  31, 
1808.  She  married  Charles  Hopkins  in  Chautauqua  County,  New 
York,  to  which  place  she  had  gone  with  the  family.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hopkins  removed,  about  the  year  1830,  to  the  State  of 
Ohio.  In  1837  they  emigrated  still  further  West,  to  Buffalo 
Grove,  Ogle  County,  111.,  and  about  1840  they  settled  in  Steven- 
son County,  Illinois.  They  died  in  Kansas,  to  which  State  they 
had  removed  later  in  life. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  695 

CLARK  HIGLEV,  the  fourth  child  of  Dan  and  Lucretia  Higley, 
was  born  in  Edinburg,  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  November  26, 
1813.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Jamestown,  Chautauqua 
County,  N.  Y.,  when  a  lad  of  seventeen,  and  accompanied  them 
on  their  removal  to  Kirtland,  O.,  after  they  had  embraced  the 
religion  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints.  This  was  about  Jhe  year 
1833.  At  this  young  and  impressionable  age  he  became  envir- 
oned in  the  family  life,  as  well  as  by  the  very  atmosphere  of  the 
place  in  which  they  lived,  with  the  practices  and  faith  of  the 
Mormons. 

At  Kirtland,  O.,  on  the  i7th  of  September,  1873,  he  married 
Malinda  Cheney,  who  was  also  of  Mormon  parentage,  and  a  dis- 
ciple of  Mormon  precepts.  The  young  couple  worshiped  in  the 
grand  temple  together.  They  resided  upon  a  farm.  While  living 
in  Kirtland,  antagonism,  which  has,  from  the  founding  of  the 
Church,  seemed  inseparable  from  its  life-experience,  together 
with  untoward  circumstances,  reached  a  stage  which  decided  its 
leaders  to  forsake  this  chief  center  and  emigrate  to  a  frontier 
outpost  of  the  great  West.  A  large  majority  of  their  people 
followed  them,  and,  as  has  been  already  stated,  seven  hundred 
"saints"  in  one  day,  in  the  year  1837,  "with  the  courage  which 
refuses  to  be  discouraged,"  made  their  exodus,  the  body  of  the 
Church  proceeding  in  detachments  later  on.  The  State  of  Mis- 
souri was  their  destination.  As  yet  polygamy  was  not  a  part  of 
their  belief  or  practice.  But  Oliver  Higley,  with  his  family, 
and  Clark  Higley,  with  his  new  wife,  decided  upon  joining  their 
relatives  in  Buffalo  Grove,  Ogle  County,  111.,  and  accompanied 
their  co-religionists  but  a  part  of  the  long  and  weary  journey. 
At  Buffalo  Grove  they  lived  till  the  year  1843,  when  both  house- 
holds removed  to  Jo  Davis  County  in  the  same  State,  remaining 
all  the  while  constant  to  their  covenants  with  the  religion  they 
had  chosen,  and  here  they  joined  a  small  body  of  worshipers  in 
the  Mormon  Church.  It  was  here  also  that  the  father,  Oliver 
Higley,  died,  leaving  his  wife,  Lucretia  Higley,  to  the  care  of 
his  son  Clark,  with  whom  she  lived,  and  who  faithfully  adminis- 
tered to  her  comforts  and  needs  till  the  close  of  her  long 
life. 

Meanwhile  the  Church  of  "  the  Latter-Day  Saints  "  had  planted 
itself  on  Missouri  soil,  and  erected  its  temple  for  worship.  It 
was  not  long,  however,  till  there  were  gathered  about  the  colo- 
nists bands  of  persons  aflame  with  wrath,  and  the  Church  was 


696  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

afresh  plunged  into  persecution  and  trial.  "  An  attack  of  a  mob 
impending,  and  being  too  few  in  number  to  assume  an  aggressive 
attitude,"  they  decided  to  once  more  take  up  the  march  in  pur- 
suit of  religious  liberty.  Through  direst  hardships  they  located 
at  Nauvoo,  111.,  a  fine  situation  on  the  Mississippi  River. 

Here  again  they  built  a  splendid  temple,  which  was  privately 
dedicated  April,  1847,  the  third  costly  edifice  they  had  erected, 
and  here  too  they  were  again  early  showered  with  antipathy. 
Inspired  by  evil  passion,  mobs  of  "  respectable"  people  assaulted 
them,  and  Smith,  their  seer,  met  a  tragic  death.  Finally  the  day 
of  their  expulsion  came,  and  their  magnificent  temple  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  In  all  of  these  persecutions  the  people  loyally 
sustained  their  leaders,  keeping  in  full  faith  with  them,  and  "  the 
strength  of  the  bearers  of  burdens  did  not  decay."  It  was 
a  striking  exhibit  of  the  strength  that  lies  in  true  unity  of 
purpose. 

The  Church  determined  to  remove  once  more  ;  this  time  to  go 
quite  beyond  civilization,  and  out  of  the  reach  of  the  continual 
waves  of  strife  and  hostilities  that  beat  against  it.  The  leaders 
now  chose  a  spot  in  the  desert  over  a  vast  plain  growing  nothing 
but  wild  sage,  full  one  thousand  miles  beyond  the  line  inhabited  by 
civilized  beings.  On  the  i4th  of  April,  1847,  the  general  exodus 
began,  the  long  journey  across  the  Great  American  Desert  being 
undertaken  in  ox  wagons.  The  troop  of  pilgrims  passed  over  the 
wide,  wide  plain  and  dreary  defiles,  arriving  at  their  destination, 
Great  Salt  Lake,  the  Territory  of  Utah,  on  the  24th  of  the  July 
following.  The  hardships  that  they  suffered  both  during  this 
journey  and  after  they  reached  this  wild  region  cannot  be 
chronicled.  That  Territory  belonged  at  that  time  to  Mexico, 
but  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  next  year,  1848.  Civil 
government  had  not  yet  been  established.  It  was  a  lawless 
country. 

In  the  year  1852  Clark  Higley  with  his  mother  and  family  took 
their  departure  from  Jo  Davis  County,  Illinois,  and  went  to 
Glenwood,  Mills  County,  la.  Here  they  resided  till  1861.  That 
year  he  set  off  with  his  household  to  join  his  friends  and  co- 
religionists in  Utah,  where  his  heart  had  long  been  centered. 
His  family  now  consisted  of  his  aged  mother,  Lucretia  Higley,  his 
wife,  Malinda,  and  six  children.  He  himself  had  reached  middle 
age.  The  journey  from  their  location  in  Iowa  to  Great  Salt  Lake 
was  the  perilous  and  daring  one  of  the  early  frontiersman  and 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  697 

was  made  in  ox  teams,  or  "  prairie  schooners  "  as  they  were  often 
called.  They  were  constantly  in  danger  of  being  attacked  on  the 
route  by  bands  of  wild  and  warring  Indians,  between  whom  and 
the  whites  there  was  no  affinity. 

Arriving  in  Utah  on  the  23d  of  September,  1861,  he  made 
purchase  of  a  home  at  Kaysville,  twenty-six  miles  north  of  the 
Salt  Lake  ;  but  soon  afterward,  on  making  a  trip  to  Tooele,  and 
finding  this  country  preferable,  he  sold  the  farm  that  he  first  pur- 
chased and  bought  land  at  Tooele,  which  is  thirty-six  miles  west 
of  Salt  Lake  City.  At  this  point  he  now  resides. 

The  country  was  yet  entirely  new.  All  manufactured  products 
could  only  be  obtained  by  transportation  more  than  one  thousand 
miles  by  ox  teams,  causing  such  articles  to  be  very  expensive. 
Ordinary  soap  for  domestic  use  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  a  bar, 
matches  were  twenty-five  cents  a  box,  and  cotton  cloth  sold  at 
one  dollar  a  yard,  while  flour  was  sometimes  held  at  twenty-five 
dollars  the  hundred  pounds. 

For  several  years  the  colony  lived  in  daily  apprehension  of 
Indian  foes,  who  were  often  out  on  the  plains  on  hostile  expedi- 
tions against  the  whites  ;  some  of  the  settlers'  villages  were  pro- 
tected by  walled  defenses. 

On  settling  in  Utah  Clark  Higley  thoroughly  identified  him- 
self with  the  Mormons.  He  and  his  sons  took  hold  in  good 
faith,  aiding  in  laying  the  foundations  of  that  new  and  great 
State.  They  are  at  the  present  time  all  well-to-do,  possessing 
farms  and  comfortable  homes  in  that  remarkable  and  beautiful 
country. 

The  change  which  time  and  civilization  has  here  effected  dur- 
ing these  years  is  among  the  marvels  and  wonders  of  the  progres- 
sive history  of  our  great  land.  Clark  Higley  has  lived  long 
enough  to  see  the  isolated  far-away  arid  plain  of  Utah,  with  its 
sublime  mountain  sides,  made  fertile  and  to  blossom  as  a  fruitful 
garden  ;  the  fertility  of  this  interesting  country  is  to  be  attrib- 
uted to  the  best  traits  of  that  energetic  and  industrious  people — 
the  Mormons — who  founded  it.  He  has  lived  to  see  another 
temple,  a  colossal  and  magnificent  structure  of  granite,  which 
was  forty  years  in  process  of  construction,  and  erected  at  a  cost 
of  four  million  dollars,  completed  and  dedicated,  April  5,  1893, 
and  Mormon  settlements  alone  increased  in  number  till  the 
Church  now  claims  within  the  borders  of  the  State  recently  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union,  fifty-five  thousand  members. 


698  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

He  may  fittingly  adopt  the  lines  of  the  poet  : 

"  To-day  our  dream  embodied  greets  our  eyes, 

A  thousand  toiling  hands  and  brains  have  wrought, 
The  worker's  willing  strength,  the  provident  thought, 
And  lo  !  the  aery  domes  and  towers  arise 
Clear  on  the  vernal  skies." ' 

In  his  removal  to  Utah,  Clark  Higley's  honest  purpose  was  that 
he  might  enjoy  the  religion  in  which  he  was  nurtured.  From  his 
boyhood  his  ideas  were  molded  into  the  doctrines  and  customs 
of  the  Church  of  the  "Latter-Day  Saints,"  and  his  training  by 
the  precepts  and  example  of  his  parents  destined  him  on  reaching 
his  manhood  to  cling  firmly  to  the  peculiar  beliefs  taught  by 
its  founders  and  their  successors.  He  has  never  been  separated 
from  these  environments,  and  has  never  come  into-  contact  with 
other  denominational  influences,  having  all  of  his  life  lived  in  newly 
settled  parts  of  our  country.  It  was  natural  therefore  that  he 
should  accept  with  a  true  heart  the  divine  inspiration  which  their 
theological  system  claims,  and  adopt  their  precepts  and  social  prac- 
tices, based  as  they  were  upon  his  genuine  religious  convictions. 
The  storm  and  trial  that  came  in  recent  years  upon  the  Mormons, 
resulting  from  the  compulsory  administration  of  laws  enacted  by 
special  legislation  of  the  United  States  Congress  against  them, 
have  borne  heavily  upon  him.  A  confirmed  cripple  and  in  enfeebled 
old  age,  he  has  suffered  many  bitter  things  ;  the  perplexities  and 
sorrows  of  his  heart  have  been  enlarged.  He,  however,  wisely 
accepts  the  outcome,  showing  equal  moral  courage  and  fidelity 
to  "  the  powers  that  be  "  by,  with  kindly  feeling,  uprooting  habits 
and  breaking  long  formed  domestic  associations,  declaring  that 
he  harbors  in  his  heart  nothing  but  good  will  to  all  men,  and 
yielding  in  a  right  spirit  to  the  different  allotment  in  life  which 
has  come  to  himself  and  his  people,  acknowledging  God's  hand 
in  it  all. 

Mr.  Higley  was  three  times  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Malinda  Cheney,  whom  he  married  at  Kirtland,  O.,  September  17, 
1837.  His  second  wife  was  Eliza  Smith,  whom  he  married  at 
Salt  Lake  City  in  186-.  His  present  wife  is  Amanda  Baker  of 
Utah.  Children  of  Clark  Higley: 

By  first  wife:  Freeman  £>.,  born  June  9,  1843  ;  George  H., 
born  May  19,  1845  5  -Daniel,  born  1849  5  Lwisa ;  Jane  ;  Mary, 

1  Written  by  'Mr.   Lewis   Morris  on   the  occasion   of    the    opening  of  the   Imperial  Institute, 
in  London,  1893. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  699 

who  died  in  infancy,  and  Harriet.  By  second  wife  :  Julia,  born 
August  5,  1870  ;  Francis  A.,  born  May  15,  1872  ;  Harriet,  2d, 
born  December  12,  1873  ;  Lydia,  born  March  2,  1876  ;  Charles, 
born  December  15,  1877  ;  Willis,  born  April  10,  1879,  and  Elihu. 
By  third  wife  :  James,  Parthena,  George  O.,  Stephen  L.,  Oliver, 
Elizabeth,  Lovina,  Howard,  and  Malinda  Elvira. 

FREEMAN  D.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Clark  and  Malinda  Cheney  Higley, 
was  born  in  Ogle  County,  111.,  June  9,  1843.  He  went  to  Utah  with  his  parents 
when  eighteen  years  of  age.  Soon  after  his  twenty-first  birthday  he  married  Eliza 
Cheney.  His  second  wife  was  Nancy  Sharp.  He  resides  at  Gentile  Valley, 
Brigham  County,  Idaho.  Children  by  first  wife  : 

Lucy  Jane,  born  February  10,  1865  ;  Harvey  Warren,  born  June  17,  1867  ; 
Fannie  E.,  born  August  2O,  1869  ;  Harriet  Malinda,  born  December  13,  1871  ; 
Louis  Wells,  born  January  7,  1874  '<  &H  Lee,  born  February  25,  1876  ;  John 
William,  born  July  27,  1878;  Millie  Ann,  born  August  14,  1880  ;  Alfred  Dewey, 
born  December  20,  1882  ;  Elsie  Elvira,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  Daniel  Edward, 
died  ;  and  Luther  Aaron.  By  second  wife  :  Freeman  Dewey  and  James  Henry, 
both  of  whom  died  ;  Jennetta  Mildred ;  George  Carlos,  not  living  ;  Laura  Eliza- 
beth ;  Lillian  Mabel;  Albert  William;  Martha  A.;  Ellis  Irvin;  and  Viola, 
who  died  young. 

Clark  Higley  has  other  grandchildren  and  five  great-grand- 
children, whose  names  have  not  been  furnished. 


Continued  front  page  691. 

TRUMAN  HIGLEY,  the  fifth  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia  Higley, 
was  born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  July  20,  1817.  At  Kirtland,  O., 
to  which  place  he  removed  with  his  parents,  when  a  child,  he 
married,  in  1835,  Lucy  Fisher.  With  other  members  of  the 
family  he  joined  the  Church  of  "the  Latter-Day  Saints."  They 
removed  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  died  in  1882. 

HARVEY  HIGLEY,  the  sixth  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia 
Higley,  was  born  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  November  20,  1819.  In 

the  year  1842  he  married  Amanda .  They  emigrated  to 

Oregon  in  the  early  history  of  that  country,  and  settled  in  Yam- 
hill  County.  His  descendants  now  reside  in  Portland,  Ore., 
among  whom  are  George,  Harry,  and  Martin  Higley. 

No  further  information  has  been  received  of  these  families. 

HARRIET  HIGLEY,  the  seventh  child  of  Oliver  and  Lucretia 
Higley,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  April  12, 
1822.  She  was  taken  to  Kirtland,  O.,  on  the  removal  of  her 
parents  to  that  place,  and  afterward  to  Illinois.  She  married,  in 


700  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

1843,  Lyman  L.  L.  Pitcher.     They  lived  in  Illinois.     Her  death 
took  place  in  Lena,  Stephenson  County,  in  1884. 

Their  children  are  Lorenzo  and  Franklin.     There  is  one  daugh- 
ter whose  name  is  not  given. 


ELIJAH    HIGLEY,    JR. 
Continued  from  page  145. 

Elijah  Higley,  Jr.,  Elijah,  ist,  Josiah,  ist,  Captain  John  Higley. 
By  his  daughter,  Lydia  J.  Higley-Hibbard. 

ELIJAH  HIGLEY,  JR.,  the  youngest  child  and  son  of  Elijah 
Higley,  Sr.,  and  his  wife  Anna  Halliday,  was  born  September  4, 
1784.  He  married  Lydia  Paddleford,  March  4,  1807,  who  was 
born  June  5,  1790. 

The  facts  gathered  for  his  history  are  from  the  remembrances 
of  his  children  and  a  few  old  friends.  These  aged  people,  who 
can  give  facts,  can  give  no  dates,  and  only  scraps  of  information 
preserved  in  the  halls  of  memory,  that,  pieced  together,  cannot 
make  a  perfect  whole.  With  these,  however,  we  are  forced  to  be 
content. 

There  are  many  elements  of  romance  connected  with  his 
career,  which,  could  they  be  brought  into  these  pages,  would 
read  almost  as  if  one  drew  upon  the  imagination  for  some  novel 
of  the  olden  time.  Strange  forces  seemed  to  combine  to  snatch 
from  him  heights  of  prosperity  to  which,  on  more  than  one 
occasion  in  his  eventful  life,  he  attained. 

It  is  -not  known  in  what  year  he  left  his  childhood  home  for  a 
new  home  in  a  strange  country.  From  a  nephew,  Clark  Higley 
of  Tooele,  Tooele  County,  Utah,  son  of  his  brother  Oliver,  we 
learn  that  he  had,  in  his  youth,  the  reputation  of  being  a  "  great 
trader,"  and  attained  his  first  financial  success  in  making  a  watch 
trade,  and  that  he  became  concerned  in  the  lottery  business,  which 
was  discontinued  by  the  passage  of  a  law  detrimental  to  lotteries. 

In  what  year  he  went  to  Canada  is  not  known,  but  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  he  went  in  company  with  his  first  cousin, 
Jesse  Higley,  who  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  where  London, 
Canada,  now  is,  and  which  was  confiscated  at  the  time  of  the  War 
of  1812.  At  all  events  they  must  have  gone  at  about  the  same 
time,  and  perhaps  together.  He  must  have  made  a  protracted 


ELIJAH    HIGLEY,   JR. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,\ST.  701 

residence  there,  as  he  was  a  long  time  in  the  fur  trade,  residing 
with  the  Indian  tribes  while  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  hunting 
parties  who  would  return  laden  with  the  commodity  he  desired. 
Months  would  elapse  in  which  he  would  never  see  the  face  of  a 
white  man.  He  became  familiar  with  their  language  and  cus- 
toms, and  intensified  a  naturally  stern  and  stoical  character  by 
long  intercourse  with  them. 

When  the  War  of  1812  broke  out,  he  was  located  at  Port  Hope, 
Canada,  where  he  owned  much  land  and  large  business  interests. 
He  was  engaged  in.  the  cloth  dressing  business,  owning  mills  for 
for  that  purpose,  and  was  the  proprietor  of  one  or  more  stores. 
At  this  time  he  considered  himself  the  possessor  of  considerable 
wealth,  everything  having  prospered  with  him  ;  but  when  the  alarm 
of  war  was  sent  through  the  land,  being  too  much  of  a  patriot  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  he  improved  an  opportunity  to  send 
his  wife  to  the  States,  and  after  making  arrangements  with  his 
partner  to  convert  what  he  could  into  cash,  one  night  he  stealthily 
crossed  the  St.  Lawrence,  firing  at  and  probably  killing  the 
sentinel  who  challenged  him,  himself  escaping  unhurt.  His 
knowledge  of  the  country  enabled  him  to  recross  with  a  party  of 
soldiers  whom  he  piloted  to  an  important  British  outpost,  which 
they  captured.  He  then  recruited  a  company  and  served  in  the 
war  until  its  close. 

Of  course  all  his  Canadian  property  was  now  gone;  dissolved 
like  the  first  tracing  of  frost  on  the  window  pane  before  the  rays 
of  the  sun. 

What  his  dishonest  partner  had  left  was  confiscated  to  the 
Crown.  He  had  to  begin  anew  in  life.  He  had  one  thousand 
dollars  in  money.  With  this  he  went  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  took 
a  contract  to  build  a  large  bridge.  Very  soon  after,  lumber  and 
other  materials  so  advanced  in  price,  that  when  every  workman 
and  employee  was  paid  only  one  dollar  remained  in  the  pocket 
of  the  contractor. 

The  presumption  is,  from  what  we  can  gather,  that  he  then 
went  from  Pittsburgh  to  Penn  Yan,  Yates  County,  N.  Y.  We 
hear  of  him  there  somewhere  about  1820  and  1823.  Here  he  was 
for  some  years  in  business  at  the  head  of  Main  Street,  which  was 
then  the  business  center  of  the  town.  He  had  a  store,  probably 
such  as  were  kept  in  those  early  days,  combining  groceries,  dry 
goods,  drugs,  and  all  the  necessaries  of  a  small  but  growing 
town.  At  some  period  in  his  life,  whether  before  leaving  home 


702  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

or  after,  is  not  known,  he  studied  medicine  and  obtained  a  doctor's 
certificate. 

His  store  in  Penn  Yan  was  twice  burned;  once,  the  day  after 
the  insurance  policy  expired,  again  leaving  him  in  a  crippled 
condition  financially. 

After  the  second  fire  he  went  into  the  cloth  dressing  business 
at  the  foot  of  Main  Street.  He  had  also  a  wool  carding  mill 
farther  down  the  stream.  It  must  have  been  in  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1830  that  he  bought  two  lots,  on  what  is  now 
Liberty  Street,  very  near  the  head  of  the  street,  to  which  he  him- 
self gave  its  name.  Here  he  built  two  dwelling  houses,  both  yet 
well  preserved. 

In  the  first  one  built,  died  his  wife,  Lydia  Paddleford  Higley, 
on  May  23,  1833.  There  were  no  children  by  this  unioh,  al- 
though a  baby  girl  was  adopted  and  grew  to  womanhood  with 
them,  Lydia  Pearse,  who  ^married  Henry  Tylu,  a  merchant  of 
Penn  Yan.  Both  are  now  deceased  (1893). 

On  November  22,  1835,  he  married  Electa  Baldwin  of  Waterloo, 
Seneca  County,  N.  Y.,  who  was  born  September  21,  1802.  Of 
this  union  were  born  seven  children: 

Lydia  Jane,  Anna  Elizabeth,  Mary  Sophia,  twins  (died  at  birth), 
March  22,  1843  ;  George  Daniel,  Laura  Adgate. 

On  May  8,  1851,  Elijah  Higley,  the  father  of  these,  died,  when 
his  youngest  child  was  but  four  years  old,  and  the  only  son,  of 
whom  he  was  so  proud,  still  too  young  to  retain  but  a  faint 
remembrance  of  him.  His  health  had  for  some  years  been 
declining.  He  suffered  two  strokes  of  apoplexy  at  intervals  of 
several  years.  On  the  day  of  his  death  he  had  gone  fishing  on 
Lake  Keuka,  a  sport  of  which  he  was  passionately  fond,  and  at 
which  he  was  an  acknowledged  expert.  He  was  stricken  with 
apoplexy  while  in  his  boat,  and  was  taken  to  the  house  of  a  friend 
near  by,  where  he  died  that  night.  It  was  his  oft  expressed  wish, 
which  nature  kindly  granted  him — the  boon  of  unconsciousness  as 
he  passed  from  this  world  to  the  great  unknown. 

Thus  closed  the  earthly  career  of  Elijah  Higley,  a  man  in 
whose  soul  was  the  ruggedness  of  his  native  Vermont  mountains. 
Possessed  of  indomitable  will,  courage,  and  perseverance,  com- 
bined with  a  sterling  honesty,  these  qualities  made  up  a  character 
that  was  in  itself  an  interesting  study.  His  strong  individuality 
kept  him  above  the  conventional.  He  acquired  an  education 
above  the  ordinary;  not  perhaps  in  the  schoolroom,  as  the 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  703 

educational  facilities  of  a  hundred  years  ago  were  extremely 
limited  in  comparison  with  those  of  to-day. 

He  had  been  a  considerable  traveler  for  those  times.  In  com- 
pany with  Dr.  Win.  Cornwell  of  Penn  Yan,  he  once  made  a  knap- 
sack tour  of  the  Southern  States,  gathering  from  the  incidents  of 
the  trip  a  choice  collection  of  stories  and  anecdotes  that,  with 
infinite  zest,  were  oft  repeated  to  appreciative  listeners.  An 
industrious  reader,  and  having  a  mind  capable  of  retaining  and 
digesting  what  he  read,  he  was  enabled  to  become  possessed  of  a 
large  and  varied  fund  of  information.  Catching  the  spirit  of  the 
age  when  religious  controversy  was  prevalent,  and  being  what  is 
now  termed  a  free-thinker,  he  often,  in  discussion  with  divines, 
astonished  them  by  his  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  his  ability  to 
successfully  carry  on  a  debate.  He  had  a  large  fund  of  humor, 
and  delighted  in  practical  jokes,  was  keen  in  repartee,  stinging 
in  sarcasm,  and  fond  of  telling  a  story,  which  he  could  do  exceed- 
ingly well.  He  was  intolerant  of  shams,  and  in  his  disposition  of 
them  oft  used  the  bludgeon  when  the  rapier  would  have  answered 
better. 

In  person  he  was  tall  and  well-proportioned,  weighing  nearly 
or  quite  two  hundred  pounds,  fair  hair  and  blue  eyes,  strong  and 
rugged  features.  Possessed  of  a  kindly  nature,  he  was  a  kind  and 
loving  husband  and  a  tender  father.  He  provided  generously  for 
his  household,  and  never  incurred  debts.  He  died  owing  no 
man.  He  probably  had  failings  in  common  with  all  humanity, 
but  herein  is  a  true  and  faithful  transcript  of  Elijah  Higley's 
character. 

His  marriages  were  more  than  usually  fortunate.  Of  his  two 
wives  a  few  words  will  give  us  an  idea  of  their  nature.  I  believe 
the  first  to  have  been  in  all  respects  a  sweet  and  lovable  woman, 
to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  and  by  whose  side  he  reposes 
on  the  shore  of  the  lake  he  loved  so  well,  the  beautiful  Keuka. 

A  tribute  to  a  loved  mother  impels  us  to  speak  of  the  second 
wife,  the  mother  of  his  children,  and  the  partner  of  his  declining 
years.  It  was  a  union  remarkable  for  its  harmonious  and  happy 
completeness.  Never  was  heard  by  anyone  a  single  unkind  or 
jarring  word  between  the  husband  and  wife. 

In  her  youth  a  belle  and  beauty,  unlike  most  beautiful  women 
she  was  singularly  free  from  the  vanity  and  foibles  that  so  often 
mar  this  gracious  gift.  She  was  a  beauty  in  mind  and  in  perron. 
She  died  February  14,  1877,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four." 


704  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

LYDIA  J.  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child  of  Elijah  and  Electa  Bald- 
win Higley,  was  born  September  8,  1836. 

In  early  childhood  she  passed  through  the  prescribed  routine 
of  the  common  school,  but  the  death  of  her  father  bringing  to 
his  family  a  combination  of  unfavorable  circumstances,  she  was 
afforded  no  further  opportunity  to  follow  the  bent  of  her  desires 
toward  the  higher  education  ;  however,  as  life  went  on  she 
improved  her  spare  hours  in  reading  and  study.  Left  in  the 
possession  of  a  comfortable  home,  but  without  an  income,  some 
members  of  the  family  were  forced  to  seek  occupations.  Lydia's 
life  proved  somewhat  eventful.  She  has  known  prosperity  and 
much  adversity.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  she  married  George  D. 
Carpenter  of  Horse  Heads,  Chemung  County,  N.  Y.  Soon  the 
cares  of  motherhood  rested  upon  her,  and  the  years  of  her 
youthful  married  life  were  devoted  to  her  three  children,  their 
welfare  becoming  her  first  and  chief  consideration.  These  were 
years  in  which  she  endured  much  of  neglect,  privation,  and 
toil,  and  in  which  there  was  more  of  shadow  than  of  sunshine ; 
however,  there  was  a  strong  individuality  in  her  nature,  and  an 
inheritance  of  courage  that  always  looked  to  the  future  for  better 
days,  and  stimulated  her  to  keep  despair  at  bay. 

Inheriting  from  her  mother  a  love  of  poetry,  at  an  early  age 
she  began  to  weave  her  thoughts  into  verse.  Inspired  by  the 
eloquence  of  John  B.  Gough,  she  saw  her  first  poem  in  print  when 
but  thirteen  years  old.  Her  early  and  unfortunate  marriage  so 
choked  the  channels  of  inspiration  that  it  was  reserved  for  the 
happier  environments  of  later  years  to  yield  better  results  in  this 
direction.  Generally  writing  under  a  nom  de  plume,  few  of  her 
friends  have  known  her  as  a  writer  of  verse,  yet  from  time  to  time 
her  articles  have  appeared  in  the  public  journals  and  magazines, 
though  she  modestly  makes  no  pretensions  for  these  to  be  classed 
with  the  productions  of  gifted  poets:  The  following  lines  are  from 

her  pen. 

THE  SONG. 

This  morn  I  heard  a  burst  of  melody,  a  song, 
From  naked  boughs  close  to  my  window  pane, 

The  murmur  of  the  south  wind  as  it  hurried  on, 
And  then  the  soothing  lullaby  of  falling  rain. 

In  fantasy  of  dreams  I  heard  again  her  song, 
Whose  tones  shall  waken  bud,  and  leaf,  and  bloom  ; 

They  who  have  slept  in  dreamless  sleep  so  long 
Shall  rise  in  beauty  from  their  lowly  tomb. 


LYDIA   J.    HIGLEY   HIBBARD. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JOSIAH  HIGLEY,  1ST.  7°5 

The  fields  shall  blossom  into  brightness  at  her  tread, 

And  bird  and  bee  shall  royal  homage  pay. 
They  shall  awake  who  erst  were  with  the  dead, 

Back  from  the  somber  tomb  the  stone  is  rolled  away. 

The  lark,  on  upward  wing  with  swelling  throat, 

Sings  as  she  floats  toward  the  gates  of  dawn  ; 
Tuned  to  divinest  melody  each  liquid  note 

That  fills  the  measure  of  her  matin  song. 

And  still  I  hear,  tho'  she  is  lost  in  azure  height, 

Her  joyous  welcome  to  the  new-born  spring. 
Though  eye  may  never  mark  the  splendor  of  her  flight 

To  that  far  sunlit  peak  where  she  is  journeying. 

Lydia  J.  Higley's  second  marriage  took  place,  November  7, 
1877,  with  Gardiner  C.  Hibbard  of  Watkins,  N.  Y.,  a  gentleman 
possessing  many  gifts  by  nature,  a  superior  intellect,  a  fine  pres- 
ence, and  an  excellent  voice  for  public  speaking.  Mr.  Hibbard 
has  taken  some  part  in  political  matters.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil 
War  while  a  boy  in  his  early  teens,  and  was  probably  the  very 
youngest  soldier  on  the  war  records,  but  being  tall  in  stature 
and  well  developed,  he  managed  to  pass  for  eighteen,  and  served 
throughout  the  entire  conflict. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hibbard  reside  in  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Lydia  J.  Hibbard  by  her  first  marriage  became  the  mother  of 
three  children,  viz.: 

Alice  Maud,  born  January  30,  1854  ;  Mary  Louisa,  born  Sep- 
tember 4,  1856  ;  Fred  Cyril,  born  June  14,  1866. 

ANNA  ELIZABETH,  the  second  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Electa  Baldwin  Higley, 
was  born  August  17,  1838.  She  married  Stephen  Cooper  of  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y., 
in  1857.  One  child  was  born  to  them,  Lizzie  ff.,  November  I,  1859.  She  died 
June  22,  1862.  Anna  E.  Cooper  died  March  8,  1875. 

MARY  SOPHIA,  the  third  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Electa  Baldwin  Higley,  was 
born  November  25.  1840.  She  married,  September,  1866,  Richard  Hathaway  of 
Milos,  Yates  County,  N.  Y.  Richard  Hathaway  died  May,  1884.  On  the  22d  of 
February,  1893,  Mrs.  Hathaway  married  Stephen  Manchester  of  Harbor  Springs, 
Mich.,  where  she  now  resides.  By  her  first  husband  she  had  the  following 
children  : 

Albert  W.,  born  June,  1867  ;  Lillian,  and  Lizzie  Higley. 

GEORGE  DANIEL,  the  only  son  of  Elijah  and  Electa  Baldwin  Higley,  was  born 
at  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1844.  He  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  at  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  September  10,  1861,  as  private  in  Company 
E,  nth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  Being  disabled  by  a  wound,  he  was  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  Company  A,  igth  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  In  1863  he  re-enlisted,  was 


7°6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

made  sergeant,  and  served  till  the  war  closed.  He  received  an  honorable  discharge, 
November  19,  1865.  He  married,  March  28,  1867,  Mary  H.  Hunter  of  Wayne, 
Steuben  County,  N.  Y.  They  reside  in  Columbia,  Tenn.,  where  Mr.  Higley  is 
engaged  as  purchaser  for  a  lumber  and  pump  manufacturing  firm.  George  D.  and 
Mary  H.  Higley  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.: 

Lizzie,  born  January  22,  1868;  Emma  Pauline,  born  March  28,  1870;  Lettie, 
born  August  8,  1872  ;  Gery,  born  February  15,  1876  ;  and  Albert,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1881.  Emma  P.  married  L.  E.  Gates  of  Nashville,  Tenn. 

LAURA  ADGATE,  the  youngest  child  of  Elijah  and  Electa  Baldwin  Higley,  was 
born  August  16,  1847.  She  married,  September,  1866,  George  W.  Hall  of  Yates 
County,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Hall  served  his  country  during  the  Civil  War  in  Company  B, 
I48th  New  York  Regiment,  and  died  in  1879,  after  years  of  suffering  from  the 
effect  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  in  1864.  Mrs.  Laura  A. 
Hall  is  now  a  resident  of  Englewood,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  111. 


CHAPTER  LXXIII. 

JAMES   HIGLEY    AND    HIS   DESCENDANTS. 

Ask  now  of  the  days  that  are  past. 

So  that  the  memory  of  noble  deeds 
Shall  keep  the  heart  of  man,  forever  up 
To  the  heroic  level  of  the  old  time  : 
The  Present  moves,  attended 
By  all  of  brave,  and  excellent,  and  fair. 
That  made  the  old  time  splendid. 

— JAMES  RUSSHLL  LOWELL. 

THOUGH  without  the  evidence  of  personal  documents1  it  is 
quite  conclusive  that  James  Higley  was  a  descendant  of  Captain 
Joseph  Higley,  the  third  son  of  Brewster  Higley,  ist  (see  chapter 
xli.  page  284)  ;  he  and  his  son  were  frequently  heard  to  say  that 
the  Messenger  family  were  their  near  kinspeople,  the  Messen- 
gers and  Higleys,  both  of  Simsbury  and  Canton,  Conn.,  as  well 
as  those  of  Becket,  Mass.,  being  intermarried.  Hereditary  quali- 
ties and  special  traits  possessed  by  James  Higley  and  his  descend- 
ants also  strengthen  rather  than  throw  discredit  on  the  showing 
of  a  near  kinship  to  the  Higleys  of  the  Berkshire  Hills,  Mass. 

The  family  Bible  gives  the  record  of  his  immediate  family 
thus: 

"  James  Higley,  born  March  loth  1785. 

"Hannah  Roberts,  born  in  Massachusetts  July  i;th  1782." 

They  were  married  January  2,  1809,  and  began  life  together  in 
Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  where  their  first  child  was  born  the 
following  November. 

James  Higley  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  was  probably 
following  his  vocation  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  He  had  a 
fair  education,  was  a  good  penman,  a  man  of  few  words,  and 
always  strictly  practiced  total  abstinence,  using  neither  tobacco 
nor  intoxicating  stimulants.  This  was  an  unusual  stand  to  take 
in  that  day. 

In  the  spring  of  1814  James  Higley  emigrated  with  his  family 

1  The  connecting  link  of  this  esteemed  family  cannot  be  positively  traced,  the  early  records  of 
Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  where  James  Higley  is  found  during  his  early  married  life,  having  been 
destroyed  by  fire. 

707 


708  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

to  Onondaga  County,  New  York,  settling  near  where  the  town  of 
Fabius  is  now'  located.  A  number  of  Higley  families  had  emi- 
grated to  the  same  county  from  Hartford  County,  Connecticut, 
and  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  early  in  the  century  and 
made  themselves  forest  homes.  James,  no  doubt,  followed  their 
course.  Here  their  second  child  was  born. 

Familiar  with  arms  under  the  military  example  of  his  grand- 
sires,  during  the  War  of  1812-14  he  "exchanged  the  hoe  for  the 
musket,"  and  joined  the  United  States  forces  for  ninety  days' 
service,  leaving  his  wife  and  young  children  with  a  very  limited 
support.  It  does  not  appear  that  his  wife  heard  from  him  from 
the  time  that  he  left  home  till  his  return,  when  he  suddenly 
appeared  one  day  in  the  doorway.  Her  joy  was  so  great  that 
she  could  scarcely  believe  that  she  really  beheld  him.  "  Oh, 
James !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  is  it  an  apparition  ? "" 

In  the  year  1817,  bent  on  trying  the  vast  possibilities  of  the 
western  forests,  they  undertook  a  journey  beset  with  difficulties 
and  dangers,  removing  to  what  was  at  that  time  the  dense  wooded 
country  of  Northern  Ohio.  Here  they  made  themselves  a  home 
in  Trumbull  County,  near  the  spot  where  the  village  of  Braceville 
has  since  been  built.  In  1827  James  Higley  purchased  a  farm  at 
Edinburg,  Portage  County,  to  which  he  removed,  and  a  little 
later  on  he  purchased  a  second  farm.  On  the  latter  they  cleared 
away  the  rough  forest  and  built  a  substantial  frame  dwelling. 
He  resided  on  this  estate  till  his  decease  thirty-seven  years  after- 
ward. He  was  elected  town  trustee,  and  served  the  office 
acceptably  a  number  of  years. 

Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Edinburg  almost  from  its  organization, 
joining  "by  letter"  in  the  year  1827.  When  the  first  house  for 
worship  was  about  to  be  erected,  he  made  a  donation  of  fifty 
dollars,  a  liberal  subscription  for  those  times. 

His  wife,  Hannah  Roberts,  was  of  a  social  nature  and  agreeable 
ways.  Her  grandchildren  have  in  their  possession  tablespoons 
which  were  manufactured  from  silver  coin  expressly  as  a  part  of 
her  marriage  gift.  The  sacred  season  of  a  good  old  age  was  per- 
mitted her  by  a  kind  Providence;  active,  and  during  her  last 
years  with  unimpaired  eye-sight,  she  lived  to  her  ninetieth  year. 
She  died  December  17,  1871. 

James  Higley  died,  February  25,  1864.     Their  children: 

Edmund  B.  and  Edna  B.,  twins,  and  Orpha  Minerva. 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JAMES  HIGLEY.  709 

EDMUND  B.  HIGLEY,  the  only  son  of  James  and  Hannah 
Roberts  Higley,  was  born  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  November 
13,  1809. 

At  the  time  his  parents  removed  to  Onondaga  County,  New 
York,  he  and  his  twin  sister  were  not  yet  five  years  old.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  settled  with  the  family  at  Edinburg,  O.,  where  he 
afterward  resided.  Though  young  in  years,  he  soon  by  his  per- 
severance and  energy  of  character  proved  his  value  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  then  new  country.  He  built  a  manufacturing  house, 
the  first  erected  in  the  township,  for  making  potash  and  pearlash. 
While  engaged  in  this  business  he  manufactured  one  hundred 
thousand  brick,  and  built  the  second  brick  house  in  the  town,  to 
which  he  took  his  bride  and  began  housekeeping,  October,  1835, 
having  married  Lucy  Merrill  in  Concord,  Lake  County,  O.,  on 
the  2ist  of  that  month.  She  was  born  January  18,  1817,  in  Win- 
sted,  Lichfield  County,  Conn.  Later  on  he  became  a  builder  by 
trade,  and  erected  a  number  of  the  early  residences  in  Edinburg 
and  adjoining  townships.  Afterward  he  opened  and  conducted  a 
lucrative  business  in  "  lumber,  laths,  shingles,  sash,  doors  and 
blinds,"  all  the  while  managing  a  farm.  He  accumulated  a  good 
property. 

Edmund  B.  Higley  filled  different  offices  of  public  trust  and 
responsibility  in  the  township. 

He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  character,  of  untiring  energy,  and 
large  public  spirit;  when  his  decease  took  place,  May  31,  1883, 
th'e  community,  as  well  as  the  family  of  which  he  was  the  honored 
head,  felt  its  loss  deeply. 

His  wife  made  home,  with  its  boys  and  girls,  her  chief  field  of 
labor;  she  was  possessed  of  quick  intelligence,  and  did  not  lack 
interest  in  all  questions  pertaining  to  the  public  welfare.  She 
was  rigidly  careful  that  her  children  should  improve  their  school 
advantages,  exacting  of  them  habits  of  regularity  and  punctuality 
in  their  attendance.  During  the  intervals  between  school  terms 
the  boys  were  put  to  farm  work  and  the  girls  at  household  duties 
and  dairy  work. 

She  was  a  woman  of  sound  judgment,  in  whom  those  about 
her  had  great  confidence,  a  true  friend  who  possessed  "the 
jewel  of  a  loyal  heart,"  quiet  in  her  way  and  dignified  in  her 
bearing. 

She  died  at  her  home  in  Edinburg,  0.,  in  the  serene  assurance 
of  immortal  life,  February  6,  1880. 
46 


710  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Edmund  B.  and  Lucy  Merrill  Higley  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  viz. : 

James  Henry,  Julia  Ann,  Amelia  M.  and  Adelia  M.,  twins, 
Mary  Frances,  Franklin  Monroe,  Luanda  Augusta. 

JAMES  HENRY  HIGLEY,  the  eldest  child,  was  born  in  Edinburg,  O.,  June  17, 
1837.  He  attended  a  select  school  at  Edinburg  Centre,  and  was  afterward  a 
student  at  Mount  Union  College,  Ohio.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  in  Ohio  and 
Tennessee.  Entering  the  business  world,  and  possessed  of  excellent  abilities,  he 
achieved  success,  and  in  a  few  years  became  the  vice  president  of  the  Hopkins 
Bridge  and  Construction  Company  of  St.  Louis.  He  is  now  (1894)  engaged  in 
the  same  line  of  business — bridge  builder  and  contractor.  Mr.  Higley  is  well 
and  favorably  known  as  a  man  of  excellent  natural  endowments  and  good  principles, 
and  his  career  has  been  one  of  honorable  success.  He  resides  in  Leavemvorth, 
Kan. 

October  5,  1889,  he  married  Florence  Emma  Myer  at  Blanchester,  Clinton 
County,  O.,  daughter  of  Frances  Myer  and  his  wife,  Hannah  Dudley.  Florence 
E.  Myer  was  born  at  Waynesville,  O.,  November  19,  1856.  Her  mother,  Hannah 
Dudley  was  a  direct  lineal  descendant  from  an  English  family  of  noble  birth. 
Mrs.  Higley  died  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  May  22,  1895. 

JULIA  ANN  HIGLEY,  the  second  child,  was  born  in  Edinburg,  O.,  July  14,  1839. 
After  pursuing  her  studies  at  the  common  school,  she  attended  Mount  Union 
College,  Ohio,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  the  scientific  course,  receiving  the 
degree  B.  S.  Seven  years  later  an  honorary  degree  was  conferred  upon  her.  She 
made  teaching  her  vocation,  receiving  appointments  in  Ohio  and  Indiana. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  1867,  she  married  Ebenezer  L.  Rich  of  California.  Mrs. 
Julia  Higley  Rich  died  in  Cleveland,  O.,  December  n,  1877.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  viz. : 

Herbert  M.,  born  June  5,  1870,  in  Virelin,  111.,  and  Nellie,  born  July  4,  1873, 
who  died  in  infancy. 

AMELIA  M.,"twin  child  of  Edmund  B.  and  Lucy  Merrill  Higley,  was  born  in 
Edinburg,  O.,  June  25,  1841.  She  became  a  teacher  when  but  fourteen  years  of 
age,  filling  positions  in  Ohio  and  Kentucky  for  a  number  of  school  terms. 

She  married,  January  i,  1867,  Thomas  Carr  of  her  native  town.  Mr.  Carr  en- 
tered the  Civil  War,  joining  Battery  A,  1st  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Light  Artil- 
lery, when  it  was  organized  in  1861,  serving  first  as  harness-maker.  He  ac- 
companied his  battery  through  all  its  campaign  during  1862,  '63,  and  '64,  and  entered 
regular  duty  when  the  battery  reached  Gallatin,  Tenn.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged after  the  close  of  the  war,  July  31,  1865. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carr  are  well-to-do  and  highly  esteemed  citizens,  residing  in  a 
cheerful  home  at  Edinburg,  O.,  on  a  fine  tract  of  well-cultivated  farming  land 
which  they  own.  They  have  two  children,  viz.  : 

Henry  Joseph,  born  May  24,  1870  ;  and  Emma  Lucinda,  born  October  18, 
1873- 

HENRY  JOSEPH  married,  September  20,  1893,  Ona  N.  McKenzie  of  Diamond. 
O.  They  had  one  child,  Hazel  Flora,  born  June  18,  1895.  They  resided  in  Cleve 


DESCENDANTS  OF  JAMES  HIGLEY.  711 

land,  O.  Henry  J.  Carr  died  of  typhoid  fever,  November  I.  1895.  His  body 
was  taken  to  Edinburg  for  interment.  The  funeral  services  were  held  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

EMMA  L.  married,  September  2,  1894,  Walter  J.  Cope  of  Edinburg,  O.  Their 
son,  Lionel  Carr,  was  born  July  17,  1895.  They  reside  in  Canfield,  O. 

ADELIA  M.,  twin  sister  to  Amelia  M.,  was  born  in  Edinburg,  O.,  June  25,  1841. 
She  married,  November  27,  1861,  John  Ewing,  who  was  born  in  Fall  River,  Mass., 
July  8,  1836.  After  the  decease  of  her  husband,  she  filled  the  officeof  postmistress 
acceptably  for  twelve  years.  John  Ewing  died  in  Edinburg,  O.,  June  5,  1872. 
They  had  three  children,  viz.  : 

James  Henry,  born  February  5,  1863,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  August  23,  1884  ; 
Edmund  Francis,  born  January  4,  1865  ;  and  Lucy  A.,  born  February  26,  1868. 

Mrs.  Adelia  Higley  Ewing  married,  second,  Benjamin  Franklin  Hill,  February 
24,  1889.  They  reside  in  Campbellsport,  Portage  County,  O. 

MARY  FRANCIS,  fifth  child  of  Edmund  and  Lucy  Merrill  Higley,  was  born  in 
Edinburg,  O.,  January  21,  1844. 

After  a  preliminary  course  of  study  she  took  a  teacher's  course,  afterward 
taking  a  full  commercial  course  in  the  commercial  department  of  Mount  Union  Col- 
lege, receiving  the  degree  of  B.  C.  S.  She  became  a  successful  teacher,  and  de 
voted  herself  eight  years  in  Ohio  to  her  chosen  calling.  After  the  decease  of  her 
parents  she  purchased  fourteen  acres  of  the  original  farm  from  which  her  grand- 
father cleared  the  forests  in  1827,  and  built  a  comfortable  residence,  which  is  still 
her  home.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 
A  woman  of  fine  qualities,  given  to  usefulness,  she  inspires  those  who  come  into 
her  presence  with  her  spirit.  She  never  married. 

FRANKLIN  MONROE,  sixth  child  of  Edmund  B.  and  Lucy  Merrill  Higley,  was 
born  at  the  family  homestead  at  Edinburg,  O.,  August  29.  1846. 

He  left  an  agricultural  life  at  nineteen,  and  entered  a  business  firm  engaged  in 
the  construction  of  bridges,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  He  is  now  the  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  company's  business. 

He  married,  July  14,  1891,  at  Kansas  City,  Rosalie  Dillinger,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Mary  Dillinger.  She  was  born  at  Mound  City,  Lynn  County,  Kan., 
June  20,  1867.  They  have  a  son,  named 

Leo  Franklin,  born  at  Jericho  Springs,  Cedar  County,  Mo.,  August  28,  1892. 

LUCINDA  AUGUSTA,  the  youngest  child  of  Edmund  B.  and  Lucy  Mer- 
rill Higley,  was  born  at  Edinburg,  O.,  December  8,  1849.  She  was  delicately 
constituted  and  was  never  able  to  assume  any  special  line  of  action  in  life.  During 
the  remaining  years  that  she  lived  after  her  schooldays  were  passed,  she  remained 
at  home  with  her  parents.  She  died  December  19,  1872. 

EDNA  B.  HIGLEY,  twin  sister  to  Edmund  B.  (whose  family  we 
have  been  tracing  above),  and  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah 
Roberts  Higley,  was  born  November  13,  1805,  at  Great  Barring- 
ton,  Mass.  She  married  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  November  21, 
1827,  Lorenzo  Buck.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by 
the  Rev.  Ira  Eddy  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She 
died  September  28,  1830. 


712  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

ORPHA  MINERVA,  third  child  of  James  and  Hannah  Roberts 
Higley,  was  born  in  Fabius,  N.  Y.,  July  28,  1814.  She  married 
Alva  O.  Day,  December  i,  1831.  They  reside  in  Concord, 
Dodge  County,  Minn.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  all 
of  whom  are  married  and  have  families,  viz. : 

Edna,  born  April  16,  1835,  resides  in  Concord,  Minn. ;  Lewis, 
born  September  6,  1837,  resides  in  Iowa  ;  Persis  Hannah,  born 
May  31,  1840,  lives  in  Oshkosh,  Wis. 


APPENDIX. 


THE  HIGLEY  REUNIONS. 
From  Printed  Reports. 

REUNION  OF    1886. 

THE  numerous  descendants  of  the  Higley  Family  met  by  invitation  of  Mr.  Jona- 
than Higley  (4th),  Mr.  Harrison  Higley,  and  Mr.  Thompson  Higley,  on  September 
I,  1886,  in  Windsor,  Ashtabula County,  O.,  at  the  residenceof  the  latter-named  gen- 
tleman, which  is  located  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  township,  on  the  farm 
cleared  and  first  settled  by  the  pioneer  ancestor  of  the  name,  who  emigrated  from 
Connecticut  in  1802. 

The  representatives  present  were  generally  residents  of  the  county,  and  included 
all  ages,  from  Mrs.  Semira  Frost,  aged  eighty-eight,  to  baby  Bessie,  daughter  of 
Greenleaf  W.  Higley,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  aged  five  months.  Mr.  Frank  Higley 
of  Cleveland,  O.,  was  present  also. 

The  large  company,  216  in  number,  were  cordially  "  Welcomed"  by  a  beautiful 
motto  wrought  in  evergreen,  and  placed  so  as  to  be  conspicuous  from  the  public 
road,  indicative  of  the  hospitality  of  the  large-hearted  host  of  the  occasion,  Mr. 
Thompson  Higley. 

The  weather  was  cool  and  delightful,  all  that  could  have  been  desired.  Free 
social  enjoyment  was  the  order  of  the  day,  enlivened  by  stories,  jokes,  and  sports, 
accompanied  with  hearty  laughter  ;  relatives  and  kindred  met  who  had  heretofore 
lived  almost  without  a  personal  acquaintance  or  knowledge  of  each  other,  and  for 
the  first  time  interchanged  fraternal  greetings.  Mr.  Hector  Higley  and  his 
daughter  Luella  delighted  the  audience  by  fine  duets  on  the  violin  and  organ  ; 
Mr.  E.  B.  Alvord  and  Miss  Eva  Knapp  entertained  the  company  in  like  manner  ; 
several  solos  were  well  rendered,  and  a  number  joined  in  songs  and  choruses. 

The  sumptuous  dinner  which  was  served  underneath  the  shade  trees  near  the 
house  was  the  feature  of  the  day.  One  hundred  and  sixteen  sat  together  at  the 
bountiful  and  well-arranged  meal.  Cheerful  matrons  and  bright-eyed  damsels,  and 
men  of  all  ages  of  Higley  parentage  and  characteristic  good  hearts  served  those 
seated,  who  in  turn  returned  the  pleasure.  The  good  housewives  vied  with  each 
other  in  their  superior  skill  in  culinary  art.  It  would  be  simply  impossible  to  do 
justice,  through  the/£«,  to  the  chicken  pies  from  the  residence  of  Homer  Higley, 
Esq.,  which  came  to  their  perfection  by  the  expert  hands  of  his  amiable  wife,  or  to 
the  quantities  of  elegant  cake  made  by  the  dextrous  fingers  of  scores  of  women  who 
bear  the  name. 

After  the  dinner  was  served  the  guests  were  called  to  order  by  Mr.  Jonathan 
Higley.  Mr.  Edgar  Graves  read  a  letter  from  the  Hon.  Warren  Higley  of  New 
York  City,  giving  happy  expression  of  his  interest  in  the  gathering.  A  unanimous 
vote  was  passed  inviting  Judge  Higley  to  address  the  Reunion  next  year. 


7  H  THE  H1GLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Last,  but  not  the  least  part  of  this  very  enjoyable  occasion,  was  in  reserve  for  the 
evening.  As  the  sun  closed  the  day  a  large  number  of  the  guests  accepted  an 
invitation,  which  had  been  kindly  extended  by  Harrison  Higley,  Esq.,  and  his  wife, 
to  their  cheerful  home  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  for  refreshments  and  danc- 
ing. Here  the  middle-aged  renewed  their  youth  and  mingled  with  the  young 
people  in  treading  the  " light  fantastic  toe"  until  the  wee  hours  of  September  2, 
thus  bringing  to  a  delightful  close  the  Higley  Reunion  of  1886. 


REUNION   OF    1887. 

The  second  Higley  Reunion  was  held,  in  accordance  with  an  announcement  and 
invitation  extended  last  year,  at  the  country  residence  of  Mr.  Greenleaf  W.  Higley, 
in  the  town  of  Windsor,  Ashtabula  County,  O.,  on  September  I,  1887. 

Ample  arrangements  had  been  made  for  the  accommodation  and  entertainment  of 
the  numerous  guests  from  other  States.  On  the  gentle  slope  of  ground  adjoining 
the  east  side  of  the  house,  along  which  extended  a  broad  piazza,  was  erected  an  arbor 
seventy  by  eighty  feet,  completely  covered  and  skirted  around  with  green  boughs, 
and  decorated  with  the  national  colors.  Within  this  arbor  were  arranged  the 
tables,  ornamented  with  flowers  and  fruits,  and  in  front  of  these  were  placed  seats, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  audience  while  the  speaking  was  in  progress.  In  the 
evening  the  arbor  was  beautifully  lighted  with  Chinese  lanterns. 

The  weather  was  especially  propitious,  and  the  morning  hours  were  occupied  in 
welcoming  the  clans  and  introducing  strangers  to  their  kin. 

A  little  before  twelve  o'clock  Mr.  Greenleaf  W.  Higley,  in  fitting  terms,  ex- 
tended to  his  guests  a  hearty  welcome,  at  the  close  of  which  he  introduced  Judge 
Warren  Higley  of  New  York  City,  whose  name  next  appeared  on  the  programme 
for  the  historical  address.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  the  audience  listened  in  rapt 
attention  while  the  speaker  portrayed  in  vivid  outline  the  history  of  the  family 
from  the  time  Captain  John  Higley  landed  in  old  Windsor,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Connecticut,  in  1666,  to  the  present  day.  He  contrasted  the  life  and  times  of  our 
Colonial  ancestors  and  of  our  pioneer  grandfathers  with  those  of  to-day,  and  drew 
lessons  of  wisdom  from  the  puritanical  training  and  the  blue  laws  of  Connecticut. 

There  were  about  four  hundred  present.  Two  hundred  sat  down  to  the  first 
table  and  were  waited  upon  by  forty  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Higley  tribes, 
the  ladies  wearing  pretty  caps,  trimmed  in  bright  ribbons,  and  the  gentlemen 
rosettes  of  colors  to  match. 

Dinner  over,  short  addresses  were  made  in  response  to  the  sentiments  proposed, 
by  Pomeroy  Higley  of  Simsbury,  Conn.;  Milo  H.  Higley  of  Meigs  County,  O.; 
Hon.  B.  S.  Higley  of  Windham,  O. ;  Anson  Higley  of  Batavia,  N.  Y. ;  Frank 
Higley  of  Cleveland,  O. ;  Hayden  Higley  of  Raymond,  N.  H.:  Coy  Higley  of 
Merrimac,  Mass.;  Jonathan  Higley  of  Windsor,  O.,  and  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Shipman 
of  Girard,  Pa.  Milo  H.  Higley  exhibited  a  compass  and  cane  which  once  belonged 
to  Captain  John  Higley,  the  founder  of  the  family. 

The  exercises  were  interspersed  with  excellent  music.  Mrs.  Greenleaf  W. 
Higley  pleased  the  audience  with  a  beautiful  Scotch  song.  "  Auld  Lang  Syne," 
with  words  admirably  adapted  to  the  occasion,  arranged  by  Mrs.  Mary  Coffin  John- 
son, was  sung  by  the  audience  with  great  spirit  and  feeling.  In  the  evening  young 


APPENDIX.  715 

and  old  joined  in  the  dance,  which  was  kept  up  until  the   "wee  sma'  hours  o' 
the  morning." 

The  Reunion  members  of  this  large  family  came  from  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Iowa, 
Indiana,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  distant  parts  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  M.  C.  Johnson  was  there,  giving  information  of 
different  families  and  relationships,  through  the  various  branches,  and'  noting  down 
whatever  she  could  learn  of  things  new.  She  had  spent  most  of  the  year  in  search- 
ing old  records,  rummaging  libraries,  visiting  Hartford,  old  Windsor,  Simsbury, 
Vermont,  and  other  points,  and  carrying  on  an  extensive  correspondence  in  pursuit 
of  the  necessary  material  to  make  up  and  weave  into  a  Genealogical  History  of  the 
Higley  Family.  The  following  original  poem  was  contributed  by  Mrs.  Henry 
Higley  of  New  Windsor,  111.  The  second  Reunion  was  unanimously  voted  an 
eminent  success. 

A  GREETING. 
By  Mrs.  Abbie  L.  Higley. 

Herewith  send  we  cordial  greeting 

To  the  gathered  Higley  race  ; 
Large  and  joyful  be  the  meeting, 

At  the  purposed  time  and  place. 

From  all  sections  let  them  rally, 

Far  as  Maine  and  Oregon  ; 
From  each  mountain,  plain,  and  valley, 

Let  the  Higley  host  move  on. 

From  our  grand  State's  fertile  prairies, 

From  its  growing  cities  fair, 
From  it  farmhouses  and  dairies, 

May  they  all  be  gathered  there. 

Grandsires  grave  and  wise  and  hearty, 

Living  honored  lives  and  true  ; 
Join  en  masse  the  happy  party, 

And  your  lease  of  life  renew. 

And  the  gentle,  dear  grandmothers, 
Whom  all  children  love  "  the  best  "; 

Now  be  joyous  with  the  others  ; 
In  your  children's  children  blest. 

And  the  fathers,  nobly  striving 

On  the  battlefield  of  life, 
Showing  by  a  constant  thriving 

You  are  victors  in  the  strife. 

And  the  mothers  ;  name  more  holy 

Than  the  titles  of  the  earth  ; 
Lovely  with  the  poor  and  lowly 
•  As  with  those  of  regal  birth. 


7l6  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

Youths,  the  hopes  of  future  ages  ; 

Now  in  early  manhood's  prime  ; 
Born  for  statesmen,  heroes,  sages, 

Your  true  mission  is  sublime. 

And  the  brightly  blooming  maiden, 
With  her  youthful  beauty  rare  : 

Pure  as  flower  with  fragrance  laden, 
All  with  one  accord  be  there. 

Little  boys  and  girls  so  winning, 
With  your  laughter,  sport,  and  play  ; 

To  its  end  from  the  beginning, 
May  you  all  enjoy  the  day. 

"  Babie  Bessie,"  precious  treasure, 
Who  unconscious  acts  her  part  ; 

Adding  to  the  common  pleasure, 
Waking  love  in  every  heart. 

Length  of  days,  undimmed  by  sorrow, 

Virtue's  joys  each  life  attend. 
Till  in  Heaven's  eternal  morrow 

The  "  Reunion  "  ne'er  will  end. 
September  I,  1887. 


HIGLEY   REUNION,    l88g. 

"  Could  our  ancestor  have  foreseen  this  gathering  to-day, 
It  would  have  straightened  many  a  path,  smoothed  many  a  rugged  way  ; 
Have  lent  a  solace  to  all  grief,  have  lightened  every  pain, 
And  carried  to  his  heart  the  truth  that  he'd  not  lived  in  vain." 

On  Thursday,  the  5th  of  September,  1889,  the  third  annual  Reunion  of  the 
Higleys,  marking  a  gratifying  era  in  the  history  of  the  wide-extended  Family, 
took  place. 

A  general  invitation  having  been  sent  far  and  near  to  all  of  the  connection, 
by  Alfred  M.  Higley,  Esq.,  and  William  A.  Higley,  of  Windham,  Portage 
County,  O.,  to  meet  at  that  place,  a  large  assemblage  of  kindred  and  friends  from 
several  different  States  convened  on  the  above  date  and  met  a  welcome  in  keeping 
with^he  characteristic  true  hospitality  of  the  relatives  and  citizens  of  the  town. 

The  Reunion,  which  was  one  of  unusual  interest,  was  held  at  the  homestead  of 
Alfred  M.  Higley,  on  the  old  family  estate  of  his  father,  Colonel  Benjamin  Higley, 
who  located  there  in  1811,  the  year  that  he  emigrated  with  his  young  family  to 
Windham,  from  Becket,  Mass. 

For  two  days  previous  busy  hands  had  been  engaged  in  preparation.  Two  tents 
had  been  erected  on  the  front  lawn,  one  for  the  historical  and  social  exercises,  and 
the  other  for  a  dining  apartment,  with  tables  extending  a  length  of  240  feet,  in 
ten  sections,  furnishing  ample  conveniences  for  the  large  audience  of  guests,  a 
bountiful  display  of  flowers  in  every  form  and  variety  gracing  the  tables.  The  Ben- 


33 

O 


APPENDIX.  717 

jamin  Higley  and  Joseph  Higley  tribes  and  the  Alford  branch  of  the  clan  joined 
in  the  work  of  preparation,  and  the  old  homestead  was  admirably  decorated  with 
evergreen  wreaths  and  bouquets. 

The  arrangements  for  the  dinner,  which  was  served  at  2  p.  M.,  were  an  un- 
paralleled success  in  the  annals  of  rural  feasts.  Everything  was  on  the  scale  of 
simplicity  and  generous  hospitality,  for  which  the  hosts  and  hostesses  of  the  occasion 
have  a  well-merited  reputation.  A  drizzling  fall  of  rain,  which  commenced  just 
as  the  guests  were  fairly  seated  at  the  tables,  interfered  to  some  extent  with  the 
pleasures  of  that  social  hour. 

There  were,  by  careful  estimate,  fully  three  hundred  present,  among  whom  were 
guests  from  New  York  City  and  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  Boston,  Mass.;  Mr.  Albert 
C.  Bates,  from  East  Granby,  Conn.,  and  sixty  others  who  came  from  Batavia,  N.  Y. ; 
Cedar  Rapids,  la. :  Windsor,  Hartsgrove  and  vicinity,  Ashtabula  County,  O. ;  several 
from  Leipsic,  Putnam  County,  also  from  Youngstown,  Cleveland,  and  Rutland, 
Meigs  County,  O. ;  Braceville,  Newton  Falls,  Nelson,  Ravenna,  Akron,  O. ; 
Marshall,  Mich.;  Conneautville,  Pa.,  and  many  other  localities. 

The  Windham  Cornet  Band,  several  of  whom  were  from  Higley  families,  ren- 
dered fine  music  to  enliven  the  occasion,  and  added  much  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
Reunion. 

In  the  midst  of  fraternal  greetings  the  formal  exercises  of  the  occasion  were 
opened  at  eleven  o'clock,  by  the  rendering  of  an  attractive  selection  by  the  band. 

Mr.  Alfred  M.  Higley  was  president  of  the  day.     He  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  MY  KINDRED,  NEIGHBORS,  AND  FRIENDS  : 

"  We  most  kindly  and  heartily  welcome  you  to  this  gathering  of  kindred  hoping 
that  it  will  prove  a  time  spent  pleasantly  to  all.  This  is  a  most  fitting  oppor- 
tunity for  the  renewal  of  old  friendships  and  to  become  better  acquainted  with 
each  other.  - 

"  Seventy-eight  years  ago  a  dense  forest  covered  these  grounds  at  the  time  my 
father,  Benjamin  Higley,  built  his  log  cabin  on  this  spot  for  his  then  small  family. 
They  had  only  the  wild  animals  for  their  neighbors.  Soon  after  Joseph  Higley, 
a  cousin  to  my  father,  arrived  from  Becket,  Mass.,  with  his  family,  and  from  these 
two  households  sprung  the  Windham,  O.,  Higleys.  In  the  same  company  came 
several  other  families  to  make  themselves  homes  in  the  wilderness.  Among  these 
were  the  Alford  brothers,  whose  descendants,  our  cousins,  are  here  with  us. 

"  Gathered  around  this  old  landmark  to-day,  the  tribes  of  Joseph  and  Benjamin 
extend  to  all  our  kindred  here,  our  greeting — we  most  cordially  welcome  you  to 
participate  in  making  this  occasion  pleasant,  social,  and  profitable." 

Letters  from  many  who  lived  at  a  distance  were  received  and  read  by  Sheldon 
F.  Higley,  Esq.,  of  Geneva,  O.,  from  Hon.  E.  L.  Lampson  of  Jefferson,  O.; 
Edward  B.  Higley  of  Spencer,  la.;  E.  N.  Higley,  New  York  City  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
M.  Brown  of  Osage,  la.;  D.  B.  Higley,  Sterling,  Kan.;  Major  M.  A.  Higley, 
Cedar  Rapids,  la.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coy  Higley,  Merrimac,  Mass.;  Mrs.  William 
J.  Pease,  Hartford,  Conn.;  Clark  Higley,  Tooele  City,  Utah  ;  Hayden  Higley 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Shepard,  Raymond,  N.  H.;  H.  W.  Higley,  Conconnolly,  Wash.; 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Hamilton,  Unionville,  Conn.;  Mrs.  Stuart  Worcester,  Woodford,  Me.; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwin  Higley  of  Decatur,  Neb. 


7*8  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

The  chairman  then  introduced  the  Hon.  Brainard  S.  Higley  of  Youngstown,  O., 
who  gave  an  admirable  and  carefully  prepared  address,  which  was  received  with 
interest  by  his  attentive  hearers. 

At  this  point,  the  dinner  being  announced,  the  large  company  adjourned  to  par- 
take of  the  sumptuous  repast.  To  the  list  of  good  things  hearty  justice  was  done, 
and  the  guests  mingled  in  social  chat. 

Dinner  over,  the  audience  gathered  again  in  the  large  tent,  and  the  band  having 
played  inspiring  airs,  the  president  presented  Mrs.  Mary  Coffin  Johnson  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  who  read  a  report  of  the  progress  of  the  expected  volume,  "The 
Higleys  and  their  Ancestry,"  in  which  marked  interest  was  manifested. 

This  was  followed  by  the  poem  of  the  day,  entitled  "  Our  Family  Tree,"  which 
met  with  much  acceptance,  written  and  read  by  Mrs.  Mary  Adams  Bosley  of 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  daughter  of  the  late  Sarah  Ann  Higley  and  William  C.  Adams 
of  Windham.  Mrs.  Bosley  read  her  poem  with  fine  effect,  and  was  heartily 
applauded. 

Hon.  Warren  Higley  of  New  York  City  was  the  next  speaker.  His  scholarly 
address,  which  was  highly  interesting  to  his  listeners,  was  delivered  in  his  usual 
attractive  voice  and  eloquent  manner. 

When  Judge  Higley  had  closed  his  speech,  other  speakers  were  called  for — 
Anson  Higley,  Esq.,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.;  Milo  H.  Higley  of  Rutland,  O.;  W.  W. 
Higley  of  Cedar  Rapids,  la.;  George  T.  Higley,  Ashland,  Mass.;  Dr.  Gordon  of 
Milan,  O. ;  and  Sheldon  F.  Higley  of  Geneva,  O.  The  last  four  responded  with 
spirited  remarks,  which  were  interrupted  by  frequent  applause. 

The  exercises  then  closed. 

The  clan,  one  and  all,  united  in  a  warm  sense  of  appreciation  of  the  indefatiga- 
ble efforts  and  kind  attentions  of  the  Windham  kinspeople  to  make  the  occasion 
enjoyable  ;  and  take  pleasure  in  making  special  mention  of  Mr.  William  A. 
Higley,  who  left  nothing  omitted  which  could  contribute  to  the  successful  issue  of 
the  fourth  annual  Reunion  and  make  the  best  of  fellowship  prevail.  Long  will 
they  be  remembered. 

HIGLEY  REUNION, 1890. 

A  reunion  of  the  descendants  of  Captain  John  Higley,  under  the  efficient 
arrangements  made  by  the  local  committee,  Messrs.  Pomeroy  Higley,  H.  W. 
Goddard,  and  Albert  C.  Bates,  was  held  near  the  ancestral  homestead,  in  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  August  20  and  21,  1890. 

There  was  a  notable  gathering  of  about  three  hundred  representatives  of  the  dif- 
ferent clans,  from  twelve  States  of  the  Union,  in  the  old  First  Church,  on  the  spot 
where  the  early  Higleys  were  accustomed  to  worship. 

The  exercises  were  opened  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Arza  Hill,  pastor  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  followed  by  a  cordial  and  eloquent  "  Address  of  Welcome," 
on  behalf  of  the  citizens,  by  the  Rev.  Horace  Winslow,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
church  in  which  the  company  was  assembled.  Professor  Edwin  Hall  Higley  of 
Vermont  conducted  the  music. 

The  first  day  was  devoted  to  literary  exercises,  which  were  of  a  most  interesting 
character,  and  happily  interspersed  with  excellent  music.  The  papers  read  and 
the  addresses  given  were  naturally  historical,  and  were  contributed  by  Professor 


APPENDIX.  719 

Edwin  Hall  Higley  of  Groton,  Mass. ;  Dr.  William  Frederick  Holcombe  of  New 
York:  George  T.  Higley,  A.  M.,  of  Ashland,  Mass.;  Mary  Coffin  Johnson  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.;  Miss  Emma  L.  Higley  of  Middlebury,  Vt. ;  Abbie  L.  Higley 
of  New  Windsor,  111.,  a  poem  ;  and  Hon.  Warren  Higley  of  New  York  City. 

The  citizens  of  Simsbury  in  a  most  friendly  manner  entertained  the  guests  at  an 
elaborate  dinner  in  the  town  hall,  and  otherwise  extended  a  true  and  cordial 
hospitality. 

On  Thursday,  the  2ist,  all  joined  in  a  pre-arranged  excursion  by  carriage  to 
Captain  John  Higley's  old  estate,  Dr.  Samuel  Higley's  historic  copper  mine,  the 
old  Newgate  prison,  and  thence  to  Bartlett's  Tower,  on  a  lofty  height  of  the  Tal- 
cott  Mountains,  where  a  most  excellent  New  England  clam-bake  was  served  to  the 
hungry  crowd. 

The  two  days'  reunion  proved  in  every  respect  most  enjoyable.  The  following 
verses  selected  for  the  occasion  were  sung  with  enthusiasm  : 

Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot 

And  never  brought  to  mind  ? 
Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot 

And  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne  ? 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  my  friends, 
For  Auld  Lang  Syne, 
We'll  join  the  hand  of  kindness  now, 
For  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

Our  fathers  here  their  dwellings  reared 

In  social  life  combined, 
These  swelling  fields  their  labors  cleared 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 

Those  ancient  homes  they  guarded  well, 

And  stood  by  freedom's  shrine  ; 
And  many  a  fearless  warrior  fell 

In  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 

And  we  were  nursed  amid  these  hills 

And  in  these  vales  reclined  ; 
But  we  have  wandered  far  away 

Since  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 

We've  roamed  across  the  prairie  wild, 

The  mountain  pass  have  climbed, 
And  placed  the  schoolhouse  in  the  wild 

Since  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,,  etc. 


720  THE  HIGLEYS  AND    THEIR  ANCESTRY. 

We've  mingled  in  the  city's  strife, 
We've  delved  within  the  mine  ; 

And  braved  the  ocean's  stormy  waves, 
Since  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 

Our  sturdy  sires  of  yore  have  gone, 
And  kinsfolk  in  their  prime  ; 

The  lov'd  and  good  have  disappeared 
Since  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne. 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 

We'll  part  again  to  distant  scenes, 
And  leave  this  hallowed  shrine  ; 

But  oft  we'll  think  with  grateful  praise 
Of  days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne.1 

For  Auld  Lang  Syne,  etc. 
1  By  Rev.  H.  Goodwin,  1851. 


INDEX. 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


Abell,  Mary  A.  Higley  (1834),  693; 
her  children,  693 

Abrams,  Harriet  Higley  (1821),  498 

Adams,  Benjamin  Higley  (1833), 
sketch  of  Civil  War  record,  334; 
Sarah  Ann  Higley  (1817),  334; 
children  of,  334 

Adirondack  League  Club,  215 

Alcott,  Clarissa  Higley  Robertson 
(1826),  431;  her  children,  431 

Alderman,  Almira  Higley,  347 

Alford,  Amasa,  177;  Asahel,  178; 
Elijah,  Sr.,  176;  Elijah,  Jr.  (1757), 
177, 178,301,  307;  Elijah,  3d (1780), 
178;  Elijah,  4th  (of  Windom,  O.), 
178;  Oliver  (1798),  178,  308;  Levi 
(1798),  178,  308;  Ruth  (1784),  178; 
Rebecca  Owen  (1744),  378 

Allen,  Charles  Ethan  (1871);  Emma 
Ormsby,  302;  Elizabeth  Higley 
(1824)  273;  Harriet  Ann  Higley 
(1844),  291 ;  her  children,  291 ;  Lucy 
Higley  (1824),  628 

Allinson,  Charles,  268;  Louisa  Hig- 
ley Cogley,  sketch  of,  267 

Ames,  Alvira  Higley  (1837),  415  ; 
her  children,  415 

American  Forestry  Congress  .found- 
ing of,  213 

Archer,  Lucinda  Higley,  181 

Atkins,  Pluma  Higley  (1848).  552 

Ballow,  Ursula  Higley,  657 
Bancroft,    Elizabeth  Higley  (1677), 

9i 

Barber,  Ann,  wife  of  Jona.  Higley, 
89;  Azubah  Brown  (1760),  379;  Han- 
nah Higley  (1773),  394;  Lieut. 
Thomas,  89 

Barbour,  Harriet  R.  Higley  (1815), 
219 

Barge,  Adeline  Higley  Terry  (1825), 
205 


Barnard,  Jane  Higley  (1839),  569  ; 
her  children,  569  ;  Sally  Higley 
(1785),  225  ;  children  of,  225 

Bates,  Albert  (1804),  201  ;  Albert  C. 
(1865),  sketch  of,  223,  224  ;  Alfred 
(1815),  224  ;  Amelia  Higley  (1779); 
sketch  of,  220,  221 ;  Anson  (1799), 
221  ;  Carlos  (1808),  sketch  of,  221, 
223  ;  Daniel  (1800),  221  ;  Milton 
(1810),  224 

Bay,  Susan  Higley  (1822),  275 

Bayard,  Eva  A.  (1858),  655 

Bell,  Ernestine  (1859),  579  '<  Eunice 
Higley  (1827),  578  ;  Frederick  A. 
(1857),  579  ;  Garland  A.  (1890), 
579  ;  Harry  E.  (1888),  579  ;  Lynn 
(1891),  579  ;  Reuben  R.  (1866),  579  ; 
Thompson  Higley  (1854),  578 

Benson,  Mary  Ann  Higley,  398 

Bissell,  Sarah  Strong  (1666),  63 

Bingham,  Alvina  (1826),  273  ;  Emma 
N.  (1861),  277  ;  Harriet  Higley 
(1793),  273  ;  Lucius  H.  (1819),  273  ; 
Samuel  N.  (1831),  273 

Bird,  Ellen  M.  Higley  (1828),  685  ; 
her  children,  685 

Blackburn,  Nellie  Button  (1863),  404 

Blackman,  Susannah  Higley  (1705), 

49 

Blair,  Mary  S.  Frost  (1834),  494 
Blodgett,  Elizabeth  Higley,  231 
Borden,  Lucinda  Brown  (1765),  379 
Borradaile,   Charles   Higley  (1856), 
202  ;  Julietta  (1825),  202;  her  chil- 
dren, 202 
Bosley,  Mary  Ann  (1850),  sketch  of, 

335 

Bradbury.MollieE. Higley  (i8so),i83 
Brewster,  Katherine  (of  England), 
i  ;  Philena  Higley  (1787),  sketch 
of,  297,  298  ;  her  children,  298,  299 
Briggs,   Louisa  Higley,  230  ;   chil- 
dren of,  230 


721 


722 


INDEX. 


British  prison-ships,  409,  410,  434 
Bromley,  Mary  Higley  (1851),  407 
Brown,  Abiel  (1776),  379  ;  Charlotte 
Higley  (1827),  646  ;  Hannah  Owen 
(1740),  sketch  of,  378  ;  John  (1800), 
sketch  of,  380,  389  ;  grandson  of 
Hannah  Higley  Owen  and  Eliza- 
beth Higley  Mills,  380;  removed  to 
Ohio,  380;  first  marriage,  Dianthe 
Lusk,  380;  second  marriage,  Mary 
Anne  Day,  381;  some  prominent 
characteristics,  382;  eulogy  of  Hon. 
Frederick  Douglass,  384;  abolition 
principles,  383, 384;  incidents  after 
his  arrest,  385;  his  last  letter,  388; 
his  execution  and  burial,  386; 
slaves  of  America  liberated,  389; 
testimonials,  389;  Judge  Freder- 
ick (1769),  379;  Owen  (1771),  379 
Browne,  Galen  Higley  (1872),  414  ; 

Mary  Higley  (1840),  414 
Buck,  Edna  B.  Higley  (1805),  711  ; 

Lucy  G.  Higley  (1836),  608 
Bulkley ,  Maud  K.  Francis  (1873),  433 
Bull,  Mindwell  (1775),  166 
Burdock,  Anna  Higley  (1806),  sketch 

of,  694 

Burge,  Helen  Higley  (1833),  sketch 
of,  625;  Howard  Higley  (1859),  625 
Burleigh,  Anna  M.  Higley,  297 
Butts,  Amanda  Higley  (1811),  672 
Bybee,  Adelia  Higley  (1854),  438  ; 
her  children,  438 

Cady,  Emma  Louisa,  194  ;  Fluvia 
A.  Higley  (1844),  194 

California,  early  days  of,  677 

Campbell,  Anne  Higley  (1764),  241  ; 
children  of,  241  ;  Frances  E. 
(1846),  272 

Carpenter,  Clarissa  Bingham,  273  ; 
Fred.  Cyril  (1866),  705 

Carr,  Amelia  M.  Higley  (1841),  710  ; 
Betsey  A.  Higley  (1819),  646  ; 
Henry  Joseph  (1870),  710 

Carter,  Melissa  Higley,  198 

Case,  Austin,  397  ;  Capt.  Josiah, 
390  ;  Dency  Higley  (1803),  397  ; 
Esther  Brown  (1762),  379  ;  Eunice 
Higley,  345  ;  children  of,  345  ; 
Gen.  Jarvis,  391  ;  Hester  Higley 
(1719),  sketch  of,  390  ;  children  of, 
390,  391  ;  Huldah  Higley  (1750), 
sketch  of,  231  ;  children  of,  231  ; 
Mary  Theresa  Higley  (1808),  352  ; 
Miranda  Higley,  345  ;  Ruth  Hig- 
ley (1765),  286  ;  Sally  Higley 
(1787),  417 


Castleton,  Vt.,  early  settlement  of, 

172 
Caswell,     Zeruah      Higley     (1805), 

sketch  of,  264 

Cavendar,  Amanda  Bingham,  273 
Chipman,   Mary  A.   Higley  (1839), 

668 

Church  controversies,  51 
Clark,  Abigail  S.  Higley  (1809),  302  ; 
her  children,  302  ;  Addie  L.  Hig- 
ley', 273  ;    Dorcas  Higley  (1843), 
439  ;   her  children,  439  ;  Edward 
A.    (1870),   338  ;    Elizabeth    Ann 
Higley  (1850),  439 ;  her  children, 
439 ;    Jennie    W.    Atkins    (1868), 
552  ;  John  B.  (1838),  302  ;   Sarah 
M.  Higley  (1847),  338 
Cloes,  Luella  Higley  (1865),  554 
Coe,  Anna  Higley  (1774),  675  ;  Anna 

Higley  (1798),  686 
Cogley,  Thomas  S.,  268 
Coles,  Ruth  Higley  (1772),  645 
Collins,  Sylvia  Higley  (1784),  593 
Colton,  N.  Y.,  founding  of,  669 
Colton,    Robert    McKown,   M.    D. 
(1849),  sketch   of,  322  ;   Sarah  E. 
Higley  (1834),  321 
Comes,  Lydia  Higley  (1873),  565 
Company,  Connecticut  Land,  480 
Connecticut  Blue  Laws,  16 
Cooper,  Ann  E.  Higley  (1838),  705 
Cope, Emma  Lucinda  Carr  (1873), 711 
Copper,  the  Higley,  126,  130  ;  mine, 

the  Higley,  125 
Cossett,  Elvira  Higley,  347 
Coult,  Jonathan  Higley,  89  ;  Mercy 

Higley,  89 
"  Costumes  and  Annals  of  Fashion," 

extracts  from,  102 
Crandall,  Amariah  (1821),  581  ;  his 
children,    581  ;    Franklin    (1817), 
581  ;  Lydia  Higley  (1719),  581 
Creagan,  Elizabeth  S.  Higley,  227 
Cross,   Zeruah   Higley   (1784),  266 ; 

her  children,  266 
Cruse,  Harriet  Higley  (1851),  542  ; 

Lawrence  A.  (1889),  543 
Curtis,  Adeline  Higley  (1829),  419  ; 
George  W.,  194;  Juliette  E.  (1851), 
194  ;  children  of,  194  ;  Sally  Hig- 
ley (1817),  419  ;  Martha  P.  Higley 
(1815),  302  ;  her  children,  302 

Daniels,    Rebecca  Kempton  (1841), 

433 
Darling-Ufford,  Sylvia  Jane  (1822), 

sketch  of,  597 
Davenport,  Cynthia  Higley,  272 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


723 


Day,  Orpah  M.  Higley  (1814),  712  ; 
her  children,  712 

Day  of  solemn  humiliation  and 
prayer,  38 

Dean,  Henry  Charles  (1885),  376 ; 
Lee  P.  (1875),  376  ;  Naomi  Higley 
(1791),  189 ;  Seraph  E.  Maltbie 
(1882),  376  ;  Willard  Parker  (1879), 

376 
Decker,  Almeron  (1852),  sketch  of, 

558,  559  ;  Martha  Higley  (1828),  557 
Denison,    lola  Higley  (1778),   265  ; 

her  children,  265 
Dewey,  Louisa  Higley  (1855),  sketch 

of,  619 
De    Wolf,    Esther    Higley     (1743), 

sketch  of,  184 

Dinsmore,  Addie  F.  Higley,  230 
Dimond,  Carrie  J.  Higley,  371 
Dinsmore,    Naomi  Louisa  Higley, 

230 
Doolittle,     Amanda    M.     Watrous 

(1825),     605  ;    Eliza    M.    Watrous 

(1829),  605 

Doubleday,  Fidelia  Higley,  198 
Douglass,  Adelaide  H.  Burge  (1855), 

625 
Drake,   Elizabeth,   24,  44,   45,   46  ; 

John,  Sr.,  8, 14  ;  John,  the  Ameri- 
can colonist,  20  ;  family  of,  19 
Driggs,    Millicent    Husted  "(I8n). 

592  ;  children  of,  592 
Drinking  customs,  165 
Duel,  Clarinda  Higley  (1783),  623  ; 

her  children,  623 

Duncan,  Edward  Higley,  265:  Fan- 
nie Denison,  265  ;  Francis  Le 

Count,  265  ;  William  C.,  265 
Duncklee,   Mary  A.  Higley  (1799), 

672 
Dunwell,  Martha  A.  Kinney  (1849), 

540 
Durand,   Cassius  H.,  672;  Charity 

Higley  (1795),  sketch  of,  671  ;  her 

children,  671  ;  James    A.   (1825), 

672 

Durham,  Myra  Higley  (1857),  593 
Dye,   Electa    P.    (1849),    sketch  of , 

611  ;  Sarah  Higley  (1825),  sketch 

of,  610 

Earl,  Edwin  D.  (1841),  Civil  War 
record,  293 ;  Orlando  L.  (1838), 
Civil  War  record,  293  ;  his  wife, 
Emily  J.  Cutts  ;  children  of,  293; 
Eliza  Dewey  Higley  (1812),  sketch 
of,  289,  293 

Early  schools,  in  Colonial  times,  157 


Eaton,  Lucy  Marilla  Higley  (1849), 
194  ;  children  of,  194 

Education,  The  higher,  of  women  ; 
views  of  President  Timothy 
Dwight,  617 

Eggleston,  Emma  J.,  202  ;  children 
of,  202 

Ellis,  Mary  E.  Higley,  599 

English,  Harriet,  268  ;  Harry  Hig- 
ley, 268;  Melvin,268;  Sidney  San- 
derson, 268 

Estes,  Benjamin  W.  (1823),  629 ; 
Cyrus  H.  (1836),  629;  Elihu  B. 
(1828),  629;  Esther  Higley  (1796), 
sketch  of,  629  ;  her  children,  629  ; 
Norman  F.  (1833),  629 

Evans,  Frances  Higley  (1819),  351, 
38i 

Events  in  English  history,  1660- 
1665,  28,  29 

Ewing,    Adelia  M. 


711 


g,  Adelia  M.  Higley  (1841), 
;  her  children,  711;  Earl,  268; 
Lydenham,  268;  Mary  Jane  Cog- 
ley,  268  ;  Maud,  268 

Fairbanks,  Eliza  Ann  Husted  (1805), 

591  ;  her  children,  591 
Family,   the  Higley,   of   England, 

I,  2 

Fenn,  Carrie  Higley  (1862),  431 
Filer,  Lieutenant  Walter,  139 
Fitch,     Captain     Nathaniel,     136 ; 
Mindwell    Higley-Tisdale  (1689), 

135 

Forbush,  Harvey  Wright  (1869),  650 

Forman,  Mary  W.  Higley  Clark 
(1816),  302  ;  her  children,  302 

Forward,  Abigail  Higley  (1772), 
sketch  of,  492  ;  her  children,  493  ; 
Samuel,  Sr.  (1752),  492 

Fowles,  Ella  Irene  Marcy,  303 

Frampton,  Esther  L.  Estes  (1831), 
629 

Francis,  Jennie  Kempton  (1848),  433 

Frear,  Mary  Ann  McEwen  (1845), 
405 

Freece,  Marion  B.  Higley  (1861), 
592 

Freeman,  Elizabeth  J.  Higley  (1837), 
sketch  of,  613  ;  Fred.  W.,  M.  D. 
(1857),  618 

Frost,  BentonC.  (1840),  494  ;  Charles 
(1819),  493  ;  Elmer  (1826),  494 ; 
Frank  (1821),  494 ;  John  (1823), 
494  ;  Madison  (1829),  494  ;  Maria 
Powell,  his  wife,  494  ;  their  chil- 
dren, 494  ;  Semira  Forward  (1798), 
sketch  of,  493  ;  her  children,  493 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


Galloway,   Clayton    Higley    (1893), 

424 ;  Lauraett  Higley  (1858),  424 
Gates,   Elizabeth  P.  Higley  (1836), 

397  ;  Emma  Higley  (1870),  706 
Geer,  Helen  Higley,  198  ;  children 

of,  198 
Gillet,  Julia  E.  Higley  (1846),  619  ; 

her  children,  619 

Gladwin,  Ida  V.  Higley  (1861),  426 
Glaze,  Jane  Terry  (1856),  204 
Goddard,    Albert    E.    (1846),    191  ; 
Caroline  Nancy  (1823),  sketch  of, 
loo ;  Henry  N".  (1843),  sketch  of, 
191  ;  Lucius  A.  (1844),  sketch  of, 
191 

Gordon,  Emma  J.  Higley  (1863),  203 
Goff,  Theda  Higley  (1789),  417 
Goodale,   Emma  C.  Higley  (1822), 
667;   her  children,  667;    Francis 
W.  (1845),  667  ;  William  H.  (1848), 
667 

Gooding,  Anna  Wiswell,  582 
Gordon,  John  Emery  (1884),  203 
Gorton,     Catherine     E.     Harrison 

(1849),  302  ;  her  children,  302 
Goodrich,  Mary  E.   Higley  (1838), 

322  ;  her  children,  323 
Gould,  Martha  McEwen  (1854),  405 
Graham,  Gunelda  Higley,  345 
Grant,  Mary  Corinthia  White  (1808), 

570 

Graves,  Edgar  (1849),  sketch  of, 
546  ;  Mary  Higley  (1813),  545  ;  her 
children,  545,  547 ;  Oswin,  546 ; 
Keziah  Higley  (1815),  546  ;  Wal- 
lace, Civil  War  record,  546  ;  Wil- 
bur, 545 

Gray,  Mary  Ann  Higley,  350 
Green,  Albert   Joseph  (1868),   364  ; 
Charles  M.    (1858),    363  ;    Frank 
Higley  (1854),  363  ;  Gep.  Higley 
(1845),  363  ;  Louisa  Maria  Higley 
(1827),   sketch   of,   362,   363 ;    her 
children,  363  ;  Robert  Abiel (1862), 
364  ;  William  W.  (1850),  363 
Gridley,  Betsey  Higley  (1823),  578 
Griffen,  Deborah  Higley  Carr(i747), 

281 
Griswold,    Edward,    47 ;    Solomon 

(1754),  503 

Grover,  Julia  Higley,  277 
Guernsey,    Esther    Higley    (1775), 
264  ;  children  of,  265  ;  lola  Deni- 
son,   265  ;    Sarah,  265  ;    Solomon 
K.  (1798),  265 

Hale,  Laura  Higley  (1792),  581 
Hall,  Laura  A.  Higley  (1847),  706 


Halliday,  Anne  Higley  (1738),  281 

Hamilton,  Flora  E.  Ward  (1861), 
207  ;  J.  E.,  Mrs.,  196 

Hammond,  Jane  Higley,  Cornish 
(1817),  197 

Hardy,  Mary  Jane  Higley  (1847), 
439 

Harker-Partridge,  Puella  Higley 
(1786),  594  ;  children  of,  593 

.Harris,  Mary  Elizabeth  Higley 
(1839),  685  ;  Sylvia  Higley  (1779), 
656 

Hart-Forbush,  Eliza  Higley  (1845), 
650  ;  her  children,  650 

Haskins,  Clarissa  Higley  (1772),  375  ; 
her  children,  375 

Hathaway,  Harriet  Sanderson 
(1845),  269  ;  her  children,  269 

Hawkins,  Candace  Higley,  411 

Hayes,  Daniel,  captured  by  Indians, 
70 

Hays,  Betsey  Higley,  352  ;  Charles 
and  Morgan,  twins  (1820),  376 ; 
Edward  (1815),  376  ;  Eunice  Hig- 
ley, 345  ;  Frederick,  376  ;  George, 
376 ;  Martha  Higley,  352  ;  her 
children,  352  ;  Sarah  Higley  (1781), 
sketch  of,  352,  375 

Hibbard,  Lydia  J.  Higley  (1836), 
sketch  of,  704  ;  her  children,  705 

Higley,  Aaron  (1826),  sketch  of,  555; 
Abiah  Alonzo  (1867),  438 ;  Abiel 
(1789),  sketch  of,  354,  358  ;  his 
wife,  Prudence  Crane,  354 ;  chil- 
dren of,  358  ;  emigrated  to  Iowa, 
355  ;  pioneer  life,  356,  357 

Higley,  Abigail  Thorp  (1703),  147  ; 
Abraham,  657  ;  Achsah  (1880),  565  ; 
Achsah  (1877),  250;  Addison  (1837), 
192  ;  Eliza  J.  McNash,  first  wife, 
192  ;  Jennie  A.  Lampman,  second 
wife,  192;  children  of,  192;  Addison 
N.  (1835),  sketch  of,  527;  Adelaide 
T.,  531  ;  Adelaide  M.,  M.  D. 
(1862),  184 ;  Adeline  Simpson, 
273  ;  Adin  M.  (1875),  192  ;  Augus- 
tus (1819),  227  ;  Alanson  (1808), 
398  ;  married  Mary  Carl  ton,  398  ; 
children  of,  398 

Higley,  Albert  (1834),  198;  Albert  P. 
(1870),  195;  Albert  (1881),  706;  Al- 
bert A.  (1845),  Civil  War  record, 
sketch,  399  ;  Albert  E.  (1841),  Civil 
War,  sketch,  630  ;  Albert  Harvey 
(1872),  362  ;  Albert  R.,  435  ;  Albert 
William,  699  ;  Alfred,  76  ;  Alfred 
Dewey  (1882),  699;  Alfred  M.(i822), 
sketch  of,  335,  338  ;  his  wife, Mary 


NOTE. — The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


725 


R.  Knapp,  335  ;  Civil  War  record, 
336  ;  children  of,  338  ;  Alfred  M. 
(1867),  592 ;  Alfred  V.  (1849), 
sketch  of,  607  ;  children  of,  607  ; 
Algernon  (1833),  351;  Allen  (1809), 
sketch  of,  544 ;  Allen  Edward 
(1872),  527  ;  Allen  H.  (1870),  195  ; 
Almira  (1809),  672  ;  Altnon  (1816), 
226  ;  Almou  (1804),  629 ;  Alonzo, 
M.  D.  (1820),  sketch  of,  599;  Alson 
(1793),  sketch  of,  418  ;  prisoner  of 
war,  1812,  418  ;  his  children,  419  ; 
Alva  (1838),  407;  Alvin  L.,  646; 
Alvin,  191  ;  Amarett  H.  (1888), 
529 ;  Amy  (1875),  568 ;  Andrew 
Nelson  (1833),  435  ;  Anne  (1864), 
425  ;  Anson  (1811),  sketch  of,  413  ; 
his  children,  414 ;  Anson,  607 ; 
Anson  Holbrook  (1874),  414;  Arodi 
(1770),  675,  687  ;  his  children,  687  ; 
Artemas  J.  (1851),  sketch  of,  272  ; 
Arthur  Herman  (1861),  270 ;  Ar- 
thur Lucien  (1868),  sketch  of, 
297  ;  Arthur  Stanley  (1861),  338  ; 
his  wife,  Alta  E.  'Hudson,  339 ; 
children  of,  339 

Higley,  Asa,  Lieutenant,  ist  (1745), 
sketch  of,  340,  341  ;  his  wife, 
Eunice  Colton,  341  ;  children  of, 
342  ;  soldier  of  the  War  of  Revo- 
lution, 341  ;  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant, 341;  Asa, Captain,  2d  (1771), 
sketch  of,  342 ;  his  wife,  Ruth 
Kendall,  342  ;  children  of,  343  ; 
Austin  (1830),  Civil  War  sketch,  206 

Higley,  Benjamin,  Colonel  (1777), 
sketch  of,  301,  304,  318;  his 
wife,  Sally  McKown,  305;  chil- 
dren of,  318 ;  teacher,  304 ; 
visited  Governor  Strong,  305  :  one 
of  purchasers  of  township  in 
Ohio,  306  ;  organization  of  First 
Congregational  church  at  Win- 
dom,  O.,  307  ;  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  307 ;  first  town  meeting, 
309 ;  first  school  opened,  310 ; 
military  service,  310 ;  war  of 
1812,  311,  312  ;  church  matters, 
314 ;  exciting  adventures,  315, 
316  ;  his  death,  318 

Higley,  Benjamin  S.(i83i),  Civil  War 
sketch,  608  ;  Benjamin  Sheldon 
(1890),  331  ;  Bertha  L.  and  Lena 
M.,4ig;  Betsey  Maria  (1793),  351  ; 
Brainard  S.,  Hon.  (1837),  sketch 
of,  289,  291;  his  wife,  Isabella  R. 
Stevens,  290  ;  children  of,  291  ; 
Brainard  Spencer,  Jr.  (1871),  291 


Higley,  Brewster,  Sr.  (1680),  sketch 
of,  99-103 ;  Brewster,  2d  (1709), 
sketch  of,  162,  168  ;  military  serv- 
ice, 166;  Brewster,  3d  (1734),  sketch 
of,  169,  175  ;  appointed  constable, 
169  ;  married  Esther  Owen,  169  ; 
children  of,  171 ;  settled  at  Sims- 
bury,  169  ;  deacon,  170  ;  clerk  of 
train  band,  170  ;  removed  to  Ver- 
mont, 171  ;  Ft.  Ticonderoga,  172; 
incidents  of  the  War  of  Revolu- 
tion, 173  ;  his  death,  174 

Higley,  Brewster,  4th  (1759),  sketch 
of,  233,  242  ;  Naomi  Higley,  his 
wife,  sketch  of,  156,  238,  240,  286  ; 
their  children,  241;  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  233,  234 ;  (served 
under  Ethan  Allen)  ;  pioneer  of 
State  of  Ohio,  235  ;  early  days  in 
the  wilderness,  236;  appointed  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  237  ;  appointed 
associate  judge,  237 ;  Brewster, 
6th,  M.  D.  (1823),  sketch  of,  269  ; 
Brewster,  7th  (1854),  270;  Brewster 
Asa  (1836),  sketch  of,  343,  344 ; 
his  wife,  Ida  Stephenson,  344 ; 
Brewster  O.,  professor  (1859), 

276  ;    Burrell  Alfred  (1850),  338  ; 
Burt  P.   (1872),   278 ;    Burton   O. 
(1842),  417 

Higley,  C.  Wesley  (1828),  630;  Ca- 
milla (1850),  198;  Carl  (1879), 

277  ;  Carrie  May  (1871),  194  ;  Carl 
W.  (1886),  230  ;  Carlo  (1791),  436  ; 
Carlos  (1838),  628  ;   his   children, 
628  ;  Carmi  (1749),  Revolutionary 
soldier,  409, 410  ;  Carmi,  2d  (1775), 
410  ;  Carmi,  3d  (1810),  411;  Cecilia 
(1830),  522  ;    Charity  (1756),  660  ; 
Charles  (1806),  686  ;  Charles,  (son 
of    John,  3d)  (1817),  406  ;  Charles 
(1825),    600 ;    his    children,    600 ; 

Charles  (1838),  sketch  of,  529, 
531  ;  Charles  (1866),  sketch  of, 
557  ;  Charles,  Jr.,  531  ;  Charles 
(1868),  192  ;  Charles  (1877),  699  ; 
Charles  A.  (1863),  426  ;  Charles  A. 
(1865),  628  ;  Charles  C.,  269  ;  his 
children,  269  ;  Charles  D.  (1806), 
sketch  of,  630  ;  his  children,  630  ; 
Charles  Denton  (1865),  197 ; 
Charles  Edwin,  620 ;  Charles 
Eugene  (1854),  692 ;  Charles 
Homer  (1833),  683  ;  Charles  M. 
(1831),  685  ;  Charles  Mason  (1880), 
667  ;  Charles  W.,  M.  D.  (1831), 
277  ;  Charles  W.  (1850),  294  ; 
Charles  Washington  (1859),  438  ; 


NOTE.—  The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 

47 


726 


INDEX. 


Charles  Wellington  (1866),  365  ; 
Charles  Wesley  (1827),  war 
sketch  of,  624,  625  ;  his  children, 
625  ;  Charles  William  (1864), 
sketch  of,  297  ;  Charles  Windsor 
(1874),  541  ;  Charles  Wright 
(1835),  296  ;  Chauncey  (1799), 
sketch  of,  203  ;  Margaret  Head, 
his  wife,  204;  children  of,  204,  205 

Higley,  Chauncey,  198  ;  Chauncey 
King  (1815),  593  ;  Chester  (1807), 
sketch  of,  207  ;  Prudence  Miller, 
his  wife,  208;  Clara  (1884),  277; 
Clarence,  269;  Clarence  H.,  231; 
Clarence  Pinkney  (1869),  425  ; 
Clark  (1813),  sketch  of,  695-699  ; 
his  children,  699  ;  Claude  (1887), 
273;  Clayton  W.  (1850),  431; 
Clyde  S.  (1880),  273  ;  Collins  Jacob 
(1829),  sketch  of,  208  ;  Columbus 
(1813),  248;  Cora  E.  (1882),  277; 
Clifford  W.  (1869),  194  ;  Clinton 
A.  (1859),  295  ;  Count  Sobieski 
(1839),  195;  Correll  (1796),  war 
of  1812,  427  ;  Coy  (1815),  sketch 
of,  405  ;  Cumberland  W.  (1805), 
sketch  of,  301  ;  Ciirtis  Divine 
(1817),  sketch  of,  595  ;  his  wife, 
Sarah  C.  Buell,  595  ;  their  chil- 
dren, 595  ;  Cynthia  (1797),  182  ; 
Cyrus  (1887),  270 

Higley,  Daniel,  Lieutenant  (1738), 
sketch  of,  635,  644;  married  Ruth 
,  635  ;  their  children,  644;  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution,  636  ;  emi- 
grated to  Vermont,  637  ;  early  set- 
tler of  Marlboro,  638;  his  will,  644; 
Dan  (1759),  621;  Dan  (1789),  407; 
Daniel,  Jr.  (1768),  645;  Dan  (1804), 
sketch  of,  691;  married  Nancy 
Bentley,  692;  their  children,  692; 
Daniel  Roswell  (1794),  606;  chil- 
dren of,  606;  Daniel,  3d  (1807), 
550;  Daniel  (1819),  197;  Daniel 
Chauncey  (1839),  sketch  of,  651- 
653;  Daniel  G.  (1842),  693;  Daniel 
(1849),  698;  Daniel,  608,  Daniel 
Levi,  197;  Darwin,  627;  David, 
ist  (1712),  sketch  of,  280;  married 
Anna  Owen,  280;  held  public 
offices,  281;  noted  athlete,  281; 
David,  2d  (1745),  sketch  of,  282; 
married  Mary  Higley,  282;  David 
(1769),  326;  David,  3d,  282,  283, 
478;  married  Olive  Allen,  283; 
David  (1832),  sketch  of,  670; 
David  Mack  (1858),  333;  his  wife, 
Lucretia  R.  Cannon,  333;  Deacon 


Obed,  Sr.  (1757),  sketch  of,  416; 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  416;  his 
children,  41 7 ;  Delavan,  227;  Deni- 
son  J.  (1853),  197;  Dennis  B. 
(1849),  272;  Dexter  (1856),  554; 
Dinah  (1732),  673;  Donald  Sturgis 
(1884),  361;  Dudley,  ist  (1730), 
sketch  of,  632-633;  his  children, 
633;  Dudley,  2d  (1770),  sketch  of, 
626;  children  of,  627;  Dwight,  645; 
Dwight,  657 

Higley,  Edward  J.  (1875),  195  ;  Ed- 
ward Emory  (1853),  359  ;  Edward 
S.  (1862),  278  ;  Edward  B.  (1832), 
sketch  of,  320  ;  his  wife,  Julia  N. 
Clark,  sketch  of,  321  ;  Edward, 
531  ;  Edward  Helm  (1851),  692  ; 
Edwin  E.  (1864)  ;  Edwin  E., 
627  ;  Edwin  (1793),  436  ;  Edwin 
(1825),  sketch  of,  227,  228  ;  Louisa 
White,  ist  wife,  228  ;  Susan  H. 
Thompson,  2d  wife  (1836),  228  ; 
Edwin  Roswell  (1827),  435;  Edwin 
(1831),  426;  Edwin  (1833),  437;  Ed- 
win R.  (1829),  205;  Catherine  De- 
var,  ist  wife,  205;  children  of,  205 

Higley,  Edwin  Hall,  Professor 
(1843),  sketch  of,  258;  entered 
college,  259  ;  service  in  Civil  War, 
259 ;  sergeant,  lieutenant,  cap- 
tain, major,  259 ;  war  prisoner 
in  Libby  Prison,  260  ;  mustered 
out  of  service,  260 ;  graduated 
from  college,  260  ;  musician,  261 ; 
professor  Greek  and  German,  260 ; 
Eben  N.  (1843),  sketch  of,  398, 
399  ;  his  children,  399  ;  Civil  War 
record,  398  ;  Ebenezer,  Professor 
(1807),  301-302  ;  Eber  (1763), 
sketch  of,  War  of  Revolution, 
434-435  ;  Eber  (1808),  413  ;  Ed- 
mund B.  (1809),  sketch  of,  709  ; 
married  Lucy  Merrill,  709  ;  their 
children,  710  ;  Eli  Lee  (1876),  699 ; 
Elihu  (1788),  sketch  of,  182;  Elihu, 

699 

Higley,  Elijah,  Jr.  (1784),  sketch  of, 
700-703  ;  married,  ist,  Lydia  Pad- 
dleford,  700  ;  married,  2d,  Electa 
Baldwin,  702  ;  their  children,  702  ; 
Elijah  (1809),  sketch  of,  651  ;  mar- 
ried Rosanna  Adams,  651  ;  their 
children,  651  ;  Elijah  Franklin 
(1835),  651  ;  Elisha,  662  ;  Eliza- 
beth Higley  Bancroft  (1677), 
sketch  of,  91  ;  Indian  troubles, 
92  ;  life  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  93  ; 
Eliza  Bowen  (1816),  303  :  Eliza- 


NOTE. — The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX, 


727 


beth  (1882),  654  ;  Elizabeth  Alice 
(1886),  542;  Elliot,  646;  Elmer 
Abiel  (1856),  sketch  of,  361  ;  El- 
mer (1861),  568  ;  Ellis  Irvin,  699  ; 
Elodine  (1840),  593  ;  Elodine  V. 
(1881),  593;  Elin  (1858),  580; 
Edith  Theresa  (i 889),  654  ;  Elmer 
A.  (1862),  192;  Elmer,  Rev.  (1867), 
sketch  of,  206;  Elon,  627  ;  Elphon- 
20(1821),  593;  Ehvood  John  (1894), 
540  ;  Emily  B.  (1840),  198  ;  Emily 
T.,  693  ;  Emily  M.  (1846),  293  ; 
EmmaL.,75;  Emily  M.  (1846),  293 

Higley,  Emory  (1843),  sketch  of, 
531  ;  Emory,  631  ;  Emma  L., 
75  ;  Emma  Little  (1834),  sketch 
of,  254;  Emmeline  (1810),  248; 
Emulus,  672  ;  Emulus  (1825),  206  ; 
Enoch  (1754),  sketch  of,  162,  231  ; 
his  children,  232  ;  Enos  Jones 
(1796),  599;  Ensign  Isaac  (1707), 
sketch  of,  153  ;  early  founder  of 
Torrington,  Conn.,  156;  social 
status  of,  154 ;  Erastus  (1772), 
sketch  of,  243-247;  his  wife,  Esther 
Ann  Guernsey,  243  ;  children  of, 
247  ;  judge  of  Probate  Court, 
245  ;  church  relations,  246  ;  Eras- 
tus (1822),  419  ;  Erastus  D.  (1816), 
sketch  of,  632  ;  Erastus  (1812),  196; 
Estelle  (1859),  270 ;  Estes  Howe 
(1802),  672  ;  Esther  Ann  (1808), 
sketch  of,  248;  Everett  (1880), 
270  ;  Eugene  G.  (1855),  376  ;  Ezra 
Coggswell  (1810),  sketch  of,  292  ; 
his  wife,  Amanda  A.  Messenger, 
292  ;  children  of,  292;  Ezra  Marvin 
(1834),  192 

Higley,  Fanny  (1795),  582  ;  Fausta 
(1841),  599  ;  Festus  (1814),  411  ; 
Flora  E.  (1853),  sketch  of,  655  ; 
Florence  Blanche,  372 ;  Florence 
(1878),  273  ;  Florence  C.  (1885), 
230 ;  Florence  Permelia  (1866), 
203  ;  Francis  A.  (1872),  699;  Frank, 
(son  of  Aaron),  556  ;  Frank  (1862), 
628  ;  Frank  (1872),  195  ;  Frank, 
607  ;  Frank  Almon  (1869),  227  ; 
Frank  E.  (1854),  230  ;  Frank  E. 
(1860),  435  ;  Frank  H.  (1880),  293  ; 
Frank  Horton  (1860),  184;  Frank 
T.  (1861),  sketch  of,  628  ;  Franklin 
Monroe  (1846),  711 ;  Franklin 
Spencer  (1873),  438  ;  Fred.  (1868), 
206;  Fred.  (1859),  628;  Fred.  A., 
194;  Fred  A.  (1877),  230;  Fred- 
erick C.  (1869),  693  ;  Fred. 
Mitchell  (1888),  361  ;  Frank  S. 


(1869),  294  ;  Frederick  W.  (1819), 
593  ;  Freeman  Dewey,  699  ;  Free- 
man D.  (1843),  699  ;  his  children, 
699 

Higley,  George  (1803),  439;  George 
(1823),  646  ;  his  children,  646 ; 
George  (1824),  419  ;  George  (1872), 
291  ;  George,  646 ;  George  A. 
(1830),  184  ;  George  A.,  Jr.  (1864), 
184  ;  George  Byron  (1823),  408  ; 
George  Daniel  (1844),  705  ;  Civil 
War  sketch,  705 ;  George  E. 
(1856),  419;  his  -children,  419; 
George  E.,  Jr.  (1880),  419  ; 
George  E.  650 ;  George  Edwin 
(1857),  438  ;  George  Edwin 
(1871),  435  ;  George  Franklin 
(1859),  625;  George  H.  (1845),  698; 
George  Henry  (1884),  294;  George 
Miller  (1831),  208;  George  O.,  Pro- 
fessor (1858),  628;  George  O.,  699 

Higley,  George  Trask  (1837), 
sketch  of,  649-650 ;  married 
Rosina  Smith,  649 ;  Civil  War 
record,  649  ;  admitted  to  the  bar, 
649  ;  George  W.  (1820),  Civil  War 
sketch,  606 ;  children  of,  607  ; 
George  W.  (1831),  sketch  of,  437- 
438  ;  George  Watson  (1830),  667  ; 
Gery  (1876),  706 ;  Gertrude  E. 
(1866),  sketch  of,  670 ;  Gilbert, 
Lieutenant  (1823),  sketch  of,  347  ; 
his  wife,  Ann  Eliza  Norment,  347  ; 
children  of,  348  ;  Confederate  War 
record,  347  ;  Gilbert  A.  (1844), 
593  ;  Gilbert  P.  (1863),  348  ;  Gil- 
man  Smith  (1837),  Civil  War 
sketch,  406;  his  children,  406; 
Gordon  (1872),  554;  Grace  (1876), 
227  ;  Greenleaf  W.  (1845),  sketch 
of,  533-542  ;  his  wife,  Helen  Simp- 
son, 538,  539  ;  their  children,  540 

Higley,  Hannah  Drake,  sketch  of, 
60;  Harlan  (1839),  Civil  War  rec- 
ord, 404;  Harlow  (1802),  193; 
Harlow,  693;  Harold  (1808),  345; 
Harold  Arthur  (1878),  203;  Har- 
riet, 657;  Harrison  (1834),  sketch 
of,  562-564;  Harrison  E.  (1871), 
565;  Harvey  (1819),  699;  Harvey 
Douglass  (1882),  361;  Harvey 
Grant  (1824),  sketch  of,  360;  his 
wife,  Anne  Bishop  Bristol,  361; 
children  of,  361;  Harvey  Warren 
(1867),  699;  Harry  (of  Portland, 
Oregon),  699;  Harry  (1861),  230; 
Hayden  (1810),  sketch  of,  401-403; 
Hector  (1822),  sketch  of,  552-554 


KOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


728 


INDEX. 


Higley,  Henry  Anson  (1832),  sketch 
of,  523-526  ;  Henry  Allen,  M.  D. 
(1866),  sketch  of,  526;  Helen  M. 
(1847),  198;  Helen  Ruth  (1876),  541; 
Henry  (1827),  612;  Henry  B., 
193;  Harry  Dowie  (1873),  527; 
Harvey,  198;  Hepzibah,  198;  A. 
Hector  (1805),  sketch  of,  663; 
Henry  (1792),  376;  Henry,  303; 
his  wife,  Abbie  L.  Bugden,  sketch 
of,  303;  Henry  (1830),  197; 
Henry,  666 ;  Henry  Allen, 
(1814),  293;  Henry  Clay  (1871), 

344 

Higley,  Henry  Edward  (1818), 
sketch  of,  358;  first  wife,  Mary 
N.  Morgan,  359;  second  wife, 
Hannah  E.  Emery,  359  ;  children 
of,  359;  Henry  G.,  646;  Henry 
Garrison  (1861),  sketch  of,  528; 
Henry  G.,  Jr.  (1880),  361;  Henry 
Grant  (1851),  361;  his  wife,  Ella 
M.  Nye,  361;  children  of,  361; 
Henry  H.  (1842),  Civil  War 
sketch,  292;  his  wife,  Mary  E. 
Minson,  292;  children  of,  293; 
Henry  James  (1849),  294;  children 
of,  294;  Henry  N.,  191;  Henry 
Irving(i852),  376;  Henry  Paulding 
(1836),  683;  Henry  Post,  Rev., 
A.  M.  (1839),  255;  was  graduated 
from  college,  256;  from  theo- 
logical seminary,  256;  married 
Lillie  M.  Condit,  256;  pastorate 
at  Beloit,  Mich.,  256-257;  Herbert 
L.,  194 

Higley,  Hervey  O.,  Rev.  (1801), 
sketch  of,  249;  reminiscences,  249; 
united  with  the  church,  250;  en- 
tered college,  250;  ordained  to 
ministry,  251;  married  Sarah  Ger- 
rish  Little,  252;  his  death,  253; 
children  of,  254-267;  Herbert,  631; 
Herman  Ward  (1849),  sketch  of, 
228-229;  his  children,  230;  Hes- 
ter Case  (1745),  391;  Hezekiah 
(1789),  sketch  of,  661;  War  of  1812, 
661;  his  children,  662;  Hiram 
(1804),  687;  Hiram  (1824),  227; 
Hiram  (1829),  sketch  of,  498; 
Hiram  A.  (1865),  227;  Homer 
(1796),  sketch  of,  684,  685;  mar- 
ried Aurelia  Marshall,  684;  their 
children,  685;  Homer  (1830), 
sketch  of,  560-561  ;  married  Lydia 
demons,  560;  their  children,  561; 
Homer  C.  (1878),  227:  Homer  D. 
(1880),  415;  Homer,  2d  (1810),  196; 


Higley ,  Horace  Antonio.,  Gen.  (1828), 
sketch  of,  677-679;  Horace  Hern- 
don  (1880),  683;  Horace  Loomis 
(1794),  sketch  of,  676-677;  married 
Eulalie  Collins,  676;  their  children, 
677;  Horace  Warren  (1831),  43;; 
Homer  E.  (1832),  193;  Homer  H. 
(1861),  426;  Homer  R.  (1864),  277; 
Horace  (1765),  sketch  of,  675;  mar- 
ried Eleanor  Loomis,  675;  their 
children,  676;  Horton  E,  269;  Ho- 
sea  (1799),  sketch  of,  435;  Howard 
(1838),  432;  his  children,  432;  How- 
ard, 699;  Howard  James  (1884), 
424;  Hubert  L.  (1864),  2-73;  Hulbert 
(1828),  202;  his  children,  203;  Hume 
(1807),  sketch  of,  517-522;  his  wife, 
Betsey  Norris,  517-520;  their  chil- 
dren, 522;  elected  justice  of  peace, 
518;  Hume,  Jr.  (1877),  533;  Ida  L. 
(1864),  655;  Ida  Mary  (1870),  sketch 
of,  540;  Irving  Wilson  (1879),  414; 
Irvin  Buell  (1853),  sketch  of,  595; 
Ensign  Isaac  (1707)  (son  of  Capt. 
John),  153;  Isaac  (1840),  198; 
Isaac  (1753),  sketch  of,  411;  his 
children,  411;  Isaac,  Jr.  (1799), 
sketch  of,  412;  Isaac  Anson  (1807), 
sketch  of,  married  Mary  B.  Falls, 
their  children,  198  ;  Isaac  Anson 
(1843),  his  children,  414;  Isaac 
Anson,  2d  (1852),  198  ;  Isaac,  657  ; 
Isaac  G.  (1823),  608  ;  Isaac  Guern- 
sey (1788),  606;  Isaac  M.  (1821), 
607  ;  Isaac  Newton  (1814),  415 

Higley,  Jacob,  657  ;  Jacob  Sawyer 
(1802),  married  Nancy  D.  Spen- 
cer, their  children,  205  ;  James 
(1785),  sketch  of,  707-708  ;  mar- 
ried Hannah  Roberts,  707  ;  their 
children,  708  ;  soldier  in  War  of 
1812,  708  ;  James  (1837),  sketch  of, 
710 ;  James  (1840),  407;  James, 
699  ;  James  B.,  277  ;  James  Bowie 
(1842),  684  ;  James  Edward  (1854), 
sketch  of,  424  ;  James  E.,  269  ; 
James  H.  (1836),  198  ;  James  L. 
(1856),  278;  James  Little  (1880), 
294  ;  Jasper  (1802),  396 ;  Jasper 
P.  (1865),  565  ;  Joy  J.  (1872),  191  ; 
Jeanette  (1851),  206  ;  Jerry  (1794), 
his  children,  628  ;  Jerry  (1864), 
628  ;  Jesse  (1883),  230  ;  Jesse,  ist 
(1765),  sketch  of,  664-665  ;  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Watson,  664 ;  their 
children,  665;  Jesse  Colton  (1793), 
sketch  of,  668-670;  married  Eunice 
Smith,  670  ;  Job  (1768),  436  ;  Job 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


729 


Loomis  (1801),  687  ;  Joel  (1739), 
162  ;  Joel  (1792),  war  sketch,  627  ; 
his  children,  627 ;  Joel,  Lieuten- 
ant (1739),  sketch  of,  162-179  ;  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  181  ;  Joel,  Major 
(1764),  sketch  of,  181  ;  Joel  Phelps, 
Major  (1825),  183;  Joel  Phelps,  Jr. 
(1802),  182 

Higley,  John,  Captain  (1649),  birth 
of,  i  ;  boyhood,  sold  for  term 
of  service,  3  ;  historic  events,  28  ; 
visit  to  England,  31  ;  married 
Hannah  Drake,  32  ;  early  married 
life,  32  ;  granted  town  lot,  39  ; 
officer  of  customs,  42  ;  voyage  to 
the  Barbadoes,  43 ;  made  free- 
man, 48  ;  removes  to  Simsbury, 
Conn.,  49 ;  purchases  Woolcott 
farm,  49  ;  one  of  the  original 
patentees  of  Simsbury,  53  ;  de- 
scription of  house,  51  ;  chosen 
townsman,  52  ;  story  of  the  Con- 
necticut Charter,  57  ;  chosen  com- 
missioner, 58  ;  deputy  to  General 
Assembly,  58  ;  justice  of  the  quo- 
rum, 58  ;  made  lieutenant,  58  ; 
made  captain  of  militia,  59  ;  first 
saw  and  grist  mill,  59 ;  death  of 
his  wife,  60;  second  marriage,  63  ; 
first  appropriation  to  Yale  College 
School,  65  ;  copper  hill  lands  and 
mines,  66,  67,  68  ;  one  of  sundry 
gentlemen  chosen  for  manage- 
ment of  naval  stores,  69 ;  last 
sc'enes  in  his  life,  and  death,  71  ; 
will  and  inventory,  73,  74,  75;  rel- 
ics, 75,  76;  death  of  2d  wife,  76;  his 
war  descendants,  78,  79;  summary 
of  his  character,  77,  81 

Higley,  John,  Jr.  (1673)  (son  of  Cap- 
tain John),  85;  John  (1835),  chil- 
dren of ,  193;  John(i88s),  273;  John 
(son  of  Levi),  198;  John,  Sr.,  son 
of  Brewster,  ist  (1722),  sketch  of, 
392,  393;  joined  provincial  troops, 
393;  married  Apphia  Humphrey, 
3<54;  their  children,  394;  John,  Jr. 

(1748),  sketch  of,  394;  married 

Dibble,  394;  children  of,  394;  John, 
3d  (1774),  sketch  of,  394,  395;  mar- 
ried Lodama  Messenger,  395;  chil- 
dren of,  395;  John  A.  (1793),  War 
of  1812,  408;  John  A.  (1854),  435; 
John  Albert  (1856),  620;  John  Har- 
vey (1843),  198;  John  Greenleaf 
(1868),  sketch  of,  540;  John  Rowe, 
Civil  War  sketch,  607;  John  V. 
(i885),ig2;  John  William  (1878),  699 


Higley,  John  Hunt,  General  (1830), 
sketch  of,  679,  683;  married  Lily 
Marshall,  680;  their  children,  683; 
entered  Confederate  Army,  680; 
officer  4oth  Alabama  Regiment, 
680;  positions  of  trust,  681;  pri- 
vate life,  682;  imposing  funeral, 
682,  683;  John  Hunt,  Jr.  (1869). 
683;  John  Larkin,  (1816),  sketch 
of,  294;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  R. 
Frary,  294;  children  of,  294; 
John  M.  (1833),  592;  John  Osborn 
(1849),  414 

Higley,  Jonathan  (about  1620),  of 
England,  i;  Jonathan  (1675),  88; 
married  Ann  Barber,  89;  his  will, 
89,  90;  Jonathan  (son  of  Samuel, 
ist)  (1721),  sketch  of,  474;  his  wife, 
Mary  Thompson,  sketch  of,  475- 
477;  Jonathan,  Jr.  (1747),  sketch 
of,  478-491;  Rachel  Negus,  his 
wife,  478,  489:  their  children,  491; 
early  settler  in  Western  Reserve, 
O.,  481-483,  pioneer  life,  484-487; 
first  mail  service  in  Western  Re- 
serve, 486;  organization  of  Wind- 
sor, O.,  488;  death  and  funeral, 
490 

Higley,  Jonathan,  Hon.,  3d  (1781), 
sketch  of,  500-516;  married  Kes- 
iah  Griswold,  501;  second  wife, 
Martha  Kinney  Lewis,  sketch  of, 
513;  his  children,  516;  emigrates 
to  Western  Reserve,  O.,  500; 
erects  first  frame  dwelling,  502; 
commissioned  justice  of  peace, 
502;  representative  to  Ohio  legis- 
lature, 508;  supports  cause  of  free- 
dom, 510;  divides  his  estate,  513 

Higley,  Jonathan,  4th  (1821),  sketch 
of,  550-552;  Jordan,  ist  (1773). 
645;  his  wife,  Peggy  Miller,  645; 
their  children,  645;  Jordon,  2d 
(1831),  646;  Joseph  (1685),  114; 
Joseph,  657;  Joseph,  2d  (1741), 
sketch  of,  287;  his  wife,  Azubah 
Gillette,  287;  their  children,  288; 
Joseph,  3d  (1774),  sketch  of,  288; 
his  wife,  Sybil  Coggswell,  288; 
children  of,  289;  Joseph  Larkin 
(1847),  294;  married  Jennie  A. 
Scott,  294;  children  of,  294; 
Joseph  Nelson  (1806),  289;  his 
wife,  Susan  White  Spencer,  289; 
children  of,  289;  Joseph  Nelson, 
2d  (1868),  291 

Higley,  Joseph  Trumbull,  M.  D. 
(1800),  279;  his  children,  279 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


73° 


INDEX. 


Higley,  Joseph,  Sr.,  Captain  (1715), 
sketch  of  284-287;  public  offices, 
285;  ensign,  285;  captain,  285; 
marriages,  285;  children  of,  286; 
Joseph  Warren  (1871),  438;  Jose- 
phine, 227 ;  Josephine  Marcy, 
330;  Josiah  and  Joshua — twins — 
(1702),  144;  Josiah  Sargeant,  ist 
(1702),  sketch  of,  144-146;  Josiah, 
2d  (1725),  sketch  of,  658-660; 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  659; 
his  children,  660;  Josiah,  3d 
(1762),  sketch  of,  660-661;  his 
wife,  Deliverance  Carpenter, 
660;  their  children,  661;  Jo- 
siah, 4th,  662;  Josiah,  sth,  662; 
Josiah,  6th,  663;  Josie  A.  (1854), 
269  ;  children  of,  269  ;  Judah 
(J777)>  sketch  of,  646;  his  chil- 
dren, 647;  Judson  (1836),  693;  Julia 
(daughter  of  Seth,  Jr.),  191;  Julia 
(1802),  351;  Julian  (1828),  sketch 
of,  627;  Julius  Bicknell  (1822), 
sketch  of,  271;  married  Maria  L. 
Fuqua,  271;  Julius  Henry,  Cap- 
tain (1838),  Civil  War  sketch,  630 

Higley,  Kate  (daughter  of  Milo), 
(1862),  278;  Kate  M.  (1871),  184 

Higley,  Leavitt  Nelson  (1836),  255; 
Lee  O.  (1879),  593 ;  Leicester 
Charles  (1886),  414  ;  Leo  Frank- 
lin (1892),  711  ;  Leon  (1865),  351  ; 
Leonard  A.  (1884),  529  ;  Levan- 
der  (1850),  593  ;  Leverett  Grover 
(1870),  533  ;  Levi  (1771),  sketch 
of,  196  ;  Hepzibah  Holcombe,  his 
wife,  196  ;  children  of,  197  ;  Levi 
(1799),  sketch  of,  645;  his  children, 
646  ;  Levi  Jason  (1795),  197  ;  Levi 
(1824),  197;  Levi  N.  (1821),  646; 
Levi  C.  (1871),  414;  Lewis 
(1837),  sketch  of,  565-568  ;  Civil 
War  record,  566 ;  Lewis  Carl 
(1886), 361  ;  Lewis  E.,26g  ;  Lewis 
S.  (1838),  Civil  War  sketch,  608  ; 
Lillian  D.  (1862),  sketch  of,  656  ; 
Lillie  E.  (1872),  276  ;  Lily  (1879), 
683;  Linne  S.  (1864),  184;  Lizzie 
G.,  227  ;  Lorenzo  S.  (1863),  667  ; 
Lorenzo  S.  H.  (1848),  Civil  War 
sketch,  630 ;  Lorenzo,  608  ;  Lorin 
(1810),  sketch  of,  323-325;  his  wife, 
Rachel  Elmina  Frary,  323  ;  chil- 
dren of,  325  ;  Louis  Wills  (1874), 
699;  Louis  Dalton  (1846),  227; 
children  of,  227  ;  Lovina  (1803), 
648  ;  Loyal  H.  (1868),  432  ;  Lucia 
(1870),  554  ;  Lucien  Arthur  (1810), 


296  ;  his  wife,  Morilla  N.  Church, 
296  ;  children  of,  296 

Higley,  Lucius  (1796),  sketch  of, 
273-275  ;  removed  to  Ohio,  274  ; 
married  Nancy  Shepard,  274 ; 
children  of,  275;  Lucius  G.  (1857), 
183;  Lucius  M.,  M.  D.  (1823), 
sketch  of,  275  ;  married  Elizabeth 
B.  Morton,  275;  Lucinda  Augusta 
(1840),  711;  Lucinda  M.  (1849),  198; 
Lucretia  (1781),  sketch  of,  656  ; 
married  Oliver  Higley,  656;  their 
children,  656 ;  Lucy  Rosetta 
(1804),  207  ;  Luke,  657  ;  Luther 
Scott  (1866),  330  ;  Luther,  Judge 
(1794),  sketch  of,  421  ;  his  chil- 
dren, 421  ;  Luther  Bidwell  (1821), 
sketch  of,  421-423  ;  Confederate 
war  record,  423  ;  children  of,  424  ; 
Luther  E.  (1861),  426  ;  Luther  E., 
Jr.  (1886),  426  ;  Luther  H.  (1867), 
533  :  Lyman  (1798),  sketch  of,  191  ; 
married  Orilla  Northway,  191  ; 
children  of,  192  ;  early  settler  of 
Wisconsin,  192  ;  Lyman  O.  (1816), 
417  ;  his  children,  417  ;  Lyman 
(1835),  198  ;  Lyman  Baxter  (1851), 
424;  Lyman  (son  of  Levi),  198; 
Lyman  O.  (1889),  192  ;  L.  Sardine 
(1837),  sketch  of,  278  ;  Civil  War 
record,  278 

Higley,  Margaret  (1779),  375  ;  Mar- 
quis (Mark)  (1799),  351  ;  Marshall 
D.  (1832),  sketch  of,  692  ;  married 
Mary  L.  Curtis,  692  ;  their  chil- 
dren, 692  ;  Martha  Ellen  David- 
son, 193  ;  Martin  Ephraim  (1824), 
599  ;  Martin  N.  (1834),  527  ;  Mar- 
tin, 699;  Matthew  P.  (1813),  sketch 
of,  331  ;  his  wife,  Luna  C.  Rob- 
bins,  331  ;  children  of,  332  ;  Mary 
(1725),  sketch  of,  583 ;  Mary 
(1750),  wife  of  David,  sketch  of, 
477  ;  her  children,  478  ;  Mary 
(1827)  (daughter  of  Lucius),  276  ; 
Mary  Elizabeth  (1868),  426  ;  Mary 
Frances  (1844),  sketch  of,  711  ; 
Mary  (1804),  daughter  of  Horace, 
686;  Mary  Eulalie  (1867),  683; 
Mary  Elizabeth  (1828),  667  ;  Mary 
Frances  (1851),  294;  Maurice 
(1885),  667  ;  Micah  (1743),  sketch 
of,  300 ;  his  wife,  Olive  Adams, 
300;  children  of,  301  ;  Micah,  Jr. 
(1776),  sketch  of,  300 ;  children 
of,  301;  Miles  Warren  (1842),  Civil 
War  sketch,  206 ;  Amanda  M. 
Snow,  his  wife,  206 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


731 


Higley,  Milo  H.  (1832),  sketch  of, 
277;  Miles  (1823),  607;  M.  Louise 
(i 8 1 8),  sketch  of,  624;  Milo  J. 
(1845),  407;  his  children,  407; 
Milton,  191  ;  Milton  B.,  294,  295  ; 
Mindwell  (1689),  (daughter  of 
Capt.  John)  sketch  of,  135  ;  Min- 
erva, 657;  Minnie  Pearl  (1878), 
654;  Morris  G.  (1844),  227  ;  Major 
Mortimer  (1838),  sketch  of,  366- 
371  ;  ist  wife,  Lucy  L.  Sheet, 
369;  2d\vife,  Jennette  R.  Nichols, 
371  ;  children  of,  371  ;  Civil  War 
record,  366,  369  ;  president  of 
bank,  368  ;  commander  Loyal 
Legion,  369  ;  Mortimer  (1861), 
361  ;  Moses,  659  ;  Myron  Spencer 
(1801),  sketch  of,  436;  Murray 
(1829),  692  ;  married  Mary  L.  Bas- 
se tt,  692  ;  their  children,  692 ; 
Murray  Judson,  692. 

Higley,  Nancy  H.  (1852),  276 ; 
Nancy  (daughter  of  Seth),  Jr., 
191 ;  Naomi,  wife  of  Brewster, 
4th,  238-240 ;  Nathan  (1736), 
sketch  of,  674 ;  married  Anna 
Barrett,  674 ;  their  children, 
675;  Nathan,  Jr.  (1767),  686; 
married  Hannah  Allyn,  686; 
their  children,  686 ;  Nathan 
Allyn  (1794),  686  ;  Nathan  (1822), 
628  ;  Nathaniel  (1699),  139  ;  tyth- 
ing  man,  141  ;  Nathaniel,  Jr. 
(1752),  588 ;  Nehemiah  (about 
!73-).  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, 634 ;  Nellie  May  (1870), 
203  ;  Nelson  (1795),  436 ;  Nelson 
(1827),  436;  Nelson,  191  ;  Nelson, 
Rev.  (1803),  sketch  of,  247 ; 
Newton  H.  (1855),  561 ;  Noah 
(about  1736),  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution, 644 

Higley,  Obed,  Hon.  (1791),  sketch 
of,  417  ;  his  children,  417  ;  Olive, 
(1832),  sketch  of,  562  ;  Oliver 
(1790),  sketch  of,  225,  226 ;  Cla- 
rissa Phelps,  his  wife,  226  ;  their 
children,  226 ;  Oliver  (son  of 
Clark),  699  ;  Oliver  (1799),  sketch 
of,  689-691  ;  Oliver  (1827),  419 ; 
Oliver  Brewster  (1818),  294 ;  first 
wife,  Eunice  D.  Johnson,  294 ; 
second  wife,  Betsey  Case,  294  ; 
children  of,  294;  Ophelia  L.  (1843), 
294  ;  Orange  (1775),  646  ;  his  chil- 
dren, 646 ;  Orin  (1800),  sketch  of, 
609  ;  his  wife,  Pleiades  Badger, 
609 ;  their  children,  609 ;  Orin 


(1872),  296 ;  Orlando  E.  (1853), 
593  ;  Orsen  (1806),  sketch  of,  193  ; 
Susan  Parsons,  ist  wife,  193  ; 
Lucy  Keep  Holcombe,  2d  wife, 
193  ;  Orville  D.  (1883),  230;  Oswin 
(1830),  628  ;  Othello  G.  (1859),  184; 
Otto  K.  (1857),  184;  Ozias,  ist 
(1748),  sketch  of,  349  ;  his  wife, 
Martha  Gillette,  343  ;  children  of, 
350;  Ozias,  2d  (1773),  sketch  of, 
351  ;  his  wife,  Delight  Cossett, 
351  ;  children  of,  351  ;  Ozias,  3d 
(1791),  sketch  of,  351 

Higley,  Pearl  (1883),  230  ;  Pember 
E.  (1845),  Civil  War  sketch,  195  ; 
Percy  B.,  230;  Perkins  B.  (1851), 
333 ;  his  wife,  Harriet  Mes- 
senger, 333;  children  of,  333; 
Perley,  628;  Perry  (1837),  344; 
Peter  (1802),  685';  Peter  (1807), 
sketch  of,  195;  Elvira  Colby, 
his  wife,  195;  children  of,  195; 
Peter  Rowe,  604,  619 ;  children 
of,  620;  Phelps,  427;  Philander 
(1767),  673;  Philander,  662;  Phil- 
ander R.  (1843),  sketch  of, 
333;  service  in  Civil  War,  333  ; 
his  wife,  Adelaide  Cannon,  333  ; 
their  child,  Maud  (1877),  333 ; 
Philetus,  662;  Philo  (1843),  618; 
Philura,  198;  Pliny  (1784),  sketch 
of,  345 ;  his  wife,  Martha  Beman, 
346;  children  of,  346;  Pliny  (1786), 
657;  his  children,  657;  Polly  (1811), 
655;  Pomeroy,  Sr.  (1798),  sketch 
of,  428-429;  Pomeroy,  Jr.  (1823). 
sketch  of,  429-431;  Pratt  H.  (1862), 
276 

Higley,  Rachel  (1774),  sketch  of, 
494  ;  Ransom  L.  (1879),  183 ; 
Ransom  Brewster  (1829),  sketch 
of,  276;  Ransom  F.,  Civil  War 
sketch,  607  ;  Rebecca  (1727),  673  ; 
Ray  (1887),  333;  Ray  C.  (1884), 
230 ;  Ray  W.  (1873),  533 ;  Ray- 
mond C.  (1882),  419  ;  Reed  (1855). 
580  ;  Rhomey  (1867),  554  ;  Richard 
E.  (1886),  529;  Robert,  657;  Rob- 
ert D.,  193  ;  Robert  M.  (1872), 
693 ;  Robert  McKown  (1804), 
sketch  of,  319  ;  Rodney  A.,  277  ; 
Roger  (1765),  436;  Rollin  (1835), 
426  ;  Rollin  Chipman  (1875),  667  ; 
Roswell  (1765),  sketch  of, 601-604  ; 
his  wife,  Sarah  Garnsey,  602 ; 
their  children,  604 ;  residence  at 
Mt.  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  601  ;  removes 
to  Broom  Co.,  N.  Y.,  602  ;  Ros- 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


732 


INDEX. 


well,  Jr.  (1798),  608  ;  Royace 
(1870),  628 

Higley,  Samuel,  Dr.  (1687),  115-131 ; 
license  to  practice  medicine,  118; 
schoolmaster,  116;  blacksmith, 
119  ;  his  copper-mine,  125  ;  the 
Higley  copper,  126,  130;  his  death, 
131  ;  his  will  and  inventory,  131 ; 
Samuel,  2d  (1778),  sketch  of,  495- 
498  ;  Samuel  (1866),  192  ;  Samuel 
(1734),  military  service  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  633  ; 
Samuel  Gary  (1855),  183  ;  Samuel 
W.  (1834),  184  ;  Samuel  H.  (1795), 
sketch  of,  594 ;  his  wife,  Aseneth 
Divine,  594  ;  their  children,  498  ; 
Samuel,  Jr.  (1819),  498  ;  his  wife, 
Hetty  Ann  Brooks,  498 ;  their 
children,  498 ;  Samuel  Richard, 
197;  Sally  (1795),  182;  Sally 
(T797)>  351  ;  Samantha  M.,  203  ; 
Sarah  A.  McNash,  192 ;  Sarah 
Strong  (inventory),  76  ;  Sarah  A. 
(1865),  426 ;  Sarah  Jane  (1838), 
198 ;  Seba,  ist,  Judge  (1762), 
sketch  of,  621-623  ;  Army  of  the 
Revolution,  soldier  of,  621  ;  Syl- 
via Dickinson,  his  wife,  621;  their 
children,  623 ;  Seba,  2d  (1781), 
592  ;  children  of,  592 ;  Selah 
(1805),  sketch  of,  648  ;  his  chil- 
dren, 648  ;  Senaca  F.,  607  ;  Seth, 
ist  (1746),  sketch  of,  185-188  ;  re- 
ligious faith,  1 86  ;  soldier  in  war 
of  the  Revolution,  186  ;  Mindwell, 
his  wife,  188  ;  their  children,  188  ; 
last  will,  187  ;  Seth  Filer  (1769), 
sketch  of,  188  ;  Naomi  Holcombe, 
his  wife,  188  ;  their  children,  189  ; 
Seth  (1754),  sketch  of,  588,  590; 
his  wife,  Lucy  Herod,  588  ;  their 
children,  590 ;  Seth,  Jr.  (1796), 
sketch  of,  191 ;  Laura  Goddard, 
his  wife,  191 ;  their  children,  191  ; 
Seth  Hokum  (1812),  593 ;  Seth 
William  (1818),  596;  Seth  Duane 
(1869),  sketch  of,  568 

Higley,  Seward,  227  ;  Seward,  666  ; 
Seymour  A.  (1845),  331  ;  his  wife, 
Emma  R.  Sheldon,  331  ;  children 
of,  331  ;  Sheldon  (1823),  206 ; 
Sheldon  Frary  (1833),  sketch  of, 
325  ;  his  wife,  Cecilia  E.  Fitch, 
325  ;  Silas'  (1780),  295  ;  his  wife, 
Deborah  Messenger,  295  ;  chil- 
dren of,  295  ;  Silas,  Hon.  (1780), 
sketch  of,  352  ;  children  of,  352  ; 
Silas  Orlando  (1806),  295  ;  his 


wife,  Lucinda  Davis,  295;  Simeon, 
ist  (1751),  sketch  of,  373  ;  his 
wife,  Margaret  Phelps,  375  ;  great 
age  of,  375  ;  children  of,  375  ; 
Simeon,  2d  (1786),  376;  Simeon 
Bently  (1847),  sketch  of,  693; 
Solomon  (1728),  sketch  of,  585- 
588  ;  Lydia  Holcombe,  his  wife, 
585  ;  children  of,  588  ;  joins  the 
Shakers,  586,  587  ;  Squire  M. 
(1810),  592  ;  S.  Fuqua  (1845),  272  ; 
Stephen  Lorin  (1837),  325  ;  Civil 
War  sketch,  325  ;  Stephen  L., 
699;  Stephen  W.  (1857),  373; 
Sterling  F.,  426;  Susan  (1786), 
270 ;  Susan  (daughter  of  Seth, 
Jr.),  191  ;  Susannah  (1730),  673  ; 
Sylvester  (1770),  673 

Higley,  Tell,  607  ;  Theodore  (1773), 
350  ;  his  wife,  Polly  Ann  Gaylord, 
350  ;  children  of,  350,  351  :  Theo. 
(1882),  270  ;  Theodore  (1784),  656  ; 
Theodore,  Jr.,  657  ;  Theodore  E. 
(1883),  693  ;  Theodore  F.  (1839), 
693  ;  married  Ellen  S.  McElhenny, 
693  ;  their  children,  693  ;  Theop- 
plis  (1726),  sketch  of,  584  ;  died 
in  war  service  (1762),  584  ;  Theop- 
olis,  2d  (1/65),  sketch  of,  625  ; 
Thomas  (1829),  230  ;  Thomas 
(1879),  230  ;  Thomas  (1829),  son  of 
Thomas  Baxter  (1824),  sketch  of, 
425  ;  Thomas  N.  (1854),  348 ; 
Thomas  W.  (1884),  294 ;  Thomp- 
son, Sr.  (1786),  sketch  of,  571-578  ; 
Thompson,  Jr.  (1831),  sketch  of, 
579-580;  Timothy  (1781),  406;  chil- 
dren of,  407  ;  Truman  (1837),  426 

Higley-town,  51,  166,  284 

Higley,  Varney  (1874),  628  ;  Vashti, 
663  ;  Vernon  (1863),  230  ;  Virgil 
(1832),  192  ;  Hannah  L.  Powers, 
his  wife.  192;  children  of,  192 

Higley,  Rev.  Walter  O.  (1842), 
sketch  of,  193  ;  Civil  War  record, 
194  ;  his  children,  194  ;  Wakefield 
L.  (1840),  650  ;  Civil  War  record, 
650  ;  Walter  (1828),  425  ;  his  chil- 
dren, 426;  Walter,  666  ;  Walter 
Fred.  (1872),  425  ;  Walter  Leon- 
idas  (1879),  438;  Ward  C.  (1881), 
230  ;  Warren  (1825),  431  ;  Caroline 
Mills,  his  wife,  431  ;  Warren,  Sr. 
(1775),  sketch  of,  199,  202;  Lucy 
Sawyer,  his  wife,  199  ;  children  of, 
199, 200;  Warren(i8i3),  of  Vermont, 
sketch  of,  655  ;  Warren  (1857), 
431  ;  Warren  Hosea  (1855),  435 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


733 


Higley.Warren,  Hon.  (of  N. Y.  City), 
(1833),  sketch  of,  209-218  ;  became 
a  landowner,  209;  taught  his  first 
district  school,  210 ;  entered  col- 
lege, 210  ;  head  teacher  Auburn 
Academy,  New  York,  210 ;  ap- 
pointed school  commissioner,  210 ; 
principal  Cayuga  Lake  Acade- 
my, 211  ;  superintendent  public 
schools,  Auburn,  N.  Y.  211;  prin- 
cipal West  High  School,  Cleve- 
land, O.,  211  ;  superintendent 
public  instruction,  Dayton,  O., 
212 ;  admitted  to  practice  of 
law,  212 ;  elected  judge,  212 ; 
American  Forestry  Congress, 
213  ;  Ohio  Society  of  New  York, 
214 ;  Adirondack  League  Club, 
215  ;  politics,  215  ;  Patria  Club 
of  New  York,  216  ;  reunions, 
217  ;  marriages,  218  ;  Warren, 
son  of  Daniel,  Jr.,  645  ;  Warren 
A.,  203  ;  Warren  Alson  (1797), 
202;  Wellington  W.  (1831),  sketch 
of,  364,  365  ;  his  wife,  Jane  E. 
Farnum,  365  ;  children  of,  365  ; 
Will  G.  (1861),  561 

Higley,  William  A.  (1840),  sketch  of, 
326,  329  ;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  E. 
Scott,  330;  children  of,  330  ;  Civil 
War  service,  326;  Willard  (1869), 
351  ;  Willard  Alson  (1834),  420  ; 
William  (son  of  Levi),  198  ;  Wil- 
liam (1801),  687  ;  William  (1806), 
397  ;  children  of,  397  ;  William 
(1809),  686 ;  married  Sarah  E. 
Beach,  686;  William  C.,  194; 
William  C.  (1855),  277  ;  William  C. 
(1878),  419  ;  William  Clark  (1876), 
194;  William  C.,  646;  William  Car- 
los (1864),  438  ;  William  Edward 
(1836),  sketch  of,  296 ;  his  wife, 
Maria  A.  Miller,  296  ;  children  of, 
297 ;  William  F.  (1835),  646  ; 
William  Franklin  (1877),  593 ; 
William  G.  (1817),  351  ;  his  wife, 
Maria  Dayton,  351  ;  children  of, 

351 

Higley,  William  G.  (1859),  230 ; 
William  Gustavus  (1861),  692  ; 
William  H.  Chase  (1838),  683 ; 
William  J.  (1883),  193  ;  William 
Kerr  (1858),  197 ;  William  L. 
(1886),  192  ;  William  M.  (1860), 
276  ;  William  Marshall  (1870),  683; 
William  Perley  (1843),  sketch  of, 
653-654 ;  married  first,  Eva  V. 
Jilson,  654 ;  second,  Elizabeth  T. 


Maguire,  654;  children  of, 654;  Wil- 
liam Simpson  (1788),  sketch  of,  665; 
his  children,  666  ;  William  Simp- 
son, Jr.  (1814),  sketch  of,  666  ;  his 
children,  666  ;  William  Mortimer 
(1874),  365  ;  William  W.  (1863), 
426;  Willis  (1879),  699;  Willis 
Alonzo  (1860),  600  ;  Willisburton 
(1862),  424  ;  Wilson  (1827),  396 

Higley,  York  Turrell  (1826),  667  ; 
married  Caroline  D.  Strong,  667  ; 
their  children,  667 

Higley,  Zilpah  (1766),   241 

Hillabrant,  Charles  H.,  203 ; 
George  N.  (1858),  203;  Marian 
Higley  (1830),  203;  Willis  Duell 
(1855),  203 

Hinman,  Minerva  Ann  Higley 
(1816),  190;  her  children,  190; 
John  S.  (1842),  sketch  of,  190; 
Civil  War  record,  190;  Charles  L. 
(1847),  sketch  of,  190;  Civil  War 
record,  190 

Hobart,  Abby  E.  Ufford  (1851),  598 

Hodges,  Annis  Higley  (1802), 
629 

Holbrook,  Emily  Higley  (1802),  412 

Holcomb,  Abigail  Higley  (1723), 
583;  Angeline  Higley  (1829),  419; 
Hester  (Esther)  (1683),  100;  Mary 
Higley  (1825),  376;  Roxanna  Hig- 
ley, 219 

Hooker,  Sarah  M.  Higley  (1799), 
247 

Hopkins,  Lovina  Higley  (1808),  694 

Hopper,  Emily  Higley,  205;  chil- 
dren of,  205;  Lucy  P.,  271 

Hornden,  Aseneth  Higley  (179-), 

594 

Hough,  Susan  Higley  (1839),  432 

Hoyt,  Rev.  Edwin,  242 

Howe,  Laura  Merrill,  242 

Humphrey,  Amelia  Higley  (1801), 
432;  Naomi  Higley  (1726),  442; 
her  children,  443;  Herman,  Rev. 
(1779),  sketch  of,  443;  Solomon, 
Jr.  (1752),  443;  Roxy  Brown 
(illS),  379;  Susannah  (1769),  286; 
Elizabeth  W.  Higley  (1846),  414; 
Frances  Higley  (1848),  593;  Han- 
nah Brown  (1758),  379 

Hutchinson,  Olivia  Higley  Hazard, 
620 

Hunt,  Alice  M.  Stewart  (1862),  292; 
her  children,  292 

Huntington,  Faith  Trumbull  (1743), 
sketcn  of,  466 

Husted,  David  H.  (1809),  592;  chil- 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


734 


INDEX. 


dren  of,  592;  Desire  Higley  (1777); 
sketch  of,  590;  children  of,  591; 
Silas  (1799),  591;  children  of,  591 

Indenture,  laws  of,  30 

Iowa,  pioneer  experiences  in,  356 

Johnson,  Eliza  Ann  Higley,  438; 
Sarah  Eliza  Higley  (1846),  194; 
her  children,  194 

Jones,  Elva  Barnard  (1859),  569; 
Polly  Higley  (1786),  182 

Judd,  Higley,  606;  Julius,  606;  chil- 
dren of,  606;  Sally  Higley,  605; 
children  of,  605 

Kellogg,  Ellen  M.  Higley  (1832), 
668;  her  children,  668;  Emma  E. 
Higley  (1849),  294;  her  children, 

294 
Kelsey,  Lydia  Noble  (1704),  family 

of,  159 
Kempton,    Emeline   Higley   Fuller 

(1808),  433 
Kendall,     Sarah    Cornelia    Higley 

(1822),    359;    children    of,    360; 

Wellington    Jerome     (1851),  360; 

children  of,  360 ;  William  Albert 

(1847),  360 

Kerby,  Mary  English,  268 
Kimball,  Sarah  L.  Green  (1860),  363 
King,  Huldah   Higley  (1777),    283; 

Mary  Alice  Kellogg  (1863),  668 
King  Philip's  War,  36 
Kinney,    Achsah     Higley      (1819), 

sketch  of,  547;  children   of,  548  ; 
,  Albert    Reed    (1844),    Civil  War 

sketch,     548;    Jonathan     Higley 

(1846),    548;    Lucy  Addie  (1861), 

549 

Kirker,  Mary  Simpson,  274 
Knapp,   Asaph  Clark  (1846),    648; 

Fayette    Warren      (1839),      648; 

Franklin  D.  (1835),  648;   Hannah 

Higley  (daughter  of  Isaac),  411; 

Henry  J.   (1844),   sketch  of,  648; 

HoraceS.  (1844),  648;  Relief  Hig- 
ley (1801),  sketch  of,  647 
Knight,  Eunice  Higley,  181;   Maria 

Higley  (1799).  182 
Knowlton,   Charity  Higley   (1801), 

sketch  of,  662;  her  children,  662 

Lampson,  Anna  Higley  (1793),  411; 
Ella  Bell  (1864),  579;  Mabel 
(1890),  579;  Vena  B.  (1886),  579 

Laflin,  Mary  Minerva  Brewster 
(1832),  299 


Lawrence,  Clarissa  Higley   (1777), 

675;  Sally  Higley  (1794),  686 
Lawton,  Eliza  Ann  (1831),  420;  her 

children,  420 
Lemon,   Emma  L.   Higley   (1857), 

196;  George  E.,  195 
Life    and    customs      of      colonial 

women,  149-151 

Logue,  Naomi  Higley  (1826),  276 
Loomis,  Sarah  Higley  (1697),  137 
Loucks,  Harriet  S.  Higley  (1872), 

541  ;  Howard  Simpson  (1895),  541 
Lyman,  Mary  Denison,  265 

McCreary,  Mary  Boardman  Green, 
363  ;  her  children,  363 

McDowell,  Lucy  P.  Higley  (1863), 
630 

McEwen,  Charles  (1804),  580  ;  Da- 
vid (1847),  405  ;  his  children,  405  ; 
Harriet  Higley  (1813),  sketch  of, 
404  ;  her  children,  404,  405 

McKinley,  Margaret  Hays,  376 

McLoud,  Adeline  Higley  (1860),  593; 
Frank  Higley  (1888),  593;  Charles 
Emmons  (1893),  593  ;  Lewis  Ed- 
ward (1883),  593;  Lewis  Hathaway 
(1852),  597 

McLoud-Paddock,  Mary  Elvira  Hig- 
ley (1820),  sketch  of,  596 

McNaughton,  Sally  Higley  (1795), 
183  ;  Harlow  Phelps  (1830),  183  ; 
Civil  War  record,  183 

Malolin,  Mary  F.  Higley  (1837),  198 

Manchester,  Hathaway  Mary  S. 
(1840),  705  ;  children  of,  705 

Maltbie,  Elizabeth  Higley  (1822), 
376  ;  children  of,  376 

Maltoon,  Deborah  L.  Higley  (1806), 
295  ;  children  of,  295 

Manville,  Laura  P.  Marcy  (1852), 
303 

Marcy,  Albert  Edwin  (1846),  Civil 
War  record,  303  ;  Eunice  W.  Hig- 
ley (1821),  303  ;  children  of,  303  ; 
William  Lloyd  G.  (1848),  Civil 
War  record,  303 

Marsh,  Marian  A.  Watrous  (1841), 
605  ;  Sarah  C.  (1832),  605 

Martel,  Sefer  Prudence  Green  (1848), 
363  ;  children  of,  363 

Martin,  Leonora  Emma  Higley, 
203  ;  children  of,  203  ;  Roxy  A. 
Higley  (1836),  630 

Mather,  Diana  Higley  Mason  (1815), 
196 

Matsche,  Mary  L.  Higley  (1866), 
371  ;  Mortimer  Higley  (1890),  371 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


INDEX. 


735 


Merrill,  Delight  Higley  (1769),  242  ; 
Selah  Higley,  Hon.,  242  ;  Thede 
Brown  (1773),  379 

Merritt,  Betsey  Higley  (1803),  662  ; 
children  of,  662 

Meredith,  Emeline  Terry  (1843),  204 

Messenger,  Lohama  Higley  (1800), 
192  ;  children  of,  193 

Metcalf,  Flora  Bates,  221 

Mills,  Apphia  Higley,  527  ;  DeEtta 
Higley,  527  ;  Elizabeth  Higley 
(1723),  sketch  of,  440  ;  Gideon, 
Rev.  (1716),  163,  440  ;  Gideon,  Jr. 
(1749),  442;  Hannah  Higley  Owen 
(1777),  sketch  of,  377  ;  Jedediah 
(1755),  442  ;  Martha  Higley  (1766), 
436  ;  Pelatiah,  379 ;  children 
of,  379  ;  Ruth  Higley  (1784),  411  ; 
Samuel,  Lieutenant  (1751),  sketch 
of,  442 

Miner,  Anna  N.  Higley,  418  ;  Lorin 
Luther  (1878),  331  ;  Sarah  A. 
Higley  (1845),  330 

Mines,  Newgate  Prison,  452 

Mitchell,  Esther  M.  Higley  (1846), 
630 

Moffatt,  Addie  Irene  Higley  (1867), 
184 

Moore,  Emma  J.  Kinny  (1865),  549  ; 
her  child,  Gladys  S.,  549;  Deacon 
John,  8,  14  ;  Hannah,  18  ;  Harriet 
C.  Higley  (1832),  206;  Mahala 
Higley,  439  ;  Thomas,  14 

Morehouse,  Mary  J.  Morris  (1835), 
631 

Morrinson,  Louisa  P.  Malolin  (1838), 
198 

Morris,  Alfred  Wallace  (1840),  631  ; 
Charles  Wesley  (1843),  Civil  War 
sketch,  631 ;  Clarissa  Higley  (1814), 
631  ;  children  of,  631  ;  Henry 
Decatur  (1833),  631  ;  John  Almon 
(1836),  631  ;  Watson  D.  (1848), 
632 

Morse,  Marion  A.  Higley  (1835), 
665 

Moulton,  Nancy  A.  Higley  (1825), 
276 

Music  in  public  worship  in  Colonial 
times,  164,  165 

Naisbet,  Lucinda  E.  (1869),  438 
Newton,  Emma  L.  (1843),  666  ;  her 

children,  666 
Nest,   Martha  Higley   (1816),   351, 

380 
New  York,  central,  in  1804,  200,  201, 

589 


Nickason,  Eliza  L.  Higley  (1836), 
218  ;  Fred.  (1861),  218 ;  Mary 
(1876),  218 

Noble,  David,  Sr.  (1709),  159  ;  Da- 
vid, Jr.,  Captain,  160,  161  ;  hero  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  160 ; 
Katherine  Higley  (1679),  96  ;  de- 
scendants of,  159 

North,  Frances  Levina  (1847),  302  ; 
children  of,  302 

Norton,  Ada  Higley  Woodruff 
(1791),  411 

Nye,  Frances  Higley  (1852),  554  ; 
Rachel  Higley  (1822),  578 

Ohio  Company  organized,  235 
Ohio  Society  of  New  York  City, 

214 
Ohio,  St^te  of,   early  settlements, 

236,  308,  310,  480-486,  684 
Oviatt,  Althea  Higley  (1798),  395  ; 

children  of,  395 
Owen,     Elijah,     Sr.     (1700),     377  ; 

Elijah,   Jr.    (1738),    378  ;    Esther 

(daughter  of  John   Owen),    169 ; 

Deacon  John,  170 

Paddock,  Warren  O.  (1844),  sketch 

of,  506 

Palmer,  Alice  Freeman,  Ph.  D. 
(1855),  sketch  of,  614-617;  her 
childhood,  614;  at  the  academy, 
614 ;  enters  the  Michigan  Uni- 
versity, 615;  engaged  in  teaching, 
615;  professor  of  history  at  Wel- 
lesley,  615  ;  president  of  Wellesley 
College,  615;  marriage  with  Pro- 
fessor George  H.  Palmer,  616; 
views  on  co-education,  616;  mem- 
ber of  Massachusetts  State  Board 
of  Education,  617;  advisory  Dean, 
617;  Betsey  M.  Higley  (1837), 
195;  children  of,  195;  Flora  R., 
195;  Polly  Higley  Pinny,  225. 
Paige,  Eliza  Higley  (1839),  344 
Parsons,  Ellen  A.  Higley  (1844),  618 
Partridge,  Hiram  W.  (1805),  593; 

children  of,  593 
Pearson,  Margaret  G.  Burge  (1867), 

625;  Everett  L.  (1894),  625 
Pease,  Laura  Higley  (1846),  411 
Perkins,  Zilpah  Higley,  247 
Perry,  Lucy  Hale  (1831),  581;  her 

children,  581 

Pettibone,  Abby  Higley  (1783),  411 
Peyton,   Desire   R.    Higley  (1832), 

205 
Phelps,  Noah,  Captain,  170 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


736 


INDEX. 


Philkins,    Nathaniel,    Major,    Civil 
War  record,  219;   Rachel  Higley 
(1813),  219;  her  children,  219 
Pine,    Polly    Amanda    (1805),   605; 

children  of,  605 
Pinney,  Ida  Melissa  Wilcox  (1858), 

292 
Pitcher,  Harriet  Higley  (1822),  699; 

children  of,  700 

Pitt,  Annie  G.  Higley  (1854),  35 1 
Political  events,  1685,  1687,  56 
Porter- Alford,      Hannah      Higley 

(1737),  176 

Porter,  Brewster  Higley  (1820),  266; 
Edward  D.,  professor,  266;  Har- 
ley  Higley  (1781),  266;  children 
of,  266;  Thomas  Rodney  (1810), 
266;  Seth,  176;  Zechariah  (1805), 
266 

Post,  Eliza  Denison,  265 
Potter,  Henrietta  Terry,  204 
Powers,  Mary  Ann  Higley  (1836), 

655 
Prentice,  Susan  J.   Higley   (1840), 

193 

Preston,  Laura  H.  Wiswell  (1859), 
582 

Pringle,  Cyrus  Guernsey,  professor, 
sketch  of,  241 

Puritan  households,  laws  govern- 
ing, 26 

Ramsey,  Mary  Higley  (1793),  198 
Rathbun,  Lucy  Higley  (1793),  182 
Redding,  Adelia  Higley,  662 
Reed,  Theodosia  Higley,  345 
Regley,  Jessie  E.  Higley,  365;  her 

children,  365 

Reid,  Mary  A.  Borridaile,  201 
Rich,  Elvira  Higley,  627;  Julia  Ann 

Higley  (1839),  710;  children   of, 

710 
Rising,  Susan  Higley,  651;  children 

of,  651 

Ritter,  Gustie  Higley  (1862),  565 
Robe,     Emma     Gertrude    Higley, 

(1851),  415;  children  of,  415 
Robertson,  Mary  Higley,  687 
Roe,  Hannah  Higley  (1823),  498 
Rogers,  Lucy   M.  Higley  Sullivan 

(1843),  206 
Roots,  Louisa   Higley  (1761),  241; 

her  children,  241 
Rudd,  Sarah  Higley  (1753),  286 
Russell,   Eliza  Higley   (1806),  672; 

Harriet   Newell  (1819),  303;    her 

children,   303;   Sarah   M.    Higley 

Clark,  198 


Segar,  Minne  E.  Kellogg  (1861), 
668 

Scott,  Minerva  Higley  (1791),  299; 
Joseph  Higley,  Rev.,  sketch  of, 
299;  Elmira  Higley  (1821),  593 

Scovel,  Harriet  N.  Higley  (1838), 
292;  children  of,  292 

Sawyer,  Emily  Louisa  Kempton 
(1846),  433 

Sage,  Harriet  Higley  (1825),  435 

Sanderson,  James  H.,  268;  Mary 
Augusta  (1847),  269;  William 
Brewster  (1840),  269;  Zeruah  Hig- 
ley (1817),  268;  children  of,  268 

Schools,   early,  of  New    England, 

157 

Scott,  Frank  Ellsworth  (1862),  291  ; 
Joseph  Stillman  (1830),  291;  Sarah 
Melissa  Higley  (1808),  291  ;  chil- 
dren of,  291 

Severance,  Eva  M.  Higley  (1853), 
628 

Seymour,  Rhoda  Higley  Humphrey, 
225 

Shakers,  founding  of  the  first  Ameri- 
can community,  586 

Shepard,  Elma  A.  Higley  (1837), 
sketch  of,  404  ;  children  of,  404 

Shields,  Cynthia  N.  Higley  (1822), 

435 

Sission,  Sarah  Higley  (1834),  499 
Simpson,    Theresa     Higley    (1791) 

273 

Slack,  Adeline  Terry  (1845),  204 
Snow,  Armina  Jane  Higley,  599 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  founding  of,  47 
Social  status  of  colonists,  154 
Slade,  Orpah  Higley  (1776),  645 
Smith,    Anna    Higley  (1760),    660 ; 
Azubah  Higley  (1760),  660  ;  David 
Garnsey     (1800),     604 ;     Eveline 
Terry  (1844),   205  ;    Gertrude  M. 
Higley  (1857),  625 
Sommers,  Cora  Betsey  (1874),  527 
Smith,  Sophia  Higley  (daughter  of 
Josiah  Higley  (4th),  662;  children 
of,    662;    Norman    Buell    (1808), 
605  ;  Sarah  Minerva  Higley,  607 
Stafford,  Elva  Higley,  578  ;     Flor- 
ence Gridley,  578 
Stearns,  Sophia  Higley,  181 
Smith,    Mindwell    Bates    Johnson, 

234  ;  Margaret  Ann  (1846),  205 
Stetson,  Coloma  Higley  (1858),  565  ; 

her  children,  565 

Stewart,  Edward  E.  (1860),  292 ; 
Sybil  A.  Higley  (1836),  292  ;  her 
children,  292 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
•was  born. 


INDEX. 


737 


Strong,  Annis  Higley  (1781),  353  ; 

the    family    of,     63  ;    Theodosia 

Higley  (1781),  345 
Sturdevant,  Pamelia  Higley  (1800), 

396  ;  children  of,  396 
Superstitions  of  early  colonists,  17 
Sweet,    Sevilla    Higley,    662  ;    Al- 

mena  Higley  (1805)  432  ;  children 

of,  432 

Talmadge,   Ella    Louisa    Freeman 

(1859),  sketch  of,  618 
Tanner,  Lucy  Higley  (1869),  565 
Taylor,  Margery  Brown   Giddings 

(1764),  379 

Terry,   Adeline    E.    Higley  (1825), 

205  ;  Bradford,  204  ;  Chauncey  G., 

205  ;  Earl  G.  (1870),  414 ;  George 

Higley    (1863),   414 ;    George   B., 

Jr.,   205  ;    James,   204  ;    John  C. 

(1874),  414  ;  Lucy  Rosetta  Higley 

(1822),  204  ;  Nancy  M.  (1844),  I9°  "» 

Sarah  Ellen  Higley  (1842),  414 

The  Higley  reunions  (Appendix),  713 

The  Higley-Copper,  126,  130 

The   Mary   and  John,   voyage    of 

(description  by  Roger  Clap),  10 
The  Mormon  sect,  founding  of,  690 
The  Western  Reserve  of  Ohio,  457, 

480 
Thomas,  Jennie  B.   Higley  (1858), 

599 
Thompson,  Edward,  Rev.,   sketch 

of,  474,  5.88,  589 

Thorp,  Abigail  Higley  (1703),  147 
Tinkham,  Maria  Higley  (1805),  413 
Tisdale,  James,  135  ;  Mmdwell  Hig- 
ley (1689),  135 
Titus,   Lucinda  R.   Knapp  (1826), 

647 

Torrington,  Conn.,  156 

Town  meeting,  51 

Townsend,  Freeland  (1849),  555; 
Henry,  Jr.  (1867),  555;  Perry  A. 
(1848),  sketch  of,  555;  Ursula 
Higley  (1824),  534 

Treat,  Albina  Higley  (1841),  600; 
her  children,  600 

Trumbull,  David  (1751),  sketch  of, 
451;  his  wife,  Sarah  Backus,  468; 
their  children,  469;  Assistant 
Commissary-General  of  United 
States,  469;  Hannah  Higley 
(1683),  sketch  of,  106;  (mother  of 
Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull, 
Sr.)  108;  Hannah  Higley,  de- 
scendants of,  444;  John  (1756), 
sketch  of,  470,  473;  aid-de-camp 


to  Washington,  470;  Adjutant- 
General  on  Washington's  staff, 
470;  service  in  war  of  Revolution; 
471;  student  of  art,  471;  paints 
national  historical  pictures,  471; 
portrait  of  Washington,  472; 
president  Academy  of  Fine  Arts, 
472  ;  his  epitaph,  473 

Trumbull,  Jonathan,  Sr.,  Governor 
(1710),  sketch  of,  444,  463;  mem- 
ber of  the  Connecticut  General 
Assembly,  446  ;  his  wife,  Faith 
Robinson,  446 ;  their  children, 
463  ;  English  and  French  war. 
447,  448;  Chief  Judge  of  County 
Court,  447 ;  Chief  Judge  of 
Probate  Court,  448;  Chief  Judge 
of  Superior  Court,  448;  business 
house  of,  449;  Deputy  Governor, 
448;  elected  Governor,  440;  war 
of  Revolution,  450,  457;  "  Brother 
Jonathan,"  451;  war  prisoners, 
custody  of,  451;  General  Wash- 
ington, 452;  issues  Declaration  of 
Independence,  453,  455;  his  war 
office,  456;  secures  Western  Re- 
serve, Ohio,  457;  farewell  address 
to  Connecticut  General  Assembly, 
458;  death  of  Mrs.  Faith  Trum- 
bull, 460;  his  death,  461;  George 
Washington's  letter  of  condo- 
lence, 462  ;  descendants  of,  464 

Trumbull,  Jonathan,  Governor,  ad 
(1740),  sketch  of,  465, 466;  married 
Eunice  Backus,  466;  their  chil- 
dren, 466;  private  secretary  to 
Washington,  465;  member  of 
Connecticut  State  legislature, 
465 ;  Speaker  of  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, 465;  elected  Governor 
of  Connecticut,  465 

Trumbull,  Joseph,  Governor,  3d 
(1782),  sketch  of,  469;  married 
Eliza  Storrs,  469;  elected  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut,  469;  Joseph 
(i737),  sketch  of,  464 

Turner,  EmelineKempton(i837),433 

The  tything  man,  141 

Ufford,  Benjamin  Franklin    (1857), 

598;    Curtis  B.,  598;  Willard  E. 

(1848),   sketch    of,   598  ;    children 

of,  598 
Utah,  State  of,  first  settlement,  437, 

696,  697 

Van  Dorn,  Laura  Bates  Trumbull, 
224 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


738 


INDEX. 


Van  Wagenen,    Lucy    H.    Husted 

(1804),  59i  I  children  of,  591 
Vaughn,  Emma  H.  Dye  (1851),  612 
Vermont,  early  days  of,  172,  637 

Wadsworth,  Abigail  Higley  (1838), 
438  ;  children  of,  438  ;  Marian  C., 
333  ;  children  of,  333 

Walden,  Hannah  L.  (1841),  332 ; 
children  of,  332 

Waldorph,  Anna  L.  Higley  (1819), 
666  ;  children  of,  666  ;  Harry  D. 
(1879),  666;  George  D.  (1850),  667 

Walker,  Alexander,  Jr.,  219  ;  Fred. 
E.,  219  ;  Floyd,  219  ;  Harry,  219  ; 
Hugh,  219  ;  Maria  R.  Higley 
(1845),  218;  Maud  C.,  219;  War- 
ren Higley,  219 

Ward,  Ellen  Higley  Young,  552 

Wareham,  John,  Rev.,  8,  9 

Warren,  Augusta  Higley  (1863), 
581  ;  Harriet  W.  Higley  (1839), 
398  ;  Leon  Thompson  (1883),  581  ; 
Vern  Casper  (1889),  581 

Washbury,  Amanda  Sanderson 
(1838),  268;  her  children,  268 

Watrous,  Charles  B.  (1835),  605 ; 
Eliza  Higley  Smith  (1802),  sketch 
of,  604  ;  children  of,  605  ;  James 
S.  (1826),  605  ;  William  M.  (1831), 
605 

Weatherby,  Florence  Terry,  204 

Webb,  Mary  E.  Higley  (1867),  325 

Webster,  Emily  B.  Higley  (1829), 
612 

Weld,  Nancy  Higley,  351 

Wendell,  Susan  Amanda  (1828),  624; 
children  of,  624 

West,  Fannie  Jane  Green  (1867), 
364  ;  Julia  Higley  (1862),  625 

Whippy,  Julia  E.  Scott  (1833),  291 

White,  Wesley,  Judge  (1812),  517  ; 
Mary  Higley  (1783),  570 


Whitefield  in  Connecticut,  163 

Whitlock,  Abiah,  181 

Wiard,  Charles  (1834),  207  ;  Mary 
C.  Annable,  his  wife,  207  ;  Emily 
Higley  (1805),  207  ;  Frank  C.,  207; 
Flora  E.  (1832),  207  ;  Lyman  A., 
207 

Wilbur,  Rosanna  Higley  (1831), 
612 

Wilcox,  Hannah  Case  (1749),  391; 
Sarah  Melissa  Scott  (1836),  291; 
Isaac  N.,  Lieutenant,  sketch  of, 
292;  children  of,  292 

Williams,  Adeline  Higley  (1860), 
565;  Electa  Higley,  181;  Harriet 
Higley  Hodge,  192;  Isadore  Hig- 
ley (1846),  424;  children  of, 
424;  Mary  Trumbull  (1745), 
sketch  of,  467-468;  children 
of,  468;  William,  Hon.  (signer 
of  Declaration  of  Independence), 
468 ;  Whitlock  Rachel  Higley, 
181 

Windsor,  Conn.,  founding  of,  5 

Winter,  Roxie  Estes  (1818),  629 

Wiswell,  Bert  (1858),  581;  Emily 
Hale  (1833),  581 

Woodbridge,  Timothy,  Rev.,  72 

Woodward,  Harriet  O.  Higley,  192 

Woplcott,  Henry,  Esq.,  23,  43; 
Simon,  49 

Worster,    Sarah    J.    Higley  (1849), 

399 

Wyman,  Nancy  Higley  (1794),  189; 
children  of,  190 

Yale  College,  birth  of,  etc.,  65,  66, 

67 
Yale,  Margaret  H.  Holcombe  (1886), 

376 

Zolomon,  Elba  Higley  (1844),  207; 
Emily  J.  Higley  (1835),  207 


NOTE.— The  numbers  following  the  names  indicate  the  year  in  which  the  person 
was  born. 


THE    END. 


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